What is the state of anti-Americanism in the Arab world today?
There are two schools of thought. One school says that anti-Americanism is a result of American policies, in particular, support of Israel, sanctions on Iraq, and support for corrupt regimes. I belong to a second school, which basically sees anti-Americanism and also anti-Israeli feeling as to a certain extent a reflection of hostility to the status quo in general. For instance, populations have been exploding throughout the Arab world. And economies are not growing fast enough to keep pace with the rising populations. People s dissatisfaction with the status quo translates into anti-American feeling, because America is seen as the guarantor of the status quo.
