UN report survives US objections - Al Jazeera

In light of my previous post, that's probably a good thing. But when Thomas Friedman first reported in November that the US was holding up this report I was outraged. The Arab Human Development Reports provide an excellent self examination of the region.

Quoting from the Al Jazeera article: The nature of the dispute centred on differences between the US view that the Arab world's problems are mainly internal and the Arab consensus that external factors such as US foreign policy and Israel's treatment of the Palestinians have contributed significantly to oppression and poor governance in the region.

My take: US foreign policy and Israel's treatment of the Palestinians provide convenient excuses for inaction by the Arab world on its own problems. Sometimes these excuses hold water and sometimes they don't. Whether you are a victim of external forces or not, making excuses does not produce progress.

I hasten to add that there is considerable evidence of internally produced progress, and one of the themes of this blog will be to highlight that evidence. There is plenty of good news that is not getting enough attention -- and Americans end up with a distorted view of the region.