Changing the Way We Are Viewed

With all the talk about change going on in the current election campaigns, I would like to address a key factor of change that I don't see being discussed, and that is how Muslims currently view America. Having watched a talk by ABC News correspondent Jim Sciutto, it was interesting to note, that he has surveyed not only Muslims, but also those of non-Muslim faith, who to this day have a much more negative view of America now, than we knew of before the occupation of both Afghanistan and Iraq, and even 9/11.
Now, politicians and presidential campaigners can talk all they want about change, and I am all for bringing change to our own doorsteps, but we also need to strongly consider how we are going to positively respond to Arabs, Muslims, and the public of the Middle East, because we are not living up to our promises to these people, and in fact have failed to show that we are a people of principle, and uphold solid character on a global scale. Sciutto mentions that several times dissidents of Al Qaeda, Iran, and other insurgent factions have come to the U.S. leadership asking for assistance in stabilizing their region, and bringing about a better way of life, and our leaders have turned them away multiple times. Sciutto makes note of the fact that the Arab people are already fighting one enemy on their own soil, yet when America ignores their requests, with passive policies, yet America occupies their lands, these people feel as if they are fighting two enemies, and would rather not have to deal with America altogether. Even just two years after the Iraq invasion, Muslims began tuning out the West, but were instead taking an intellectual approach to making "headway against militancy and terrorism, and for moderation in general." (Muslim reformists reject Western view of change Toronto Star (Canada), 03190781, Apr 14, 2005)
The important thing to consider here is the willingness to cooperate by the Arab people. For decades they have existed among destabilized nations and leaderships in an area of the world that offers so much potential for global prosperity, where you have many young and eager individuals ready to learn, and take part in the global economy. Which leads me to think that maybe all this destabilization in the Middle East is not centered around politics, but instead, a large population dynamic struggling to climb up onto the ladder of globalization. According to Fauzi Najjar, in article in the journal of the Middle East Policy Council, there are three differing viewpoints on globalization in the Arab world, one of which "calls for finding an appropriate form of globalization that is compatible with the national and cultural interests of the people." With 52 nations having a Muslim majority, and a majority of those countries containing a large amount of Western economy's outsourcing and offshoring, why wouldn't this part of the world, regardless of religious background not want to play a more significant role in the global economy? It's not that these people are against us, and is plain to see that they are simply looking to play along with us, but we need to change our principles, and stop isolating ourselves from these people.