We are the most detested nation on earth. It is not just Arabs either, we are pretty much pariahs everywhere in Asia.
However, I have been in the Middle East for some time and although most of my Arab friends do not like America, they do not blame me personally and I can honestly say that my closest friends here are Arabs.
You just have to develop a thick skin. It amuses me how over sensitive some of the people are who post on this site and yet these same people have no problem viciously attacking us, our political leadership, our culture (or lack of it) and our supposed lack of intelligence.
I do for the most part understand why Arabs do not like us or the British and I have a lot of sympathy for their position.
The Middle East and Africa (and Malaysia, etc..) have gone through too much humiliation by the West for too lomg, and it's probably galling for the Middle East because their oil, and gas, has powered the West (and Africa supplied the critical metals for high-technology...). But gall alone will get them nowhere; it's probably easier for the West to give up oil and gas than for the Middle East and Africa to establish a knowledge-based economy.
Some people I know are selling their services to Dubai and Abu Dhabi, taking on consultancy jobs, one is helping to build up Dubai as art centre, another as theatre centre. But do tourists to Dubai (perhaps Asian tourists?) want to experience Western culture in Dubai? Why not visit the real Louvre in Paris? Why are we selling them our culture? Perhaps they do want it..selectively.
There are many contradictions here and history has been hard on this region. It has been used as a battleground for western interests and continues to be so.
At least you are here and can make a contribution to better relations. First, do some homework on the history of the region, learn about Islam and a little Arabic. You will be amazed by the warmth you will receive from the people. They will soon see you as a person first and the fact that you have an American passport will become irrelevant.
We had better live as we think, otherwise we shall end up by thinking as we lived. - Paul Bourget
We are the most detested nation on earth. It is not just Arabs either, we are pretty much pariahs everywhere in Asia.
However, I have been in the Middle East for some time and although most of my Arab friends do not like America, they do not blame me personally and I can honestly say that my closest friends here are Arabs.
You just have to develop a thick skin. It amuses me how over sensitive some of the people are who post on this site and yet these same people have no problem viciously attacking us, our political leadership, our culture (or lack of it) and our supposed lack of intelligence.
I do for the most part understand why Arabs do not like us or the British and I have a lot of sympathy for their position.
The Middle East and Africa (and Malaysia, etc..) have gone through too much humiliation by the West for too lomg, and it's probably galling for the Middle East because their oil, and gas, has powered the West (and Africa supplied the critical metals for high-technology...). But gall alone will get them nowhere; it's probably easier for the West to give up oil and gas than for the Middle East and Africa to establish a knowledge-based economy.
Some people I know are selling their services to Dubai and Abu Dhabi, taking on consultancy jobs, one is helping to build up Dubai as art centre, another as theatre centre. But do tourists to Dubai (perhaps Asian tourists?) want to experience Western culture in Dubai? Why not visit the real Louvre in Paris? Why are we selling them our culture? Perhaps they do want it..selectively.
There are many contradictions here and history has been hard on this region. It has been used as a battleground for western interests and continues to be so.
At least you are here and can make a contribution to better relations. First, do some homework on the history of the region, learn about Islam and a little Arabic. You will be amazed by the warmth you will receive from the people. They will soon see you as a person first and the fact that you have an American passport will become irrelevant.
We had better live as we think, otherwise we shall end up by thinking as we lived. - Paul Bourget