I actually came to the conclusion some years ago that most Westerners don’t want to truly understand the Arabs and how incredibly tough they are, because it would give them all a raging inferiority complex.
One of the places I worked was Fujairah, UAE. It’s one of the smallest States in the Emirates (a pop of about 100k when I was there), but one of the toughest. It’s pretty much all mountainous terrain and get’s more rain than the rest of the UAE put together. I am always so amused when I hear that some US wealthy idiot or Politician is doing deals with Dubai because that is where they think all the power is. π Understanding what the UAE really think of *outsiders* is simple by looking in Fujairah. Fujairah is different than the other UAE STates in that they don’t hide their feelings to outsiders. One example is that local *national’s* are treated free at the federal government hospitals, while foreigners have to pay big fees for medical care. And no money, you die. π Foreigners cannot buy land there. Nationals can purchase land from the government, after proving their nationality. Etc.
Once the UAE have sucked all the money from these wealthy idiots, they will find out what the local’s truly think of them. π
]]>The Arab Mind is like the Elders of Zion in too many ways. The anthropologist who wrote had only studied a small sample of Sunni Bedouin and generalized from his personal experience. From my readings about the Bedouin and talking to the old guys who were stationed is North Africa and other locations with Bedouin tribes, I came away with the distinct impression that Bedu went into an act whenever outsiders were around, They played roles and didn’t reveal themselves to avoid people discovering any weaknesses. Weak and lazy people don’t survive in the desert for hundreds of years.
]]>The U.S. has largely allowed Israel to run U.S. foreign policy in the Middle East because Israelis seem “Western” and a known/knowable quantity, while Arabs seem “Eastern” and mysterious and unknowable. I.e., we are allowing mystical woowoo truthiness (“truth” that arises from “gut feel” rather than facts) to direct U.S. foreign policy in the Middle East. Unfortunately the same applies to far too much of the deranged nonsense that characterizes U.S. “politics” today…
– Badtux the Cynical Penguin
]]>As someone who spent quite some time learning about and working in ME… BINGO!! Bigtime! π
]]>They got their butts kicked because they didn’t respect their enemy. They have spent so much time as occupation troops, that they don’t know how to run a real assault.
Iraq made no more sense as an ally, than an enemy. The US has never taken the trouble to learn hard facts about the Middle East, it has always been political, too often following Israel’s lead.
This modern all-volunteer military has been short-changed. We always got phrase books and country profiles when we were sent to a foreign country. Apparently they don’t do that anymore, like a lot of things that made life easier. A little “cultural sensitivity” training would have saved lives on both sides.
]]>Regarding Israeli intelligence, any residual respect I had for them evaporated in 2006 as it became clear that they had seriously underestimated Hezbollah’s preparations for war and ability to inflict significant damage upon invading Israeli ground forces. At that point it became clear Israeli intelligence had degenerated to the point that they were as useful as warts on a beauty queen.
]]>I wouldn’t be surprised to find out that the ordnance on display came from Israeli stores and had been manufactured for the Shah’s government. There was a lot of military cooperation between Israel and the Shah.
]]>Maybe they should be renamed to: ‘Lack-of-intelligence’ services. π
Bloody disgusting! Hmmph!
]]>