Jean Schmidt: Why Do They (the "oppressed") Hate Us?

For Immediate Release
Contact: (202) 225-3164

August 1, 2006 Why Do They Hate Us? Washington, D.C. - The Middle East has been a synonym for diplomatic challenges our whole lives. I hope that our children one day can tell their children it is the home of the Holy Land and no further explanation is needed.

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A young soldier in Baghdad told me a story of a local Iraqi who had questioned him. The local Iraqi wanted to know how a country as powerful and advanced as the United States could possibly send a man to the moon, defeat one of the world's largest armies in hours, and yet still not have the power restored to his apartment.

The Iraqi's perception is that we are all powerful. We watch them from space with technology they cannot even imagine. Surely if we wanted to turn on his electricity we could do so. He has no idea how large the problem is but he knows we can do anything. He was angry. Eventually his air conditioning began running and his anger cooled.

My point is the hatred towards America isn't always based on what we did but often simply not living up to the beliefs of what the oppressed think we are capable of doing.

Some are angry because in the past we made mistakes that compounded or even extended their misery. Many are angry because we fail to live up to their expectations. Ronald Reagan once said that our opposition is not ignorant it is just that so much of what they believe is just not true.

Today we are in a public relations battle across the globe. In this battle two things remain very important to keep in mind. First, we must understand the impressions and beliefs the suffering have of our capacity measured against our most generous efforts. Lastly, no matter how angry they become at the United States Government they do not let their anger diminish their beliefs that our country is the greatest most envied on earth.

For the United States the lesson must be -- as we head down a different path of foreign diplomacy - Evil that is ignored is indeed Evil that is assisted. The oppressed will always remember.

http://www.house.gov/list/press/oh02_schmidt/whydo.html

My point is the hatred towards America isn't always based on what we did but often simply not living up to the beliefs of what the oppressed think we are capable of doing.