The Clash between America and the Middle East: Dr Laura Nader's views

Dr Laura Nader, who is a professor of anthropology at UC Berkeley, recently gave a speech at the University of Southern California in which she expressed her views on the Arab conflict and its relationship with the United States. When I first heard of this talk and on how Dr Laura Nader might be controversial in her views, I was a little skeptical, but I found her talk to be very interesting and thought-provoking.

I grew up in Beijing and was educated under a Western school system – around 60 - 70% of our high school graduates end up going to study in the United States, and the rest either in the United Kingdom, Canada or Australia. Having never had the chance to reside in the United States for a permanent period, my impression of the US was that of a melting pot, where democracy ensured justice and equality.

I realized I was somewhat mistaken when I moved to Los Angeles two years ago. I learned that women still do not receive equal pay for the same job and the same effort. I learned that there was a disproportionate number of Black inmates sentenced to the death penalty. I learned that people can't even vote without it being a bipartisan struggle – in Ohio, a law restricting early voters is being challenged. Currently in Pennsylvania, a new law requires voters to show photo identification (which many minorities do not own). So in a nation which preaches equality, not everyone gets the equal chance to vote. It is still divided on the issue of same-sex marriage, whereas it is already legal in Canada and many parts of Europe.

Photo courtesy of FreedomHouse

Professor Nader stresses that many Americans still hold onto the notion that their nation is the best in the world, that they have the power and privilege to instruct other nations on how to behave. As she mentioned, Amnesty International reported Syrian husbands who beat their wives as 26%. It is the exact same for American husbands. Hilary Clinton opposed Egyptian military when they pulled a woman by her hair, not realizing that the exact same thing happened to a protester in Berkeley just one week before.

We are under the notion that we are the more civilized nation, yet we do not take enough time to look at our own flaws. America is the only industralized nation that until recently did not have universal healthcare, and incarcerates more people than any other nation in the world. We routinely hear of gun shootings, death penalties are still legal, and creationists are constantly trying to undermine the concept of evolution.

We have created a war in Iraq and Afghanistan, while at the same time condemning acts of violence and unjust terrorism. “It is for the greater good” is often the argument used. Except that is not how the Middle Easterns view these wars – they instead view the West as driven by its interests and blinded by bias and hostility. They see the West as empowering Israel, and disregarding the aspirations of Arabs and Muslims in the Middle East. There is undoubtedly a lot of anti-Americanism and bitterness everywhere.

I find Professor Nader's views on America's foreign policy in the Middle East to be an provocative theory on explaining why there is so much bitterness in the Middle East. Given what has already happened, including various riots, uprisings, the September 11^th attacks and other acts of terrorism, it is inevitable that we ask the question: “why do they hate us so much?” Professor Nader gives us a little insight on exactly why.