Message to New York Times: Read Your Own Op-Ed Page.
Why We Hear the Muslim World All Too Well
By Barry Rubin
The Times and other American media and educational institutions are giving increasing amounts of space to people from the Muslim-majority and Arabic-speaking states to understand their view on the world. Sometimes, however, they have a hard time hearing what is said.
Here is what the newspaper’s editorial for February 8 claims and urges:
“We don’t know if there is any mixture of incentives or sanctions that can wean Iran of its nuclear ambitions. But we are certain that the Bush administration never tried to find it. This means not only direct talks, but also far more persuasive diplomatic incentives, including a credible offer of improved relations and security guarantees.” nytimes.com
And this, of course, is what the Obama administration is going to do with Iran and Syria. Others urge the same techniques are applies to Hamas, Hizballah, and even—though this is rarer—the Taliban and al-Qaida.
But to understand why this belief is so misguided one merely need read…the Times of February 8, within inches of the above-quoted editorial.
I’m referring here to the truly shocking op-ed by Alaa al Aswany entitled, “Why the Muslim World Can’t Hear Obama…..