GO TO THE TOP OF THE CLASS ARAB WORLD

Whatever one may think about their aims, one has to admire how clever the Arab world seems to have become in the last year or two when it comes to generating support from the West. It’s as if they suddenly hired Saatchi & Saatchi to advise them on a public relations ‘hearts-and-minds’ campaign.

Gone are the days of simply relying on brutality through the bullet and bomb to make their point or achieve their objectives without any regard of what the ‘unbelievers’ in the world may think. Suddenly much of the Arab world seem to be working the PR angle to make the ‘enemy’ look bad and win over the hearts of many in their enemy’s camp, as they appeal to the westerner’s culturally ingrained sense of right, wrong, justice, mercy, fair play and automatic support for the ‘underdog’ no matter what.

Has the Arab world taken lessons on the cultural aspects of the westerner’s heart and mind; what makes the westerner tick? Have they taken that knowledge to put together a plan which pushes all the right buttons in the westerner’s psyche in each and every conflict which arises? The one great lesson they seem to have learnt well about the west’s democracy, is that the truth doesn’t really matter - it’s the ‘perception’ which matters! Push the right buttons and the media will create support for your cause.

Create a conflict based on the westerner’s cultural psyche and the Palestinian can enhance the perception of total oppression when the Israeli’s go to simply repair some crumbling walls and walkways, then you get enough people to shout loudly, “see, we told you, those Israeli’s are always plotting against us! Not even the Arab world’s holiest sites are safe from them! They want to destroy our mosque and all of us. Why are they always picking on us? Why do they hate us so much? We weren’t even doing anything to them!”

Keep quietly working on developing a nuclear capability which defies logic in a country which is the third largest oil producer in the world who already produce over ten billion kilo watt hours more electricity than their whole country uses each year! Who already have so much oil that they export nearly three million barrels per day and still have over 130 billion barrels in reserve, as well as producing around 100 billion cubic metres of natural gas each year. Keep spending billions on this development of nuclear fuel despite having over 40% of your population living below the poverty level and a rising unemployment rate of nearly 15%. Then anytime the western governments speak out against this dangerous project, just start shouting loudly, “see, we told you, the west is always plotting against us! They just don’t want us to have the benefits which they have! They want us to stay in the dark ages. Why are they always picking on us? Why do they hate us so much? We weren’t even doing anything to them!”

Closer to home, plant your extremists in the ‘enemy’s’ countries, let them take full advantage of the freedom and support which those countries offer and plot against your own hosts, then when the security forces of the country attempt to block your plans, start shouting, “see, we told you, we are trying to live a good western life amongst you and yet you are always plotting against us! Non of us are safe from you! You think we’re all terrorists. You hat our religion! Why are they always picking on us? Why do you hate us so much? We weren’t even doing anything to you!”

There are enough free westerners who never look below created perception to think about the underlying reality of a situation and being good, honest people, always looking for a cause, particularly where they can support a perceived underdog, will always take on the self appointed position of ‘guardian of the oppressed’, even standing against their own government and against those who are working hard to protect them and their rights which allow them to make that stand against their own government.

So, Arab world. Go to the top of the class. You have learnt to manipulate and take advantage of the western world and their hearts and minds better than anybody else. Even better than the western citizens themselves!