Americans love to believe that the differences in perception between themselves and the Muslim world are due to the fact that Americans are rational, well-informed, free and advanced, while those in predominantly Arab or Muslim countries are propagandized, irrational, primitive, conspiratorial, and misled (here's a classic case of that self-loving view from The New Republic's Michael Crowley today, fretting that anti-Americanism is so high in Pakistan not because of what we do [God forbid] but because those Muslims are so paranoid and irrational that they insanely fantasize that we're up to all sorts of nefarious things).
The problem with the above is that Michael Crowley's article is correct. Michael Crowley is rather careful - he writes of the prevailing atmosphere in Islamabad (and nowhere even implies that this extends to all of Pakistan), and the contribution of Pakistan's media to that environment (nowhere does he implicate all Pakistanis). Even his historical incident from 1979 - the torching of the US embassy because of a rumor that the US attacked Mecca - occurred in Islamabad.
The problems with the Pakistani media are pointed out by Pakistanis themselves. Examples abound (e.g., this, a humorous one).
Glenn Greenwald's reaction?
"What a shock that macgupta jumps in to agree that Pakistanis are primitive, irrational, conspiratorial, misled, and any other negative adjective you want to apply.
Whether they are or not is not the point. If Crowley condemns Americans for being the same way when it comes to Muslims, you'd have a point. The point is that Americans typically think this about Muslims when it's often true of themselves."
But, to quote Irfan Husain (please read the whole column at dawn.com)(emphasis added)
In a sense, our relations with the US have become hostage to a virulent media that seems hell-bent on bashing Washington at every turn. Over the years, I have opposed American policies in many parts of the world. But I recognise that the US has global interests and can be a force for good.
So who is whipping up this anti-American sentiment? A lot of the blame must be placed at the White House gate. The blank cheque to Israel is the source of much anger. The invasion of Iraq fuels some of the fury. Avoidable civilian deaths in Afghanistan are another cause. In Pakistan itself, the drone attacks that have killed so many Al-Qaeda and Taliban leaders have also caused considerable collateral damage.
But there’s more to it than these policies and perceptions. In the current venom-laden environment, it is clear that ordinary Pakistanis are being manipulated by cynical groups. Unfortunately, our media is more accustomed to pandering to existing prejudices than challenging them. So if anti-West sentiments are the flavour of the day, TV channels are happy to fan the flames to improve their ratings.
Currently, the religious right, the liberal left and the military establishment are riding the same anti-American bandwagon. The mullahs tacitly support the Taliban and what they stand for; the left hates the US more than it does the Taliban; and the army is sick of being told by Washington that it isn’t doing enough. By amplifying these anti-West feelings through the media, our generals can tell Americans that they cannot act take tougher action against the militants in Fata as it would inflame public sentiment and might destabilise the government.
Note the emphasis. Glenn Greenwald's oeuvre focuses primarily on the first - American actions - which is fine, because the reform of America is what he wants. Where I think he goes wrong is in never conceding any importance to the second - that there is more to anti-Americanism than just reaction to America's actions - "But there’s more to it than these policies and perceptions."
Whatever mirror Glenn Greenwald wants to construct for Americans to peer into to see their own defects, the Crowley article is the wrong material.
PS: Irfan Husain wrote: "the left hates the US more than it does the Taliban". If the US is taken to mean the Federal Government, then this is true of a section of the US Left as well - they hate the US more than the Taliban.
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