CAIRO/TEHRAN, 4 November 2004 — Most people in the Middle East, with the exception of Israelis, reacted with resigned disappointment yesterday to George W. Bush winning four more years in power.
One consolation for them was that few had had high hopes of Democratic challenger John Kerry, who later conceded the election.
Several thousand Iranians burned US flags and Bush effigies yesterday, marking the 25th anniversary of the storming of the US Embassy in Tehran. Amid the euphoria of the 1979 Islamic revolution, 52 Americans were held captive for 444 days by Islamic students in what was described as the “nest of spies,” a drama which led to the severing of diplomatic ties in 1980.
Chanting “Death to America” and “Death to corrupt Western culture” the crowd of mostly young students given a day off school listened to speeches deriding the “Great Satan”, as Iran’s clerical leadership routinely calls the United States.
Most present at yesterday rally took Iran’s official policy line that it made no difference whether Bush or his rival Sen. John Kerry won the race to the White House. On Tuesday President Mohammad Khatami told reporters he had no preference in the Bush-Kerry race but wanted the winner to adopt a different attitude toward Iran.
Imad Shuaibi, a political science professor at Damascus University, predicted “four years of nightmare again” on the assumption that Bush would not learn from his first term, which has made the United States more unpopular than ever among Arabs.
“(A Bush victory) is likely to mean more violence in Iraq, in Afghanistan but not only there. Other hot spots could blaze up like Sudan, Iran, Syria. Dark clouds are gathering,” said Ali Ammar, a leading lawyer and journalist in Morocco.
Jasim Ali, a Bahraini analyst, said: “This is not good news for the Middle East. Bush could take this as a sign that his foreign policy in the region is a success and he may harden his positions. There will be more killing and bloodshed.”
The only immediate official Arab comments came from Jordan and Yemen, which have worked with Washington against militants despite reservations about overall US policy.
Yemeni Foreign Minister Abubakr Al-Qarubi said his country would continue to cooperate with the winner.
Jordanian government spokeswoman Asma Khader said the United States cannot continue on its present course in the Middle East.
Ordinary Arabs and politicians reflected the divide between those who had hoped for Bush’s humiliation, those who saw some slight advantage in a Bush second term and those who consider all leading US politicians as hopelessly biased.
“Bush is the most hated man in the region... His mentality is naturally against Islam and Muslims... “ said Dia El-Din Dawoud, head of the left-wing Nasserist party in Egypt.
