Hady Amr speaks to the Columbia World Affairs Council.
“They (the Muslim World) hate our policy, but they admire our educational system, our science and technology, and our democratic principles,” Middle East expert Hady Amr told the Columbia World Affairs Council last Wednesday.
The son of a Lebanese father and an American mother, Hady Amr has earned the right to be called an expert on the Muslim World and US–Arab relations. President Bill Clinton appointed the World Bank economist to serve in his Department of State as Director of the National Defense University.
Amr’s writings on US–Mideast policy have appeared in the International Herald Tribune , Newsweek , and various Arab newspapers. He is the author of The Need to Communicate: How to Improve US Public Diplomacy toward the Islamic World published by the Brookings Institute.
Haneez Zattam, executive director of the Columbia World Affairs Council (l), and Hady Amr, Middle East expert
As managing partner of the Amr Group, the multi–lingual Amr spends half his time in the Middle East and half in the US. He consults with governments and organizations on economic development in the Arab World and US–Arab relations.
Amr related to the World Affairs Council the results of a poll he recently conducted in Lebanon, Palestine, Jordan, and Israel. He wanted to find out why Muslims hate America. He found they don’t hate Americans, but they do hate the US government policy that has evolved over the past 50 years. He said it is the perception of most Muslims that:
• The US has supported autocratic regimes in the Middle East at the expense of the people;
• The children in Iraq suffered most from US sanctions;
• The war in Iraq is not justified because no weapons of mass destruction were found; and
• Arabs and Muslims are victims of ethnic profiling in the US.
Hady Amr believes that US–Arab relations can be improved if we concentrate on winning the “war of ideas.” He says, “It’s the policy, stupid!” not the religion or the people. We need more Arabic speakers, more books translated into Arabic, more American Cultural Centers in the Middle East, and more direct aid to the people of the Muslim World.
Founded in 1993, the Columbia World Affairs Council is a private, non-profit 501(c) 3 non-partisan organization with over 500 members in the Midlands. Fred Monk is chairmanfounder, and Haneez Zattam is executive director.
The Distinguished Speaker Series hosts luncheons and dinners featuring distinguished international experts and policy makers speaking on current issues with opportunity for discussion. The public is invited. Call 803.252.2197 or visit the www.columbiawac.org.
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