Getting at the Roots of Muslim Outrage

For several weeks in September, a wave of demonstrations against the United States, and Western countries in general, swept the Muslim world. The initial cause for the anger was a trailer of a film deriding the Prophet Muhammad. Qin Tian, a researcher with the China Institutes of Contemporary International Relations, believes though the demonstrations are widespread, people should stay mindful of the Middle East's diversity. His views follow:

Analysis of the events should be based on individual cases. For instance, Libya, the worst-hit country, is in a post-civil war situation. Militias with various ideologies, weapons and political demands emerged during the war against the Muammar Gaddafi regime. They are not loyal to the transitional governing body, and security troops are decentralized with limited capability. Under such a weak security environment, demonstrations can easily turn violent.  

Compared to Libya, Egypt is relatively under control. There were clashes between police and civilians for days, leaving hundreds wounded, but foreign embassies remained largely safe from violent attacks. The Egyptian authorities clearly have a much better security structure than Libya.

The next most volatile area is Afghanistan and Pakistan. Unlike countries in the Middle East, Afghanistan and Pakistan are still a battleground. The United States carries on with its antiterror war, with drones bombing suspected terrorist enclaves and frequently killing civilians in the process. The people of these countries are already deeply resentful of the United States, so it is unsurprising that they would take to the streets to express their anger.  

The demonstrations in Yemen and Sudan also turned into riots against U.S. embassies. Yemen is somewhat similar to Afghanistan and Pakistan. The United States has struck Al Qaeda militants there, killing several key figures in recent years. Washington may think it is helping Yemen, but Yemeni people disagree. Meanwhile, for decades the United States defined Sudan as a "rogue nation." The United States sanctioned Sudan and supported the separation of South Sudan to weaken the country. After the independence of South Sudan in 2011, the United States remained reluctant to change its policy toward Sudan. The Sudanese Government would like to seize on this popular movement to express its own dissatisfaction with Washington.

U.S. policy questioned

The clash of civilizations, whether you agree with the term or not, is steeped in history. It's unlikely to change soon. Nevertheless, we should try to limit and avoid conflict at the strategic or policy level. It's quite natural that there are differences among civilizations. Even so, different countries can be friends. U.S. President Barack Obama said in his 2009 Cairo speech that the United States won't be the Muslim world's enemy. The reality, however, is far from the ideal.

Traditionally, U.S. Middle East policy is made up of several pillars, including antiterrorism, protection of Israel, oil interests and nuclear nonproliferation (especially against Iran). Not all of them match regional countries' interests. The United States launched an antiterror war in Afghanistan in 2001, which became a protracted conflict that crushed any hope of Afghanistan becoming a peaceful place anytime soon. The United States supports its staunch ally Israel in almost every dispute and conflict with the Arabs. Israel is disliked by almost every Islamic country. As long as Washington favors Israel, Arab countries will not trust the United States.

The United States is proud of its global leadership, especially its universal values. It works tirelessly to promote "democracy" around the world. During the George W. Bush era, the Grand Middle East Plan had at its heart the 2003 Iraq war. Saddam Hussein was overthrown, sectarian conflicts erupted and Iraq is still lacking a stable and healthy democratic system. When Libya's civil war reached a critical moment in March 2011, the United States and other Western countries again intervened militarily, this time under the flag of "the responsibility to protect." With Gaddafi removed, the Libyan political landscape fragmented. With so many militias operating on their own, it's hard to provide public security, let alone manage a democratic transformation.

The United States has left Iraq and Libya, and will soon leave Afghanistan. It seems obvious the United States is much better at disposing old regimes than establishing new ones, leaving a huge gap between its promises and achievements. People in the region have to deal with an awful mess alone in the end. Its unbalanced policy, partial stance and irresponsibility in the postwar period have damaged the United States' image in the Middle East and Muslim world. The insulting film was only a tiny affront that sparked the protests - a biased policy, a misreading of Islam and a mindset rooted in a clash of civilizations.