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Nicholas Coulson's avatar

Fascinating to get the views of such intelligent and articulate Arab scholar/politician on the damage Iran has done to so many Arab countries.

Majik's avatar

Thank you for this brilliant elucidation of the most complex problem or, actually, set of problems that our world has ever faced. But I’m sorry to inform you that the vast majority of Americans have the attention span of a gnat and that tragic fact is being manipulated to orchestrate our destruction. That and there are diabolical forces at work, and I mean that literally. I pray that my assessment is wrong. May God in Heaven help us!

Boze's avatar
Apr 14Edited

While I generally agree with you in regards to our fellow Americans, there are Americans tuning in. My group of friends and I have been sharing a lot of solid articles about the paradigm-changing policies that Trump is implementing, including building better relationships with Arab nations and changing the nature of how Iran operates in the region. Hopefully Iran will be liberated and able to self-govern in a way that brings them prosperity and peace, and freedom from the tyranny of political Islam.

Fascinating article/interview. I read the entire thing (for which many Americans have lost the patience, sadly.) Super illuminating to understand the Arab perspective...from Arabs! I will pray for the peace and sovereignty of all Arab nations and esp. for Iran (Persian). The meddling and manipulation of the Middle East by the British Empire and [later] globalist interests (incl. American!) to sow conflict and strife is something that the interview never mentions, but perhaps that is for another day.

Majik's avatar

Thank you.

There’s been a WHOLE lot of tragic meddling going on for millennia in the Middle East, hence the name perhaps.

Alfred's avatar

Speaking about the intelligence of a gnat, this is not what the article stated whatsoever.

Jay's avatar

Majik was referring to Americans

Marc Svetov's avatar

Thank you, Zineb! It's a revelation to hear Arab voices ... The Western legacy media is effectively recycling mullah propaganda just like the Western legacy media did with Hamas ... propaganda accepted and broadcast as news ... How did the West get so lost?

Alfred's avatar

Regardless of the so-called propaganda Marc, the assessment of Iran is the same: "Iran? I ask God Almighty — those of you who sympathize with Iran — to truly set Iran upon you, so you feel its fire and see what Iran is. You who sympathize do not understand Iran. If you understood Iran, you would not sympathize with it."

Will Liley's avatar

I’ll tell you, Marc: we got lost when we thought we could bomb our way to an acceptable result. We can’t, we never can. I sympathised with Israel after October 7th, but then they completely blew it: 70,000 Gazans dead in what can only be called acts of genocide, to pursue Israel’s irredentist aims. The US under Trump? Stupid stupid stupid! And feckless, that he would allow himself to be conned by Netanyahu. So yes, Iran is a malign force that wants to be the sole regional hegemon, but it’s impossible to support what US/Israel are doing to contain it. This is the greatest strategic defeat in US history and Israel has made itself into a global pariah. For what? Obama showed how to do it, but of course that alone explains why Trump has acted like this.

Jean-Marc Pelletier's avatar

"... a civilization that has spent forty years watching the Islamic Republic erode its institutional, theological, and cultural foundations..."

Humm A great civilization watching Iran erode its institutional, theological and cultural foundations... Let's put that in relation with Jamal Khashoggi's dismemberment at Saudi's consulate in Istanbul? Or about how foreign workers are treated in the GCC states?

I don't mean to say that Iran displays a great sense of morality but let's not promote an idyllic vision of these states and their cultural foundations...

NGHIA NGUYEN's avatar

Merci bien. Votre vision est strategique et surtout morale!

Keith's avatar

This is one of the very best things I’ve read in a very long time. Thank you.

Marc Svetov's avatar

"These Arabs — I am astonished. At this time of calamity, destruction, and death, you sympathize with Iran? How do you sympathize with Iran? I ask God Almighty — those of you who sympathize with Iran — to truly set Iran upon you, so you feel its fire and see what Iran is. You who sympathize do not understand Iran. If you understood Iran, you would not sympathize with it." From Zineb's citation of Professor Faiq al-Sheik Ali ...

Bill Darrow's avatar

A clear, bold voice advancing important ideas that America, for all its First Amendment piety, entirely overlooks.

Dr. John V. Bowlus's avatar

Excellent piece and West does not get this! You distilled it very nicely. I am enjoying being a (relatively new) subscriber.

Alfred's avatar

How does the West not get this John? The article is entirely about the immense threat of Iran, maybe not exactly why repeated in the Western media, but that central message is all that matters.

Dr. John V. Bowlus's avatar

Just think the media is all about showing the US loss here, almost as if cheering. Meanwhile, weakening Iran has major potential for a better region. Feels like the West has lost the plot in this regard. But maybe my perception of media coverage is off. Don’t live in it.

Mirrors for the Prince's avatar

This piece may as well have been written by a spokesperson for the GCC. Aside from Syria, the Arab street is with Iran. The only people in the Arab world who are scared of Iran are the tyrants who thought aiding Israel’s crimes against the Palestinians and housing American troops would make them safer. These people are anchors keeping the Muslim world stuck in place while slowly pulling it under the waves. The sooner they are kicked out of power, the better. They’re all cowards and traitors.

Alex-GPT's avatar

per usual, this is fantastic analytic writing

FreeFrench's avatar

Insightful and enlightening - thanks so much Zineb!

Charles St-Louis's avatar

Le prisme d’analyse que vous employez pour dégager les différentes perceptions dans le monde arabe en lien avec le conflit en cours est fort rafraîchissant. En espérant que l’étendue du spectre obtenu puisse atteindre ne serait-ce que le Quai d’Orsay, l’Auswartiges Amt, le Foreign Office ou bien même encore, que sais-je, le Foggy Bottom. Une nouvelle fois bravo pour votre travail.

Rachel's avatar

Thank you for the excellent work and valuable perspective

Branson Edwards's avatar

I'm really glad to be able to read your steady, nuanced articles. These are among the many points of view we in the US cannot get, as our perceptions, let alone our persons, are all bought and sold like so many cattle in the chute. The death of real jounalism (not that it was ever what it really should be) has left us rudderless in thought.

Stephan Giannini's avatar

That sounds wonderful. But I think it’s nonsense. While I think there’s a significant minority that supports your views, most Arabs and Muslims despise the US and Israel. The Hudson Institute and you seem to live in a world of fantasy. And I don’t understand why.