al-3aql al-arabiyya

every now and then someone uses the phrase “the arab mind,” usually in a sentence like: “i don’t understand the arab mind.” or worse, “you don’t understand the arab mind.” i’ve never heard of the russian mind or uzbek mind, or chinese mind. it’s always the arab mind and it’s always got something to do with understanding, or lack thereof. (There’s apparently even a book with that title). my own mother has used it with me. so, i have developed an intense hatred for the phrase. it taps into every stereotype of the inscrutable easterner that has plagued the west’s relations with the middle for the last few centuries, implying that the arab mind is somehow alien and needs a special skill to understand. they are the “other” with brains that are just somehow fundamentally different from us. so today the phrase appeared in the new york times:

"You have to understand the Arab mind," Capt. Todd Brown, a company commander with the Fourth Infantry Division, said as he stood outside the gates of Abu Hishma. "The only thing they understand is force — force, pride and saving face."

our political leadership, which began this war because they were unable (or unwilling) to discern the difference between religious fundamentalist arabs and secular nationalist arabs has now put people in charge of winning the hearts and minds of the iraqi people in the hands of bigots like captain brown. ironically, the understanding of the arab mind is staring people like captain brown in the face. the very same article describes how u.s. forces have collectively punished entire towns of 7000 for the actions of 7 individuals, how they have bulldozed the houses of family members of suspected militants, required all males to get a special i.d. card that is printed only in english (and thus obviously not intended to be of any use to iraqis), surrounded towns with barbed wire fences, etc. these harsh policies are the product of captain brown’s attitude. but if he paused to think about how he would feel if he and his family were subjected to those same conditions, maybe he would realize why iraqis are acting so ungrateful towards the u.s. occupation. the solution to the puzzle of the arab mind is that there is no puzzle. they are just reacting in the way anyone would act if you put them in the same situation. as the article notes, the u.s. military is essentially borrowing tactics in iraq from what israel uses in the west bank and gaza. but just as israel has not won over the residents of the occupied territories over the past 36 years, by adopting their tactics the u.s. has effectively given up on creating a meaningful democracy in iraq. viewing arabs as understanding only “force, pride and saving face” will lead to policies that may be able to maintain tenuous control of the country, but it will not create a stable democracy, and it will have the inevitable side-effect of never-ending casualities and growing resentment against the u.s. both inside and outside iraq. the thing that pro-iraq war types don’t seem to understand is not just that the war is not over in iraq, but also that it is possible for the u.s. to lose. sure, the u.s. will win every battle, if for no other reason than because it so severely outguns any possible opposition. but the u.s. won ever battle in vietnam, but yet it lost the war because the vietnamese simply refused to give up. when you treat iraqis under your control like caged animals who understand nothing but punishment, they have no incentive to give up and nothing to lose by continuing to fight. any human mind put in such a situation would inevitably reach the same conclusion. UPDATE: chris at see why was also struck by the same "arab mind" bit in today's times.