The psyche that engenders hatred for the West

By Kesava Menon

MANAMA (BAHRAIN), OCT. 11. People all over the Third World are familiar with the condition, which can most accurately if indelicately, be described as that of ``being intimidated by the Gora (the Westerner)''. It can be argued that in some parts of the Arab world, this condition and the unpleasant feelings it engenders, manifest themselves more consistently and acutely than it does in others. That psychological State has something to do with the manner in which sections in the Arab world are reacting to the U.S. campaign against Osama bin Laden, Al-Qaeda and the Taliban.

For a person in the Third World the Westerner comes across as the representative of a superior economic and civic system and as beneficiary of an intellectual stream that has flourished for three centuries. The mixed feelings of inadequacy, envy and rejection are almost an inevitable response. This is a reaction not typical of Indians or Arabs alone. Turks and Iranians manifest these tendencies in differing degrees. So too do the Israelis even though the Jews have contributed more than their fair share to the progress of the West and though Israel is not part of the Third World, economically speaking.

To understand how this general Third World tendency can change into loathing for the West among sections of the Arab people, it might be useful to look at some of the contrasts between Egypt and Saudi Arabia, on the one hand and Lebanon and Palestine, on the other. It seems to boil down to questions whether the peoples in question have struggled to master the techniques of the modern world and whether they have to consistently encounter signs of Western superiority in their day- to-day existence.

The Palestinians and Lebanese, who have more immediately understandable and justified political grievances against the West, do not appear to have developed the same sort of nihilistic attitude. Almost every section of the Palestinian and Lebanese societies have had to struggle to cope with the political and economic demands of modern life and have built a confidence that they ``can make it''. If nothing else, all sections of the Palestinian and Lebanese societies have had to politically organise themselves and set agendas. They have also thrown up entrepreneurial, intellectual and professional classes that are relatively autonomous from the political leadership. Plus, most Lebanese and Palestinians do not have to encounter signs of ``Western superiority'' on any kind of a consistent basis in their daily lives.

Compare that with the situation in an Egypt or a Saudi Arabia. Such democracy as is practised in Egypt is extremely flimsy, cronyism afflicts its economy and the play of checks and balances in civic life are far more nebulous. The inadequacies of Egyptian life work themselves out in a context where the presence of the Westerner is almost unavoidable. Well-heeled and privileged Western tourists float over the indigenous masses in the air- conditioned buses that crowd the streets of Cairo and float through their villages in comfortable cruise liners. The interaction between the two cultures is far more ``in your face''.

It might be thought that Saudi Arabia's wealth would have insulated it from ``Third Worlditis''. But that wealth has halved over the last decade from $14,000 per capita to $7000 and a burgeoning population has led to a situation where the Government cannot ensure the well-being of every citizen as they once could.

Almost an entire generation has wasted its life by being spoiled with oil riches and the educational and value systems are not geared to help the upcoming generations cope with the demands of the modern world. (The fact that 70 per cent of the labour force is composed of expatriates is a statistic that tells its own story).

In public, Westerners in Saudi Arabia have to dress and comport themselves by the rules of the kingdom. But everyone also knows that the Westerners get the best jobs. They also know that Westerners live pretty much as they please behind the walls of the residential compounds that are the privileged enclaves in most Saudi cities.

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Section  : International
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