OCR Text |
Show -.Arabian Gives Views For Americans-Arab Diologue My dear Sir: I take pleasure in writing to you from the University of Utah, which I joined for the fall quarter of 1967 as a visting professor of Political Science. I left Lebanon in these critical moments, hoping that my visit to the United States would allow me to communicate directly with my American friends about the present grave situation in the Middle East. All of us, Americans and Arabs, ought to be deeply concerned with all the aspects of the Arab-Israeli conflict. We must do our utmost to prevent the resumption of hostilities hostili-ties in the area. We must spare no effort in finding a peaceful and just solution to this tragic conflict. con-flict. Nonetheless, its impact on American-Arab relations deserves more attention than it has received. re-ceived. This great country, the United States of America, has every reason and every possibility of building in dignity, freedom, justice and peace, a creative partnreship with the whole Arab world from Morocco Moroc-co to Iraq. The Arab world has its weaknesses and shortcomings, but it has also all the thrilling promises of a developing society. The United States has the excesses of affluence, afflu-ence, but it has also the resourceful resource-ful abilities of a developed society. American-Arab partnership should be built complimentarily and patiently pa-tiently for the mutual good of the American and the Arab people. Obstacles for Alliance There have been many obstacles which have hampered the emergence emerg-ence of such a partnership. The Arab-Israeli conflict has been the greatest of these obstacles. Therefore, There-fore, there is a pressing need for a new constructive approach to this conflict, which would limit its catastrophic effects on American-Arab American-Arab relations. A new free dialogue dia-logue must immediately begin, which should enable Americans and Arabs to reassess their relations in terms of common ideals and mutual mu-tual interests more than in terms )f power-politics or of domestic 1 pressures. Truth, Reason, Wisdom, Statesmanship, and Farsightedness should guide this dialogue rather than prejudice, emotion, violence, politics and short-sightedness. Americans and Arabs must not allow any "third party" to stand in the way of such a free, direct and creative dialogue. From 1947 . to 1967, there has often been a "third party", such as Europe, Israel, Is-rael, or communists, lying behind the deterioration of American-Arab relations. There has never been a genuine and direct confrontation between the American and the Arab people, nor an authentic meeting between the American and the Arab mind. Under the impact of the Cold War, Americans see the Arabs in the shadow of a "third party": world communism. Under the impact im-pact of three hot wars with Israel, the Arabs see the United States dominated by another "third party": world Zionism. To Americans, Ameri-cans, the Arabs are obsessed only with the destruction of Israel. To Arabs, Americans are obsessed only with the destruction of Communism. Com-munism. Thus, each party thinks that it knows all about what the other party stands against, but does not seem to care about what it stands for. Zionist America In the Arab mind, the prevailing prevail-ing image of America is the image of a stronghold for world Zionism rather than that of a new continent conti-nent blessed with unlimited opportunities oppor-tunities for human beings. In the American mind, the disturbing image of the Arab world is the image of a stronghold for world communism rather than that of a land bursting with the restless aspiration of its people for a new renaissance. Americans equate Arab nationalism with fantaticism. They mistake Arab socialism for communism. Islam is judged through the utterances of its reactionary re-actionary mullahs rather than through the bold achievements of its modernist leaders. The Arabs equate American world leadership with imperialism. They identify American democracy with Zionist pressure groups. Americans ignore the Arabs' deep urge for a new -ationhood built on concrete freedom. They do not properly appreciate the Arabs sincere sin-cere longing for a new society founded on justice. Arabs overlook American striving for a new world order governed by freedom and justice. This basic mutual misunderstanding misunderstand-ing deepened during the tragic events of the fifth of June, which conveyed to the Arabs the impression impres-sion that Americans were feasting over their military debacle. Technological Tech-nological superiority and swift victory vic-tory seemed to justify all the un-human un-human means and effects of this victory. The facts about the crisis, before, during and after the so-called so-called "Six Days War", were reported re-ported by American mass-media of information in an utterly one-sided manner, which made every Arab question American objectivity, and led him even to wonder about the American sense of fairness. Settlement of Conflict While statesmen and diplomats are seeking at the United Nations a political settlement of the Arab-Israeli Arab-Israeli conflict, American and Arab thinkers and intellectuals must attend at-tend urgently to the more obvious task of shortening the widening gap between the American and the Arab mind. They should not allow power alone to determine the future fu-ture of American-Arab relations. Man should be the master of power, pow-er, not its slave. The United States cannot rely on power alone for the preservation of her interests in the Arab world. She cannot continue to view her relations with the Arab world only as one aspect of a power game with the Soviet Union or Red China. The greatest human asset in the world contest for power in the Middle East is the good will of one hundred hun-dred million Arabs, who live at the crossroad of the world continents, command the world's greatest reserves re-serves in oil, and who are the heirs to some of the world's greatest civilizations and religions. The Arab world can develop better and faster with American understanding, understand-ing, assistance and friendship. American intellectuals are called upon to free themselves from the complexes of indifference, isolationism, isola-tionism, condescendence or one- sidedness which have determined their approach to the Arab world. Arab intellectuals should overcome the feelings of mistrust, grudging, suspicion, bitterness and resentment resent-ment which have governed their approach to the United States of America. American and Arab intellectuals must lead the way in challenging national prejudices. They ought to remind their countrymen that the people of another nationality are men, who may commit the greatest blunders but may also pursue the greatest achievements. They ought to show them how to engage in the search for a better future rather than to indulge in recriminations recrim-inations about a vanishing past. Our love for Mankind, our trust in Man, and our concern with a better future for all men must be deep enough to set our minds free from all the ingrained hatreds of the past. Outside Influences An association, a university, a foundation, any responsible institution institu-tion should immediately take the initiative in bringing together, outside out-side of any governmental influence, influ-ence, a group of American and Arab thinkers, who may be capable of starting the overdue dialogue between be-tween American and Arab thought. I hope that this letter will stimulate stim-ulate the reader into more thinking about American-Arab relations, and will encourage all those who have considered any proposal for the betterment of these relations to come out with their fdeas and suggestions. sug-gestions. My little country, Lebanon, has always believed in free and rational ration-al dialogue as the proper way for communication between men. Faithful to their role as mediators between the Western and the Arab mind, our intellectuals will be happy to make their humble but active and creative contribution to the opening of a new dialogue between be-tween American and Arab thinkers. Sincerely yours, Dr. Hassan Saab Professor of Political Science Sci-ence at the Lebanese Uni- 1 versity and the Saint Joseph University of i Beirut i |