Thursday, June 24, 2004
The fireworks have already begun
I'd really intended this to be an apolitical blog - a travelogue, not an op-ed column - but even before I leave for Turkey, the realm of politics has wormed its way in...
Yes, the very day I decide to really start my blog - just to post some wonderfully friendly, charmingly endearing e-mail responses from hostels and pensiones - that very day there are two bombings in Turkey, one in Istanbul, one in Ankara.
Both in anticipation of the arrival of "my" President.
Perhaps it's naive to think that any visit to the Mid-East, especially by an American, can be apolitical. It seems to be a world built on politics.
I remember my visit to Egypt in 1997 (meeting K just days after the politically motivated slaughter of 58 tourists at Deir el Bahari in Luxor) - everywhere you heard "Welcome Amrika" - "We love Amrika. Hate Amrika Government." The object of their ire: Bill Clinton. "Clin-ton Bad - Bush good." The main thrust of the common Egyptian's complaints: Mr. Clin-ton's "orgies in the White House" and more importantly, his support of Israel. Bush-41 (how far we've come...) was hailed by Egyptian workmen and hawkers alike as the good, understanding statesman who came the middle east, set things right, then left. (Keep in mind, this was Egypt. I'm sure the Kurds and Iraqis felt differently).
At the time it seemed a strange, simplistic assessment, but for the most part I smiled and occasionally tried to suggest that maybe Clin-ton wasn't all bad.
By my last trip to Egypt, in March of 2001, the new Bush was being hailed. Egyptians seemed delighted that there was another Bush around, but more importantly, they'd dodged a bullet by the name of Lieberman. The idea of a Jewish Vice-President was an evil that could not be out-done.
Again, I smiled and tried to explain that Gore wasn't all bad, and tried as best I could to overlook the raging anti-Semitism that's just part-and-parcel of spending time in Egypt. (It's like having a good friend who you suspect, deep-down, might harbor some racist bent - you try to ignore it and just hope it doesn't come up. Except that in Egypt it's most often a sentiment worn proudly on the sleeve of people who in every other respect are kind, welcoming and generous beyond imagination.)
But this was March of 2001. A universe away from September.
I can only imagine what I'll have to answer for this time.
In '97, I occasionally felt the need to speak up for Clin-ton in some subtle way, but for the most part I cringed and acquiesced when Bush-41 was praised, knowing I wasn't going to change anyone's mind. But it wasn't hard to bring myself to defend Clin-ton when needed, because he was "my guy".
Plus, I have this strange compunction when traveling abroad (and I've noticed it in others as well): while at home one can criticize the government all one wants; abroad, I find myself suddenly needing to explain and almost defend. Trying to point out positives. Offering excuses.
And when it meant defending Clintonian antics and policy, it wasn't that hard to bring myself to do... If the subject couldn't be avoided...
But now... With two wars on (three if you count the vague "war" we're fighting against "terrorists"); with throngs demonstrating in the streets of Amsterdam, let alone Istanbul; with bombs going off at the Hilton in Ankara - American policy isn't going to be a subject easily avoided.
It's inevitable, when traveling abroad you are an ambassador by default, but an American in the Middle East is held accountable for quite a lot. And I feel this. I'm a cynic but I'm also a patriot of sorts, and I often feel the need to point out that the U.S. can't be all bad. But I wonder how easy this will be, when any explanation is likely to be considered tantamount to defending Bush's bungles.
At the moment, behind me the TV news is playing Mr. Bush's failure to charm even the Irish - Doesn't bode well for his time in Turkey.
Or mine, I suppose.
I'll just hope for the old, "Love Amrika. Hate Amrika Government."
Even that seems too nuanced to count on at the moment...
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Yes, the very day I decide to really start my blog - just to post some wonderfully friendly, charmingly endearing e-mail responses from hostels and pensiones - that very day there are two bombings in Turkey, one in Istanbul, one in Ankara.
Both in anticipation of the arrival of "my" President.
Perhaps it's naive to think that any visit to the Mid-East, especially by an American, can be apolitical. It seems to be a world built on politics.
I remember my visit to Egypt in 1997 (meeting K just days after the politically motivated slaughter of 58 tourists at Deir el Bahari in Luxor) - everywhere you heard "Welcome Amrika" - "We love Amrika. Hate Amrika Government." The object of their ire: Bill Clinton. "Clin-ton Bad - Bush good." The main thrust of the common Egyptian's complaints: Mr. Clin-ton's "orgies in the White House" and more importantly, his support of Israel. Bush-41 (how far we've come...) was hailed by Egyptian workmen and hawkers alike as the good, understanding statesman who came the middle east, set things right, then left. (Keep in mind, this was Egypt. I'm sure the Kurds and Iraqis felt differently).
At the time it seemed a strange, simplistic assessment, but for the most part I smiled and occasionally tried to suggest that maybe Clin-ton wasn't all bad.
By my last trip to Egypt, in March of 2001, the new Bush was being hailed. Egyptians seemed delighted that there was another Bush around, but more importantly, they'd dodged a bullet by the name of Lieberman. The idea of a Jewish Vice-President was an evil that could not be out-done.
Again, I smiled and tried to explain that Gore wasn't all bad, and tried as best I could to overlook the raging anti-Semitism that's just part-and-parcel of spending time in Egypt. (It's like having a good friend who you suspect, deep-down, might harbor some racist bent - you try to ignore it and just hope it doesn't come up. Except that in Egypt it's most often a sentiment worn proudly on the sleeve of people who in every other respect are kind, welcoming and generous beyond imagination.)
But this was March of 2001. A universe away from September.
I can only imagine what I'll have to answer for this time.
In '97, I occasionally felt the need to speak up for Clin-ton in some subtle way, but for the most part I cringed and acquiesced when Bush-41 was praised, knowing I wasn't going to change anyone's mind. But it wasn't hard to bring myself to defend Clin-ton when needed, because he was "my guy".
Plus, I have this strange compunction when traveling abroad (and I've noticed it in others as well): while at home one can criticize the government all one wants; abroad, I find myself suddenly needing to explain and almost defend. Trying to point out positives. Offering excuses.
And when it meant defending Clintonian antics and policy, it wasn't that hard to bring myself to do... If the subject couldn't be avoided...
But now... With two wars on (three if you count the vague "war" we're fighting against "terrorists"); with throngs demonstrating in the streets of Amsterdam, let alone Istanbul; with bombs going off at the Hilton in Ankara - American policy isn't going to be a subject easily avoided.
It's inevitable, when traveling abroad you are an ambassador by default, but an American in the Middle East is held accountable for quite a lot. And I feel this. I'm a cynic but I'm also a patriot of sorts, and I often feel the need to point out that the U.S. can't be all bad. But I wonder how easy this will be, when any explanation is likely to be considered tantamount to defending Bush's bungles.
At the moment, behind me the TV news is playing Mr. Bush's failure to charm even the Irish - Doesn't bode well for his time in Turkey.
Or mine, I suppose.
I'll just hope for the old, "Love Amrika. Hate Amrika Government."
Even that seems too nuanced to count on at the moment...
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