Ambassador Hughes' visit was great news for America, great news for Saudi Arabia.
Despite cynical views of an American "PR effort," the recent visit to Saudi Arabia by Ambassador Karen Hughes was a success both for Americans and for Saudi Arabians. The dialogue which has been engaged, although only in its inception, has opened up significant new opportunities which the US and Saudi Arabian governments should be extremely serious about following up and taking advantage of.
Ambassador Hughes' visit represents the crucial acknowledgement by the US administration that the perception of America in the Middle East is at an all-time low, that this is a central concern, and that it should be remedied. There is an understanding that the visit was not intended to cover up or sugarcoat American foreign policy, but rather to explain it and to listen to the views of others.
We will not go into why US foreign policy is so badly perceived in the Middle East and where it has gone wrong. Suffice it to say that there has been much to be discontented and even angry about. We must congratulate the Bush administration therefore on trying to improve America's image, and they will realize that there is no way to do this without making significant changes to American policy in the region.
Ambassador Hughes' visit should be seen just as the first step in launching a new dialogue, whose goal is to improve understanding and perceptions by making actual changes in American policy in the Middle East. Ms. Hughes has surely learned a great deal from her trip, and these impressions, far removed from those portrayed in the Western media, will be carried right back to the White House.
Ms. Hughes will have been surprised to have such an open discussion with Saudi women. More importantly, the confidence and ease with which the Saudi women broached social issues and the need for gradual change will have contradicted the impression upon which American views and policy are often based. If anything, Ambassador Hughes will have been comforted by the advancement and level of education of Saudi women.
Ms. Hughes candid remarks during and after her visit were equally welcome. Her mission has surely given her enough incentive to carry back to the White House the message that change in the Middle East is underway and should be homegrown, and that the United States should support it by rethinking and adapting some of their policies in the region.
It is to be hoped then that Ambassador Hughes will be more than just a sounding board for Middle Eastern perceptions of America or an observer of the progress of democracy and human rights in the region. She certainly got a spoonful of what is wrong with American policy in the Middle East, and the dialogue that she has initiated could prove instrumental in pushing for changes in US foreign policy.
For Saudi Arabia, Ambassador Hughes' visit also highlighted a new confidence and a host of very positive signals. Members of Saudi society presented their feelings and perceptions with confidence and clarity. Saudi women articulated their assurance in the development of their country and their wish to see homegrown change implemented gradually. They expressed the feeling that things were moving in the right direction, and that they had no interest in seeing others meddling in their affairs.
In the last few years, Saudi Arabia has made significant steps in opening up to the world and we must not close this door. We have been rewarded for it by showing the West that our women are on par with the women of the West and that they are openly expressing both the shortcomings of and their confidence in homegrown progress. This is a most encouraging sign and we will be rewarded for our opening up in many other ways in the future.
I am hopeful that this sort of interaction and personal exchange can be pursued in many different forms. It is a healthy sign that Arab public opinion is being listened to in America, and hopefully the Americans will follow up by inviting some Arab voices to the United States for a similar exchange. We of course should encourage American visitors of the caliber of Ambassador Hughes to visit on a regular basis in order to pursue this dialogue. By learning more about each other we will not only be affecting each other's perceptions but also the groundings of our policy. This can only be a good thing.
