St. Ignatius's The Eye: Volume LXXIX Number II

With fighting in the Iraq escalating, many in the international community have taken to criticizing President Bush for his actions (or lack of action if you have a different perspective). Ranging from Russians to Europeans, everyone has had a stake in the happenings of Middle Eastern nations. But any way that you look at the situation, Bush is the first to overextend his reach into the Middle East.
    Starting with the fall of the Ottoman Empire, Western nations have been constantly involved in Middle Eastern affairs. In the past, entire peoples were jostled around as European nations wrestled control from local leaders. Then, when the European nations faced domestic hardships, they quickly pulled their release chords and left their colonies in devastating disarray.
    From the ashes of these ravaged territories, military and religious leaders emerged and fought to dominate their respective regions. With this in mind, many Americans should realize that Bush is not the sole maligner of Middle Eastern nations: he is merely following century old traditions.
    These traditions were initiated by European colonists, colonists who forced their will upon the Arab world. Bush has tripped on all the same pitfalls as his European predecessors. While Bush has clearly not done an even close to a perfect job in handling the situation in Iraq, he is by no means the sole cause of the problems in the Middle East.
    The people who criticize Bush should take another look at the situation. Then, maybe they will realize that they are not angry about Bush’s handling of Iraq, but instead angry at the entire Western philosophy on the Middle East.