US faces crossroads in ties with Islamic world: Asian scholar [View All]

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http://www.khaleejtimes.com/DisplayArticle.asp?xfile=data/middleeast/2005/March/middleeast_March193.xml§ion=middleeast

WASHINGTON - US policy towards the Middle East has unwittingly made Osama bin Laden nearly the most popular figure in the region, according to a respected Asian scholar whose new book has triggered debate on why Muslims hate America.

Kishore Mahbubani, Singapore’s former two-term chief diplomat to the United Nations, warns that the level of anger in the Islamic world will become even stronger if the United States does not act swiftly to enhance its image among Muslims. snip

“In my conversations, when I travel around the world, I discover there are two sets of conversations -- there is one set of conversation when you have Americans in the room and everybody will say the right, nice things and how wonderful America is.

“And then the Americans will leave the room and the real conversation begins. And inevitably, the comment comes up: “Who do these people think they are?’”

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