The Rice Thresher, Vol. 98, No. 20, Ed. 1 Friday, February 18, 2011 Page: 3 of 28
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Op-Ed
America has
opportunity
to counter
radicalism
The traditional order of the Middle
East is being torn asunder. For decades,
the United States has supported dicta-
torships in the Middle East, and now
almost 60 years of autocratic malgover-
nance has taken its toll. The Arab street
has risen up, incensed by corruption,
police brutality, and a fundamental
lack of economic opportunity. Ben Ali
in Tunisia and Hosni Mubarak in Egypt
have been cast aside, and now protests
gain force like a cresting wave in Libya,
Algeria, Jordan, Yemen and Bahrain.
Caught flat-footed the first two times,
the Obama administration must now
formulate a proactive policy that not
only ensures the stability of US security
interests, but also allows and encour-
ages reform efforts in future countries.
KarthikSoora
However, most U.S. policymakers
are looking at these protests as a po-
tential problem. They worry about Is
rael, oil, and that radical Islamists will
gain control of billions of dollars of U.S.
weaponry. What they fail to realize is
that in these uprisings and protests rests
an opportunity. We have an opportunity
to fundamentally engage the Arab street
and show that we do not seek merely
clients, but companions and partners in
the journey of democracy.
For all of president George W. Bush's
huffing and puffing, he was unable to
bring democracy to the Middle East. Yes
he talked about democracy, but when
push came to shove, Mubarak, the Sau-
dis and every other despotic regime in
the Arab world received U.S. support.
Therefore, to the Arab street, Bush
seemed a hypocrite. If he actually cared
about democracy, Arabs wondered,
then why did he ignore the dictators that
oppress us? Rhetoric was effusive, but
action was lacking. The invasion of Iraq
only showed the Arabs that America sup-
ports freedom for some states and not
for others.
So now with the popular uprisings,
we have a chance to finally put our
rhetoric of freedom to action. Bush was
definitely right about one thing. The
lack of democracy in the Arab world is
one of the single most important rea-
sons for Islamic radicalism. With no
outlet for popular sentiment and poor
governance, radicalism is felt to be the
only recourse. For this reason, the U.S.
should take all possible steps to support
democratic elements, ensure smooth
transitions in these countries, and thus
strike a fundamental blow against ter-
rorism far more lasting than a Predator
drone strike. In addition, these steps
should be minimal, allowing demo-
cratic sentiments to be consolidated
and won by the elements best prepared
to put them into action, the populace.
At the same time, U.S. power, while
still influential, is beginning to wane.
With massive structural deficits and a
Republican majority in the House, we
must learn to have a foreign policy that
accomplishes U.S. objectives with fewer
resources. Sometimes more can be ac-
complished with less, and this could be
the impetus for more unconventional
thinking in foreign policy that trans-
forms a region of client states into dem-
ocratic companions.
One principle of a more minimal-
istic foreign policy in the Middle East
is speaking softly. President Barack
Obama's response to the Egyptian pro-
tests was rhetorically sound, demon-
strating support for the aims of the pro-
testers while leaning away from full US.
Though Wizner and Clinton stumbled,
the Administration's avoided Reaga-
nesque rhetorical excess that would
have made leverage and pressure on
Mubarak difficult. Instead, the Admin-
istration instituted quiet diplomacy by
attempting to talk Mubarak down and
steadily prodding the military to con-
structively step in. While 95 percent of
the success of the protests is no doubt
due to the protesters, the Administra-
tion is owed thanks for quietly showing
Mubarak the door and helping avoid
a potentially violent situation. This
should unequivocally be a policy for all
future protests.
Another principle of a more mini-
malistic foreign policy is leveraging
current resources better. Right now
U.S. policymakers worry the Egyptian
military will usurp power, fail to liqui-
date its substantial holdings and derail
the transition to democracy. If Admin-
istration wishes to bolster the will of
protesters, it could place the billions of
dollars of military aid to Egypt contin-
gent on the approval of a panel of Egyp-
tian civilian leadership. This avoids the
appearance of imperialism and allows
the Egyptian populace a check over the
army. Jordan, which also receives US
aid and is undergoing protests, could
also be given a similar package if the
King is thrown out by the military.
Another area where we could lever-
age resources better is the Arab-Israeli
conflict. While President Obama has
stated he would like to bring the Arab-
Israeli conflict to a close, the release
of the "Palestinian Papers" has shown
that the Israelis lack the current po-
litical will to finalize an agreement with
the West Bank leadership. The Israelis
are sailing in the clear; terrorist attacks
are at a minimum and it is the unequiv-
ocal military power of the region. Ac-
cording to the World Bank it has a per
capita gross domestic product of over
$26,000 dollars and received $2.55 bil-
lion in U.S. military aid in 2008. With
a status quo that so favors Israel, Prime
Minister Netanyahu has no desire to
anger the settlers and give up Israeli
territory; the Palestinians in turn lack
any ability to compel him. Therefore,
if America seriously wishes to solve the
dispute, leadership is needed. Israel
must be made aware that in times of
unprecedented high unemployment
and national debt on America's part, it
cannot expect to free-ride on America.
The $2.55 billion in aid could be used on
vitally needed domestic infrastructure,
education or health-care spending. If
the Israeli political leadership cannot
honor our alliance and muster the po-
litical will to make peace with the Pales-
tinians, then it must be made to recog-
nize that the economic circumstances
of aid have changed.
With a popular impetus favoring
reform and democracy, the Obama
Administration has an opportunity
to help change the status quo in the
region and strike a blow against the
heart of Islamic radicalism. How we
craft our policies has the potential to
shape the Middle East for decades
to come.
Karthik Soora is a
Will Rice College senior.
3
Egypt must avoid relapse
It is a good day when autocrats who
have been in power for over 30 years
step down, and all signs point towards
democratization and an improvement
in a country's political system. That is
exactly what happened in Egypt when
former-President Hosni Mubarak re-
signed his position last week and the
new leadership of the government of
Egypt — the Supreme Council of the
Armed Forces — even dissolved the old
parliament which came to power in an
election no one considers legitimate,
and all signs seem to show that the mili-
tary's top leadership is willing to allow
— and accept — the results of a fair, le-
gitimate election either late this year or
early next.
Cody Shilling
For those worrying about whether
the transition will lead to a change in
the stability of the country, the truth is
not much would change for the worse.
The military has said Egypt will "re-
main committed to all its regional and
international treaties" — an implicit ref-
erence to their peace treaty with Israel.
And with a new, democratically elected
leadership, the country's policy makers
shall be accountable to the people; no
longer will there be the perception that
the government is just an American
pawn that is against its own people.
This new trust in, and connection to,
the government will lead to a greater
long term stability (even if the U.S. can't
simply send aid in return for a certain
policy) both in Egypt and in the region
as a whole.
Besides the benefits of increased
transparency and connection to the
new Egyptian government, a represen-
tative and responsible Egypt will pro-
vide an example to the rest of the Middle
East. People who live in countries ruled
by dictators and fraudulently elected
"presidents" will see that democracy
is not in conflict with Islam: only with
authoritarian rulers. They will see that
change is possible in their own coun-
tries; a month ago, there was no sign of
unrest and Mubarak's position of power
did not seem in question, and yet here
we are. What if the people of Saudi
Arabia were to demand a popular gov-
ernment? What if the Syrians demand
more representation in the government
of Bashar al-Assad who "won" 97 per-
cent of the votes in an election in 2007?
Or what might the Iranian people do,
so recently after last year's attempted
demonstrations? A true democracy is
not created when the U.S. invades and
forces a change in government; a truly
democratic society requires the people
to change the way their government
works, which is exactly what we have
in Egypt. That is why this will be such a
powerful message for the entire Middle
East as well as the rest of the world.
it
A true democracy is not
created when the U.S.
invades and forces a
change in government;
a truly democratic soci-
ety requires the people
to change the way their
government works...
99
But we must be careful. We cannot
let this opportunity escape us and allow
another iron-fisted ruler to seize power.
After the fall of the U.S.S.R., autocratic
rulers still held power in some Jf the
former Soviet republics, sometimes
even after democratic elections (think
Ukraine, Kazakhstan, or even Russia).
It is vital that while the growth of de-
mocracy be encouraged, fostered and
even actively supported, we must take
care not to let a populist frenzy seize
control of the momentum away from
a controlled, deliberative process and
have a wildly popular (at first) leader
erase the progress that has been made
so far. Democracy can be a fragile thing
in its early years, and we must take care
to ensure that the volatility of the transi-
tion does not rob Egyptians of the better
future so close at hand.
Cody Shilling is a
Will Rice College sophomore.
Culture of care extends to aiding peers with mental health issues
I'm clinically depressed. 1 take
antidepressants, and I see a ther-
apist in the Counseling Center
regularly. If you were to run into
me today — perhaps chatting in
the servery, waiting in line at Cof-
feehouse, lounging in Fondren or
laughing with friends on the way
to class — you would never be able
to tell. If you know me personally,
you probably had no idea. And
why would I ever tell you? If you
knew, you'd probably see me dif-
ferently — you might judge me,
look down on me, pity me or maybe
even avoid me. So why am I telling
you now? Because it's time to break
the silence.
Allen Liao
Oh yes, we all know that Rice is
one of the "happiest" colleges in the
country. And it certainly seems that
way: when we talk to our friends,
we talk about classes, parties, cam-
pus events, weekend plans — we
work hard, we play hard, we have
fun, we're happy, productive, suc-
cessful. But the sobering truth is
that under the surface, too many of
us are struggling to stay afloat. Too
many of us are affected by mental
health problems, too many of us
are suffering in silence and too few
of us are talking about it. It doesn't
help that there is an enormous
stigma surrounding mental illness.
We can't talk to our friends about
these issues — we don't want to be
seen as crazy, weak, irrational, inca-
pable, or otherwise abnormal. They
wouldn't understand.
And it's true. Sadly, too many
people just don't understand.
"Sure," they might say. "Every-
one has problems; everyone feels
stressed or sad or anxious at times."
But mental illness is something
more. Like a dark, ever-looming
cloud, it doesn't go away. And when
it constantly overwhelms us with
feelings like fear, despair, isolation,
worthlessness, helplessness and
hopelessness - when we feel like
we're not in control and each day
is a struggle — we need to break the
silence, let someone know and get
help. These feelings are often com-
mon and treatable symptoms of real
disorders arising in the brain — as
real and as prevalent as diseases
like diabetes or strep throat. If you
had strep throat, you wouldn't suf-
fer alone in silence, would you?
No, you would say something and
get help.
To share some "unconventional
wisdom" with you (courtesy of the
National Institute of Mental Health):
Who knew ... that college stu
dents are at the highest risk for de-
veloping mental health disorders
(the high stress Rice environment
combined with the fact that most
mental disorders — anxiety disor-
ders, mood disorders, schizophre-
nia — emerge in late adolescence)?
Who knew ... that nearly half
of all college students feel so de-
pressed at one point that they have
trouble functioning, half have had
suicidal thoughts, and 1 in 10 have
seriously considered a suicide at-
tempt? (Just ask the harried Coun-
seling Center and the Consultation
and Assessment Team)
Who knew ... that the 18-24 age
group has the highest prevalence of
mental illness at 27 percent (that's
one in four people!), but the low-
est rate of help-seeking - approxi-
mately two-thirds of students who
need help don't seek it (even though
the Counseling Center is free for
students, and we have caring and
supportive peers, RAs, and masters
nearby in our residential colleges).
And who knew ... that when
in distress, 67 percent of students
turn to a friend before telling
anyone else?
Mental illness is real. You can't
just "suck it up and deal with it."
You need to speak out and tell a
friend. And friends: you need to
listen. We talk about a "Culture of
Care" concerning alcohol use, but
we also need to foster this culture
of care and watch out for our peers
when it comes to mental health.
Chances are, someone around you is
struggling with mental health issues
— whether it be anxiety, depression,
eating disorders, relationship is-
sues, family problems, or otherwise.
When we notice someone that
seems to be withdrawing from so-
cial situations, exhibiting a change
in his or her usual behavior, or
acting peculiar, we shouldn't be
brushing it off, turning a blind eye,
and ignoring it. We need to talk to
them about it, address these issues,
and help each other. We need to
speak openly - there's nothing to
be ashamed or embarrassed about.
People with mental illness aren't
dangerous, weak, unstable or in-
capable - they're most often the
bright, successful, ordinary people
we sit next to in class.
If you don't know me, you
definitely know someone like me:
Someone who has been suffering in
silence because of the stigma sur-
rounding mental illness. Let's trans-
form this culture of silence at Rice
into a culture of care and honesty.
I challenge you: The next time that
someone asks you, "How are you
doing?" instead of replying with
some variation of "good" or "fine,"
answer truthfully. Tell a friend when
something is on your mind. Pay at-
tention to the people around you,
and don't hesitate to offer a friendly
greeting or lend a sympathetic ear.
If the issue of mental health is
important to you, if you'd like to con-
nect with others who care for this
cause, if you'd like to combat the
lack of understanding about mental
illness and help pave the way for a
campus free from stigma, through
large-scale mental health education
and awareness at Rice, look out for
an upcoming student organization
called Active Minds (activeminds.
org). If you'd like to get involved or
want to learn more, send an email
to ActiveMindsatRice@gmail.com.
Together, we can change the conver-
sation about mental health at Rice.
Allen Liao is a
McMurtry College junior.
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Rutenberg, Josh. The Rice Thresher, Vol. 98, No. 20, Ed. 1 Friday, February 18, 2011, newspaper, February 18, 2011; Houston, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth398432/m1/3/: accessed July 18, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu.; crediting Rice University Woodson Research Center.