This is by Stephen Zunes, associate professor of politics and chair of the Peace & Justice Studies Program at the University of San Francisco. He serves as a senior policy analyst and Middle East editor for the Foreign Policy in Focus Project for the university.

It's from a page I got to from Bethlehem.org ... which is an interesting site.

Here's the professor's backgrounder on the whole subject of the Middle East, Arab states and the US:

Eleven things to know

Maria

Thanks Maria. That was a very informative article. At least on face value, it provides an objective analysis of the situation that is sorely lacking in most accounts (which tend to be strongly partisan toward one side or another in the various struggles).

Knowledge is power.

Love,
Greg

Thanks Maria

Interesting !

hi everyone...long time away from you all. thanks Maria for that article, one of the few unbiased pieces of writing on us muslim arabs that i've seen in a while.
thankyou greg for your email and for this site...i had lost you all for a while...it's so nice to see the forum up and strong...things are so sad out here in the middle east and so much hope is lost it's good to have the energy of all of you- it's so tangible.

peace to all and one love... always
loush

Hi loush, good to see you back again.

It's hard to remain objective in this situation, with tensions so high and most of the available information filtered through strongly biased sources that could better be described as "propaganda" than as "news" ... but SOO important at this critical point where policy decisions that affect the prospects for peace throughout the world are being made by a small elite of leaders, against a background of public awareness that is seriously limited or deliberately distorted.

Now is a time when the whole world desperately needs the efforts of all to disseminate an accurate and unbiased picture of world events ... or at the very least a perspective that takes all the different biases equally into account. Any perspectives you can share from your culture's viewpoints and experiences toward this end are greatly appreciated.

Love,
Greg

Hi Loush,

Good to see you. I am so sad about the hope lost again to hatred. I'll tell you, it takes a lot of reading to find someone writing about the situation who seems to have his head on straight as well as knowing important facts.

I think developments in the world picture post-World War II are skipped over too quickly in the American educational system up to age 18, and people here tend to have very little understanding of things in the Arab world, and with Israel, because their knowledge of the history and culture of the area is so stunted. Myself included, but I'm trying to remedy that.

I hope we'll see you here more.

Maria

Yes many of us are kept in the dark, because of our limited knowledge.

I wish we were taught more about world history and politics in schools.
Also, we have to be careful with what we term as history. History is mereley someone elses' view of history. We also have to be careful with what is termed as 'hero history'. For example, history books tend to give lists of significant names (inventors, scientists), but they forget the other people who played a role in changing things, the role of the common people for example.
Here in England, the history we learn at school is, in my opinion, appauling..because we are only taught about British history and very little about any other history. I never heard of Mahatma Ghandi until much later. One of the most important historical videos I believe I have ever watched (in my own time) is 'Roots'.
Schools shouldn't focus so much on the small details of Victorian life or on royal history. It is more important to look at things from ALL angles, in my opinion, and also to admit to the mistakes of our own government (very important- perhaps we would then have less ridiculously proud, bias and prejudiced people!).

I agree with what Linda said about there always being another answer to things; that you don't have to kill people. What is happening in the world at the moment upsets me because I know the pain of the victims of war is real, even though it is so far away. I want to change the world but my hands are tied, I can only make a difference in very small ways.

How did George Bush ever get elected anyway?! He is so single-minded and self-rightous! He said in an interview that he believed that the war is really a war of good against evil!! Yes, what happened to the World Trade centre surely was an evil thing to do, and I really feel for the victims, believe me. But so is bombing civilian people an evil thing to do.. So evil exists on both sides. Perhaps both sides genuinely believe that their way is the right way.

Like I've always said, the only real evil is ignorance itself.
(Sorry to get political!)