Arabs for Trumpish belligerence

Clinton as Secretary of State has good relations with Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak, Washington August 17, 2009. Since the coup, Republicans have favoured General Al Sisi. Photo by Kevin Lamarque/ Reuters

Middle East Split on Trump vs. Clinton

A survey of various countries in the Middle East reveals deep rifts about who is best suited to be the next resident in the White House

By Albert Nachmani, The Media Line
November 01, 2016

The seemingly unbridgeable chasms that have formed in the Middle East in recent years are mirrored in the sharp discord among citizens of the region regarding who they would like to see in the White House come January 2017.

Mustafa Habib, an analyst with the Iraqi news site niqash.org, wrote to The Media Line that it is the “Democratic Party headed by [President] Barack Obama which bears the responsibility for the American pullout from Iraq in 2011, which led to ISIS taking over parts of Iraq and Syria, as well as the spread of Iranian-backed radical Shiite groups.”

“I believe that what the Middle East needs right now is a resolute leader such as [Republican candidate] Donald Trump who will be able to stand up to the Shiite militias and quickly eliminate the Sunni jihadi groups in Iraq”, Habib continued.

Habib stated that Iraqi Shiites tend to back Hillary Clinton, as it was the Democratic Party that signed the nuclear deal with Iran thus strengthening that predominantly Shiite nation; Iraqi Sunnis prefer Trump as they expect him to quickly block the Shiites from spreading into their territories and believe that the deal with Iran sold them out; finally, the Kurds have good relations with both US parties but they lean slightly more towards Trump.

Mirna Radwan, a reporter for the Lebanese news site albaladonline.com, expressed her unstinting support for Clinton. “Clinton would make a far better president for the US domestically and for the Middle East in particular due to her extensive political experience, specifically as Secretary of State under President Barack Obama,” she told The Media Line.
Radwan stated that Clinton would do a much better job than Trump in healing the racial divides in the US, as well as fighting discrimination against minorities and women.

Regarding the Middle East, she added that “Clinton would bring more hope to the region. The Lebanese people trust her to do a better job dealing with the current strife. Donald Trump is seen by the Lebanese as another George W. Bush.”

Turning to Egypt, which has seen a strain on its relations with the US since Abdel Fattah el-Sisi launched a military coup in June 2013, Muhammad Al Sattuhi, a journalist with the Cairo daily Al Ahram, believes that although the Republican Party is more in line with Sisi’s Egypt in the aftermath of the coup, Clinton would make a better president overall.

Al Sattuhi spoke with Trump advisor, former General Michael Flynn, at a Republican convention in Cleveland last July, who said that “it was necessary to cooperate with moderate leaders such as Sisi in the war against what Republicans call “radical Islamic terrorism.” Flynn joined Trump during the latter’s meeting with Sisi in New York in September.

Al Sattuhi also expects Trump to support and expand Israeli-Egyptian cooperation in fighting radical groups in Sinai and to be on the same page regarding Iran. “Trump may put more pressure on the Iranians than Clinton, but I don’t think that he will abolish the treaty as he has promised he would, especially if Iran abides by it.”

Regarding Israel, Sattuhi believes Trump will recognize Jerusalem as the capital of Israel and turn a blind eye to the annexation of settlement blocks.

“In the end I place much more trust in the Democratic Party’s way of thinking as it is less radical in orientation… It is true that the Republicans would be stronger in fighting terrorism, but the manner in which they express the connection of this terror with Islam, for example the unfounded statement by Trump of how a legendary US General [John Pershing] dipped bullets in pigs’ blood before killing Muslims, had the effect of turning Muslim opinion against him.”

On the other side of the spectrum is Hani Asal, another Al Ahram reporter, who stated that “we won’t forget Clinton’s abysmal failure during the ‘Arab Spring,’ and even the US media concluded that she was a failure as Secretary of State.”

Asal claims that the US media are obviously slanted against Trump, and that this media bias will be difficult for Trump to overcome. Asal is also dubious of polls showing Clinton as the winner, as the polls were proven wrong regarding England’s Brexit from the European Union.

Finally, there is Saudi Arabia, another country whose relations with the US have been strained due to the Iranian nuclear pact. Khalid Al Suleiman, a reporter for Okaz, a Jeddah daily, sides with Trump. “An American journalist asked me if Saudis feel tense over the idea of Trump becoming president, and I surprised her when I responded that many Saudis want Trump to win so that our relationship can be clearer and forthright.

“I reminded her that Saudis have bitter feelings towards America for its ambiguous relationship towards its allies and are also unable to fathom Washington moving closer to Iran despite the latter’s hatred of the US. All this while the US has turned its back on its traditional allies who have been fighting terrorism!”