The resentment of American colonialist foreign policy echoes across the Islamic world in all sections of society.
The Wall Street Journal (Sept. 14) published a survey of opinions of wealthy and privileged Muslims in the Gulf region (bankers, professionals, businessmen with close links to the U.S.). They expressed much the same views: resentment of the U.S. policies of supporting Israeli crimes and blocking the international consensus on a diplomatic settlement for many years while devastating Iraqi civilian society.
The fact that the US is hated for its colonialist foreign policy is even acknowledged by many Americans themselves.
Robert Bowman, bishop of the United Catholic Church in Melbourne Beach, Florida wrote, “We are the target of terrorists because, in much of the world, our government stands for dictatorship, bondage, and human exploitation. We are the target of terrorists because we are hated. And we are hated because our government has done hateful things.”
"The US virtually exterminated the indigenous population, conquered half of Mexico, intervened violently in the surrounding region, conquered Hawaii and the Philippines (killing hundreds of thousands of Filipinos), and in the past half century particularly, extended its resort to force throughout much of the world. The number of victims is colossal." was Professor Noam Chomsky’s reply in a Belgrade interview to the question of why America was hated.
Expanding further Justin Podur, journalist for Znet remarked “There is a long list of reasons why 'they' (Arabs, Muslims, West, South, and Central Asians) might have hated 'us' (North America, Europe) before September 11, 2001. These include but aren't limited to the sanctions in Iraq, the bombings in Sudan and Afghanistan in 1998, and unconditional support for the continuing Israeli occupation of Palestine. But since October 7 (when the US began bombing Afghanistan), 'we' have added quite a lot to the list.
As to why Arabs and Muslims should particularly loathe America, Stephen Zunes – Professor of politics at the University of San Francisco offers the following reasons:
U.S. support for Israeli occupation forces has created enormous resentment throughout the Middle East.
There has been an enormous humanitarian toll resulting from the U.S. policy toward Iraq.
The United States has been inconsistent in its enforcement of international law and UN Security Council resolutions.
Over the past 30 years, the U.S. has used its veto power to protect its ally Israel from censure more than all other members of the Security Council have used their veto power on all other issues combined.
The United States has supported autocratic regimes in the Middle East.
Increasing support for autocratic regimes such as Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Egypt and Morocco. Jordan for example, received large-scale U.S. support in the 1970s and 1980s despite widespread repression and authoritarian rule.
The U.S. promotion of a neo-liberal economic model in the Middle East has not benefited most people of the region.
Like much of the Third World, the United States has been pushing a neo-liberal economic model of development in the Middle East through such international financial institutions as the International Monetary Fund, the World Bank and the World Trade Organization. These have included cutbacks in social services, encouragement of foreign investment, lower tariffs, higher taxes, the elimination of subsidies for farmers and basic foodstuffs as well as ending protection for domestic industry.
While in some cases, this has led to an increase in the overall Gross National Product, it has dramatically increased inequality, with only a minority of the population benefiting. Given the strong social justice ethic in Islam, this growing disparity between the rich and the poor has been particularly offensive to Muslims, whose exposure to Western economic influence has been primarily through witnessing some of the crassest materialism and consumerism from U.S. imports enjoyed by the local elites.
The U.S. maintains an ongoing military presence in the Middle East.
With regards to this foreign military presence William Pfaff observes; “The violence of the shock is intensified when the foreigner establishes military bases and tries to shape an Islamic country’s policies. This has been Pentagon policy during the past decade, with regional commanders for all of the world’s major geographical zones and expansion of the U.S. worldwide base system.
The New York Times a few days ago wrote about the rising importance of ultraconservative or radical Islam in Saudi Arabia, and acknowledged that its growing influence has been directly connected to the presence of American troops in that country since 1990.
The United States now has extended its base in Kuwait to nearly a third of that state’s territory. There are new bases in the other Gulf monarchies.
The Afghanistan intervention has left American bases in that country, and in Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan. The war against terror has expanded American troop presence in Georgia and the Muslim southern Philippines. A long military occupation of Iraq is envisioned by Washington.
Every base conveys the contamination of “infidel” modernization, as well as the oppressive suggestion of foreign military occupation.
Washington remorselessly expands its military presence in the Islamic world in order to fight the anti-American terrorism that its presence causes. No one in the government seems to see a contradiction in this.”
America’s loathing in the world is self inflicted. A product of its values and foreign policy that emanate from its conviction in the ideology of capitalism. Thus whilst it follows capitalism it will continue on its present path regardless of the increasing world resentment. Only a change in its belief system or a clash with an opposing civilisation can alter this course.