Tuesday, January 15, 2019

State of Attitudes among ATI

This post is part of the Arabs, Turks and Iranians project.

Even though anecdotal evidence and personal observations might lead us to believe that Iranians don't like Arabs, or Arabs don't like Iranians, these observations are not enough to make a general statement. If all Iranians had identical attitudes towards Arabs and Turks, then we could rely on personal observations of one or a few individuals to make a general statement about what Iranians feel toward Arabs and Turks. We know however that there is a large diversity of opinion among  the people of large Middle Eastern countries.


Three Distinct Foreign policy Strategies:   As of December 2020 it appears that Arabs, Turks and Iranians (which are represented by Arab Governments, Turkey and Iran), have adopted three different foreign policies. 
Arabs have selected Subordination to the West and recognition of Israel despite lack of progress in creation of a homeland for Palestinians. 
The Islamic Republic of Iran has maintained a confrontational foreign policy towards the United States and Israel, which it calls the 'Axis of Resistance' strategy. 
Turkey has moved toward independence and competition. It does not directly confront and challenge the interests of Israel and the U.S.. Yes Turkey pursues an independent course, which often leads to geo-economic and geopolitical competition with the West. It purchases S-400 missile defense system from Russia and engages in military interventions around the world without coordination with Nato or Western powers. 

There are also some differences in flexibility and agility in management of foreign policy among these three tribes. Turkey has shown repeatedly that it is flexible and agile. It continuously modifies and shifts its foreign policy and its alliances without any ideological rigidity. Iran, on the other hand, is trapped in an ideological foreign policy (confrontation with the US and Israel) and shows little flexibility regardless of domestic opinion and costs. Arabs fall somewhere in between. 


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