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State of the Union: World Reaction
With Anthony Shadid
Washington Post Foreign Service
Wednesday, Jan. 29, 2003; Noon ET
President Bush delivered his State of the Union message to Congress and the American people on Tuesday evening. As expected, Bush reported on his foreign policy, saying Iraqi President Saddam Hussein has missed his "final chance" to avert war. What is the reaction from the Arab world to Bush's tough words for Hussein?
Post foreign correspondent Anthony Shadid was online live from Amman, Jordan on Wednesday, Jan. 29 at Noon ET, to take questions and comments on Arab reaction to Bush's State of the Union address.
The transcript follows.
Editor's Note: Washingtonpost.com moderators retain editorial control
over Live Online discussions and choose the most relevant questions for guests and hosts; guests and hosts can decline to answer questions.
washingtonpost.com:
Anthony will be with us momentarily.
washingtonpost.com:
Welcome Anthony. Before we get to questions, maybe you could tell us a little bit about yourself. You are a new Washington Post correspondent. What's your background and how did you come to your current job?
Anthony Shadid: I was a Boston Globe reporter covering diplomacy in D.C. with frequent Mideast trips. I spent seven years off and on as a correspondent and student here. I started with The Post last month and expect to travel through the region in the coming weeks.
washingtonpost.com:
Now let's talk about the State of the Union speech. President Bush devoted one line to his goal of a "democratic Palestine." He devoted half the speech to the depradations of Saddam Hussein. How do these priorities play out among the people of a pro-U.S. country such as Jordan? Is Bush selling his war campaign effectively in the Arab world?
Anthony Shadid: The Jordanian govt has aligned itself firmly with the U.S. and is expected to cooperate, primarily behind the scenes, in any U.S.-led war against Iraq. But it worries about a popular backlash given the almost universal opposition among the public to any war and growing disenchantment over U.S. policies. Jordan's population is majority Palestinian and the conflict in Israel and Palestinian territories is a priority for most of the country. There's deep distrust of U.S. intentions and many in JOrdan point to what they see as double standards. Many would say the priority is settling the Palestian/Israeli conflict. Not bringing about change through a war in Iraq.
Plains, Pa.:
Mr. Shadid,
I can only assume the president's State of the Union Address was broadcast via the Voice of America throughout the Middle East. Have you been able to ascertain how the speech was received throughout the region?
Thank you,
Tom
Anthony Shadid: There seems largely to be resignation in Jordan and elsewhere that war is inevitable. For the Jordanian govt, officials are clear in hoping that the war is short. The public, meanwhile, still seems to hope that inspections might delay a conflict or that European countries might intervene to prevent war. But many seem to think that a war is weeks away if not sooner, and Bush's speech only reinforced that sense.
Washington, D.C.:
This morning on all the TV news shows, many correspondents were talking about how the Kuwaiti people support the U.S. and how Saddam Hussein doesn't exactly have a lot of friends in his neighborhood. Is the mood where you are mostly just low-lying tension, waiting for the shoe to drop, or are people openly taking stances either denouncing the U.S. or supporting it?
Anthony Shadid: Kuwait is an exception in the region given its history of the 1991 Gulf war. One thing I have noticed is that unlike 1991 when Saddam Hussein -- when there was public support for him -- the reaction this time seems more muted about him as an individual. But there is deep sympathy towards the Iraqi people and widespread casualties and damage.
Protests in Jordan have been muted, the govt has made clear it will deal with this. At a street level, how quickly and deeply U.S. standing has diminished.
Arlington, Va.:
During the Gulf War 12 years ago, Jordan found itself a bit between a rock and a hard place -- while not exactly aligning with Saddam Hussein, King Hussein still maintained a bit of a relationship with him. Has the mood in Jordan in particular changed over the past 12 years? Do you get a sense of how King Abdullah will react should we attack Iraq?
Anthony Shadid: Officials say Abdullah made a decision in August not to repeat what people consider the mistake of his father. Publicly, Jordanian officials are against the war and don't want land used for invasion. But cooperation will be deep. The biggest change is a broadening of U.S./Jordanian relations and the govt. is loathe to endanger those ties. But any conflict that lasts more than 3 weeks could create problems in Jordan given popular opposition to the war.
Chicago, Ill.:
Off topic, I wonder what the reaction to Israel's elections are. They have had so many elections in that country while the Palistinians, Syrians, Jordanians, Saudi, Iraqis, Egyptians and on and on are saddled with their repressive regimes.
Anthony Shadid: I don't think most see the election through the lens of democracy, but fear it will continue Israel's harsh crackdown on the Palestinian territories. That conflict, more than a war in Iraq, has angered people in this country -- which is a Palestinian majority. But at the same time, some Jordanians will privately acknowledge that as much as they would like to see U.S. and Israeli policy change, they'd like to see reform in their own countries.
washingtonpost.com:
At several points in the State of the Union Bush portrayed U.S. war on Iraq in a benevolent light. He almost implicitly promised that the U.S. would do in Iraq what he said it has done in Afghanistan: bring "food, medicine, supplies and freedom." What is the reaction of Arab people and governments to such declarations? Are they credible?
Anthony Shadid: First, I think you find little support for the U.S. campaign in Afghanistan even though it rid a regime with little popularity here. Often heard are remarks that the U.S. abandoned Afghanistan after overthrowing the Taliban, even if that's not the case. It's difficult to convey how deep the disenchantment with the U.S. is right now, especially because of support for Israel's crackdown, but also for U.S. statements that come accross as heavy-handed in the region. I think one analyst remarked to me that the war in Iraq wouldn't be seen as the overthrow of Saddam Hussein, but rather as another defeat of Arabs at the hand of Americans.
Ann Arbor, Mich.:
Is this residual bad feeling about America in the Middle East that now has a louder voice due to the war, or has there actually been an increase in these bad feelings? Is there a difference in how the average Middle Easterner viewed Clinton and how he or she views GWB?
Anthony Shadid: That's interesting. It seems America's standing really suffered after the Palestinian uprising in 2000, but further with the administration's anti-terrorism campaign. It struck me when I was in a Palestinian refugee camp last week, that people mentioned how much they appreciated Pres. Clinton. In their eyes there's been a drastic change in American policy, and the tone, as much as support for Israel's Sharon seems to have spurred resentment.
Driftwood, Tex.:
What do Arabs want to see from Iraq and Hussein? How is Hussein perceived by the Arab world? What do the Arab nations want the U.S. to do? Turn the other cheek?
Anthony Shadid: Like I said earlier, Saddam's standing has drastically declined, but that doesn't translate into support for a U.S. -led war against Iraq. Many here think this is the first step in a more aggressive policy towards the region. Most people don't seem to view Iraq as a threat, but more as an object of pity given the toll of both Saddam's policy and U.N. sanctions for the last decade or so.
Gullsgate, Minn.:
The Bush war mandate toward Iraq -- is this not a green light for Sharon to reign down more pain and death on the Palestinian people? And if we use WMDs on Iraq (considering the not-stop-at nothin'; the cowboy Bush diplomacy) -- how long will Sharon wait before he follows the Bush doctrine and the Mideast becomes a place of devastation unequaled in history? Where will this all end? Or will it ever? And also, at what point does a democratic leader become a dictator?
Anthony Shadid: There's definitely a fear in Jordan that Israel may seek to use a war against Iraq as a cover for more aggressive policies. Jordanian officials say they've received informal assurances from the U.S. and Israel that that won't be the case, but there's no question that there's anxiety in both the govt and among the public that a war against Iraq could easily inflame the region.
Crofton, Md.:
Last night in D.C., there was a rally against war before the president gave his State of the Union address. How does the Palestinian majority view, if at all, the rising anti-war movement among Americans?
Thanks.
Anthony Shadid: It's interesting. Often you hear a more sophisticated appraisal of American politics than you might expect in a region that's so upset at U.S. policy right now. Several people here have mentioned they hope antiwar movements will stall the war. But in Jordan, and elsewhere, people do try to read between the lines in statements.
Washington, D.C.:
In an earlier question, how much do you think Arab disenchantment, as you put it, with the U.S. is due mainly to U.S. policy in the region (e.g., Israel) and how much to disinformation about U.S. actions, objectives, etc. (such as the view that the U.S. abandoned the Afghans after the war)?
Anthony Shadid: I think its a mix of all those. One thing that's safe to say is that beyond a rather narrow Islamist current, popular opposition to the U.S. is based more on policy. One thing that struck me over the last week is that the section of Jordan that seems most alienated and disillusioned is the segment that we might call liberal, secular, even western.
Washington, D.C.:
Hi Anthony-
Thanks for taking questions:
Bush's line (paraphrasing here) "Your enemies are not surrounding you -- they are running your country." Is that a line that resonates anywhere in the Mideast?
Anthony Shadid: There's no doubt that there's serious resentment in many Arab countries over the authoritarian nature of the regimes and lack of political freedom, but it's hard to overstate how little credibility the U.S. seems to have at least at a popular level. I'm struck by how few people read anything altruistic into statements coming from the administration right now. Most people cast it as a way to legitimate military action.
washingtonpost.com:
That wraps up today's show. Thanks to everyone who joined the
discussion.
Stay Tuned to Live Online:
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