Washington Can’t Solve the Identity Crisis in Middle East Nations

The Arab world is caught up in a broader struggle. It is being whipsawed between competing and not entirely satisfying notions of what it should mean to be Egyptian, Syrian, Iraqi, Libyan, Yemeni or Lebanese — to name just a few places where conflicts over nationalism, identity and citizenship are most pronounced. Until Arabs figure out who they are and what kind of countries they want to live in, there is little Washington can do to help.

http://www.cfr.org/middle-east-and-n...nations/p33349
Like the Missionaries of the past, the US cannot bring 'civilisation' to the world. It is time for the US to analyse their foreign policy and strategy so as to not spook the world by acting in haste and projecting itself as the sole arbiter of what is right and what is wrong.

In today's world, where the natives are no longer 'running naked in the bush' and instead are educated and economically empowered, they realise and acknowledge the pangs what Bishop Tutu's immortal words encapsulated in a metaphoric manner - When the missionaries came to Africa they had the Bible and we had the land. They said 'Let us pray.' We closed our eyes. When we opened them we had the Bible and they had the land.

One's land, one's identity is greater than the sagacious wisdom that maybe thrown their way out of sheer charity of a good Samaritan.

One cannot cut his nose to spite one's face.

All this confrontation is creating chaos around the world and making it volatile. Of course, if the geostrategy is to cause chaos and stand far and watch the rest of the world explode, then the US is on the right lines.

However, the flip side is that it is driving the world away from the US and forcing them to seek solace elsewhere to make the world even more a dangerous place than before.

In fact, it is only encouraging the closing the gap amongst other 'power centres' to the detriment of the world and the US.

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US is no longer the economic powerhouse and its unquestioned military supremacy has been eroded, having been bloodied by ragtag Islamic 'unorganised' hordes in Irar and Afghanistan and China, never missing a chance to cock the snook.

This allusion to the reality may upset many a poster, but then that is how its viewed elsewhere.

It is time for the US to get mature and look at its activities more pragmatically and restore its lost sheen.