Arab World Press on American Elections

Nov. 10, 2006 — -- Excerpts from opinion pages in the Arab world.

Al Hayat Newspaper:

In an Op-Ed called, "They Have Deserted George W. Bush," Jihad al Khazen writes that American voters have deserted George W. Bush and the Republican Party. He adds that they condemned the war on Iraq, and rejected official corruption and the deterioration of the economic policy. For al Khazen, the vote is a sign that Americans have buried the phrase "stay the course."

Al Khazen also brings up President Bush's statement that, "I've heard the Democrats. I'm sure you have, too. If you listen for their plan on Iraq, they don't have one."

He then argues that this statement implies three or four lies -- including the suggestions that Bush has a plan, that it is succeeding, that the Democrats do not have a plan, and the implication that the Democrats cannot be trusted with the management of the war, and that they are not tough enough to fight terrorism.

He claims that Bush's only plan was the stubbornness of the phrase "stay the course," even when he saw Iraq being destroyed and hundreds of thousands of people slain, along with about 3,000 American and allied soldiers.

He says that he is not accusing George W. Bush of anything, though he believes the Arab world has paid the price for his ignorance on Iraq, Afghanistan, the Palestinian territories, Lebanon and elsewhere. He goes on to say that like the Iraqis, the American voters have reasons for distancing themselves from Republicans and their values.

Asharq Al Awsat:

Samir Atallah writes that Bush fell victim to a number of people who have a lot of stubbornness and little wisdom. He claims that Donald Rumsfeld is one of them. He refers to the hawks who banished anyone who called for patience and calm. Finally, he argues that Bush should have gotten rid of Rumsfeld instead of Powell.

Al Akhbar:

Josepf Samaha writes that what Condoleezza Rice called "thousands of tactical mistakes" in Iraq, have turned into an enormous "fiasco" causing great human and financial losses to America. The news about the blow to Bush, he says, has been a great relief to the majority of the world. He then wonders if America will go toward reconciliation and what will be the fair share of reconciliation from the Arab world.

The Daily Star:

The Daily Star editorial page says it took six years, but American voters have demonstrated a belated understanding of what people virtually everywhere else have known for years: George W. Bush is a dangerous cowboy who needs to be restrained. The editorial points out that it is only natural that Arabs and Muslims were the first to sound the alarm about the threat posed to international peace and stability by Bush's post-9/11 conversion to unilateral interventionism.

Much like the other writers, this editorial claims the people of the Middle East have been paying the price for official U.S. duplicity and ignorance for decades, and Bush's reign has only exacerbated the situation by adding equal doses of unrealistic dogma and invincible roguishness. The editorial, however, is skeptical that the rebuke delivered by American voters will be reflected in U.S. policies overseas.

The Jordan Times:

The Jordan Times editorial page hopes for a change of course. The editorial says that the international community can be relieved that change is now a possibility in the United States, and do all it can to engage the U.S. Congress in the dialogue and programs that will bring about a safer, peaceful and more secure world.

Mimi Daher in the ABC News Jerusalem Bureau contributed to this report.