Deeds Speak Louder than Words

The collapse of the twin towers like a deck of cards symbolized the collapse of U.S. foreign policy in the Arab and Muslim worlds. The tragic loss of thousands of innocent U.S. lives, and those of other nationals, exposed the fragility of security and safety for a superpower involved in policies that perpetuate inequities and exacerbate regional conflicts. Wars that the United States has been waging in the region, through the bombing of and embargo against Iraq or through support for Israel's occupation of the Palestinian territories, have reached the United States. Ultimately, U.S. military prowess could not stop the continued bleeding in the Middle East from spilling onto U.S. shores. Neither U.S. control over the flow of news, nor the efforts of Pentagon and Madison Avenue spin doctors, can ease the resentment of U.S. policies and actions that have affected the lives, hearts, and minds of the people of the region.

Of course, the United States does not see itself or the terrorist attacks of September 11 this way--despite the prevalence abroad of this perception of the United States. In the era of "us against them" and the absolute battle between "good and evil," the United States has no room for another worldview and little if any inclination to consider the victims of U.S. economic, political, and military dominance. Most alarmingly, the United States fails to realize that a foreign policy based solely on such principles of power and dominance leaves no room for legitimate political opposition, driving all discontent into the camp of extremists and terrorists.

The malcontents' heinous response--seen by millions across the world as the horrific images unfolded--was meaningless vengeance against innocents. It did nothing to further the cause of justice of those whom U.S. policies have aggrieved. Just as tragic, though, and many times more numerous are the deaths of children in Iraq, Palestine, and now Afghanistan, which have received far less attention and sympathy from the U.S. media and far too much indifference from Washington. Recognition of the equality of human suffering, or taking accountability for the actions that help cause it, has given way to the ruthless logic of power. This state of affairs is now true for both the United States and its terrorist enemies.

The collision of the hijacked planes with the twin towers was an ugly metaphor of how violent confrontation has substituted for dialogue and meaningful communication. Public policy, at least in theory, is presumed to enable such communication. Yet, unless the United States reexamines its foreign policies and goals, public policy will have been reduced to propaganda that marginalizes and dehumanizes "the other," consequently precluding meaningful dialogue and communication.

The Myopia of Power

Watching the United States, especially its politicians, react has been a lesson in the myopia of power and might in the face of a challenge to its hegemony. The United States is realizing that huge dark spots tarnish its world image, especially in the Middle East, but the United States has not addressed this monumental problem by reexamining the basic assumption of its policies. Instead, it has sought new means to reassert its control. Watching and listening to the ongoing discourse on U.S. public policy to win "the hearts and minds" of Arabs and Muslims has been amusing and at times absurd. Its discourse, and the policies that the United States has carried out, are based on the erroneous assumption that extremists in the region misunderstand and deliberately distort U.S. goals and actions. The remedy, therefore, has been to hire Charlotte Beers, a high-powered advertising agent, to the new position of undersecretary of state for public diplomacy to repackage the U.S. image and policies in a manner more appealing to a presumably alien and less intelligent culture.

More significant are the assumptions that lie beneath these views and conclusions. As many pundits who feel entitled to explain Arabs and Muslims to the U.S...