Where did Arab Resentment and Hatred against the West come from?

Answer 1

Answer 1

Contrary to President George W. Bush's announcement "They hate us for our freedom", this is certainly NOT the reason for Anti-American sentiment.

Any person who has been to an Arab country can tell you exactly why Americans are disliked across the Arab World. Our foreign policy is very problematic. These acts cause resentment; and in many Arab countries, the damage is already done and the USA would be unable to recover. Major grievances against the USA include:

Economic Imperialism: The United States has an incredible amount of power to shape the economies of other countries. For example, the United States has completely destroyed the endemic Egyptian agriculture industry by subsidizing US production so that food prices from US food producers are far cheaper than any Egyptian could produce it at. Although such activities are illegal according to the World Trade Organization, the US power in this organization effectively prevents the raising of this claim. Egypt is not the only country that suffers from US economic imperialism. The United States engages in over 200 dumping activities annually and subsidizes many industries which form the major non-petroleum production in Arab countries.

Additionally, as the largest stakeholder in the International Monetary Fund, the United States has an important role in designing the loans that the IMF gives out to developing countries. In many cases, the IMF pushes for an end to trade barriers, which prevents industries from developing in-country and makes those countries import-dependent. Also, many domestic interests cannot be funded such as education and medicare, forcing the country to remain in the same position perpetually. A few of the poorer Middle Eastern countries have been directly affected by the strings attached to IMF loans.

Support for Certain Countries: There are two parts to this. Firstly, the United States helps to prop up a state that Arab countries vehemently oppose: Israel. This leads to Arab citizens disliking American policy. Of course, this is not to say that the American action is illegitimate or incorrect, but the USA has chosen a side and naturally the opposition will feel anger.

Secondly, the United States has supported numerous brutal dictators in various countries. In the Middle East, the United States supported Hosni Mubarak and continues to Mohammed Morsi, two individuals who have consistently attacked and demonized the citizens of Egypt. Additionally, many Middle Eastern dictators received funding from the USA in acquiring technologies capable of more effectively repressing their people from tear gas to computer programs and viruses.

CIA Activities and Coups d'État: The United States did not just protect governments that were sadistic to their own citizens. In several instances, they helped install them as well. In the case of the Shah of Iran (in 1953), the CIA actively caused revolts in the country, toppling legitimate governments to put violent dictators in power. In the Iranian Case, Mossadegh was an elected Prime Minister who served the interests of the Iranian people. Unfortunately, those actions prejudiced Western access to cheap Iranian oil and the CIA replaced Mossadegh with an authoritarian dictator, the Shah Mohammed Reza Pahlavi, who would give them the cheap oil again. The idea that the USA can replace leaders around the world with impunity is very angering to many individuals.

Cold War Activities: During the Cold War, the United States engaged in numerous proxy wars with the Soviets with many third-world countries as the battlegrounds. The Arab-Israeli Conflict was, in many ways, a US-Soviet proxy war. Over 100,000 Arabs have died and nearly 1,000,000 have been made refugees due to the Arab-Israeli Conflict, which was exaggerated by the US and Soviet interference.

Military Bases All Over the World: The United States maintains military bases in over 100 different countries. If this is not a projection of military might, there is nothing that would be.

Unilateralism: The United States consistently avoids working within the bounds of the international community. The USA typically only negotiates with other countries when it suits them. They are more than willing to "go it alone" when everyone disagrees with them. The clearest example of this was the Invasion of Iraq. When US Secretary of State Colin Powell presented the cause to go to war to the United Nations, the other nations refused to go along with the United States. Therefore, instead of backing down and clarifying their research, the Americans invaded Iraq. Callously disregarding someone else's view will certainly anger them.

Aloofness: Many American citizens know almost nothing about other countries and have no desire to learn. They believe that their culture and way of life are so clearly superior to everyone else's that everyone should just aspire to be American. This sentiment is not well-received abroad.

Invasion and Attacking Numerous Muslim-Majority Countries: The United States is currently at war in Afghanistan and was previously at war in Iraq. While the invasion of Afghanistan may have been warranted, the fact that it continues and has even widened with drone strikes in Pakistan infuriates Arabs who see Afghans and Pakistanis as their brothers in Islam. The War in Iraq is seen almost uniformly by Arabs as a war without legitimate grounding and an attempt to get a hold of Arab resources like petroleum as opposed to a serious security threat.

Criticism of Islam and Anti-Islamic Sentiment: The United States allows for discussion of Islam in less than flattering terms as an extension of First Amendment Rights. Muslim Arabs find such comments offensive and a misunderstanding of their religion regardless of whether they are based on accurate assessments of Islamic Works or they are hate-mongering. Muslim Arabs see religion trumping freedom of speech whereas most Americans see freedom of speech trumping religion. This ideological discrepancy also causes Arab resentment towards the USA.

Answer 2

Please see the Related Link below.