Europe Says U.S. Is Dangerous

From The Daily Star (snippets):

European opinions on Israel are a wake-up call for all of us It is not so surprising, according to a public opinion poll commissioned by the European Union and released Monday, that Europeans ranked Israel as the greatest threat to peace in the world (59 percent of respondents). Neither is it surprising that the next two ranked countries were Iran and North Korea (53 percent each). More noteworthy is that the United States shared that second place with Iran and North Korea, also at 53 percent. There is scope here for serious analysis of recent global political trends, and also much ammunition for simplistic, knee-jerk reactions from both Americans and Europeans. My own sense, after discussions this week with Europeans, Americans and Middle Easterners in Paris and London, is that these poll results should be treated as a sobering wake-up call by all concerned. They should prompt us to understand the polarization that has brought us to this situation where the two countries that see themselves as the fountainheads of democracy, peace, and prosperity in the Middle East (the US and Israel) are perceived in Europe as the No. 1 and 2 threats to world peace. ... The message is very clear because it is so frequently and clearly expressed: the world respects American values and domestic practices, but dislikes the way that the US uses its power around the world. The same applies to Israel and its behavior: The world generally admires Israel’s feats in nation-building, human ingenuity, and economic productivity and prosperity, but strongly rejects Israel’s colonial, often racist, policies towards the Palestinians. The US and Israel, like all countries, do good and bad things. This dichotomy explicitly challenges and negates the more simplistic, one-dimensional approach to the world that American and Israeli leaders try to foist on us: that you are with us or against us, that you love or hate Jews, that you are tolerant or racist, that you accept or reject freedom, and other such black-and-white, cartoon-like worldviews ­ views that are more reflective of the relationship between Popeye and Bluto than between hundreds of millions of human beings who live in real time and real history. This is a grossly inaccurate description of how the world works and how decent people feel about the US, Israel, and any other country. ... I hope these European poll findings elicit a more rational and reflective response in the US and Israel than has been the case to date. But I also hope they get the serious attention of people in the Arab-Islamic world, because there is also a wake-up call for us in this poll: Eight of the top 14 countries that Europeans perceived as threats to world peace were from the Arab-Islamic world (Iran, Iraq, Afghanistan, Pakistan, Syria, Libya, Saudi Arabia, Somalia). The US and Israel are a real problem for the world, but so are many Arab and Islamic societies. It’s time to talk, folks, preferably without foreign soldiers, candy bags, or local tyrants. Rami G. Khouri is the executive editor of The Daily Star