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Off-Topic Discussion => General Discussion => Topic started by: Polpolion on June 23, 2006, 10:53:07 pm

Title: Dumb US-Middle East question
Post by: Polpolion on June 23, 2006, 10:53:07 pm
What the hell did we do to make those people hate us so much? (pre-iraq war)
Title: Re: Dumb US-Middle East question
Post by: Turambar on June 23, 2006, 11:11:57 pm
Israel
Title: Re: Dumb US-Middle East question
Post by: Shadow0000 on June 23, 2006, 11:30:50 pm
This article is from 2001, September 24, it is quite long but well it's a history summary overall, and it doesn't seem to be biased, as the guy who wrote it doesn't hate US, or so he said at that time, maybe now it's different:

http://www.vexen.co.uk/USA/hateamerica.html#Why

Point 15, is about Middle East:

http://www.vexen.co.uk/USA/hateamerica.html#MiddleEast
Title: Re: Dumb US-Middle East question
Post by: Rictor on June 23, 2006, 11:46:40 pm
What the hell did we do to make those people hate us so much? (pre-iraq war)

Who? Iraq? Well, you killed about 20,000 of them during the Gulf War, then put the under sanctions which cost between 500,000 and 1,000,000 civilian lives.

Iran? You installed an unelected despot who went on to rule for twenty years so you could have easy access to oil. 

Lebanon? You invaded, along with French forces, in the 80s.

Oh, and Israel/Palestine. Though that's a more controversial point, it's also the most widely cited cause of anti-Americanism. I guess that in instances where there is no concrete grievance, that's what people fall back on.
Title: Re: Dumb US-Middle East question
Post by: Kamikaze on June 23, 2006, 11:56:40 pm
http://www.isometry.com/usahate.html

Here's a list I found online a while back.
Title: Re: Dumb US-Middle East question
Post by: brozozo on June 24, 2006, 01:50:03 am
Let's not forget the numerous crusades launched by the various European kingdoms. I'd imagine Islam/the Middle East is still pretty sore about that.
Title: Re: Dumb US-Middle East question
Post by: Rictor on June 24, 2006, 02:06:18 am
Uhm, somehow I doubt it. If people held grudges for hundreds of years, there wouldn't be a single nation on Earth who would be on friendly terms with any other. I think that whatever grievances people have against the States, whether they're in the Middle-East, South America, Asia or elsewhere, mostly come from the post-WW2 period.
Title: Re: Dumb US-Middle East question
Post by: Kosh on June 24, 2006, 02:39:18 am
When people answer this question, they usually say some tired old rhetoric like "they hate us for our freedoms" and other such non-sense. Basically Americans try to purposely bury their heads in the sand as to what causes all of this hate, which only inflames it even more.
Title: Re: Dumb US-Middle East question
Post by: aceofspades on June 24, 2006, 02:48:03 am
Uhm, somehow I doubt it. If people held grudges for hundreds of years, there wouldn't be a single nation on Earth who would be on friendly terms with any other...

Uh, there pretty much aren't any nations on Earth on friendly terms with each other.
Title: Re: Dumb US-Middle East question
Post by: Turambar on June 24, 2006, 02:54:14 am
France and Monaco seem to get along...
Title: Re: Dumb US-Middle East question
Post by: Rictor on June 24, 2006, 03:24:02 am
Uh, there pretty much aren't any nations on Earth on friendly terms with each other.
:rolleyes: :rolleyes:

Name five on-going wars between states. What I was trying to say is that even among the most hardcore anti-American individuals in the Middle East, I doub that the Crusades is very high on their list of issues.
Title: Re: Dumb US-Middle East question
Post by: Mefustae on June 24, 2006, 03:29:45 am
Indeed, it's a great way to protest by calling US deployment 'the Crusades', but I would be surprised if most people in the region even knew anything about the crusades in detail.