Many in Mideast See Western Support of Ukraine as Sign of Unfairness
2022-04-01
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1Some Middle Eastern leaders say Western countries use one set of rules for the conflict in Ukraine and another for conflicts in the Middle East.
2They say that, within days of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, Western countries punished Russia and supported Ukraine.
3Russia quickly faced sanctions from individual countries and groups like the European Union.
4That means they placed financial and trade restrictions on Russia meant to punish the country for its actions.
5Many countries also welcomed Ukrainian refugees, and sent supportive messages to Ukraine's armed resistance.
6But the actions in support of Ukraine have angered people across the Middle East.
7Many there see a double standard in how Western countries deal with international conflicts.
8A double standard is when a set of rules is enforced differently for one group than for another.
9Palestinian Foreign Minister Riad Malki spoke about this feeling to a security meeting in Turkey earlier this month.
10He said: "We have seen every means we were told could not be activated for over 70 years deployed in less than seven days."
11He called this: "Amazing hypocrisy."
12The U.S.-led war in Iraq began in 2003.
13At the time, people in some nations considered the action an unlawful invasion of one state by another.
14Iraqis who fought the Americans were called terrorists in the news media.
15Refugees seeking to flee to the West were often turned away and treated as possible security threats.
16Russia intervened in Syria's civil war to help Syrian President Bashar al-Assad in 2015.
17The move was denounced by many Western nations but there was little action.
18With Russia's help, Syria's forces destroyed cities leading to hunger and death.
19Many thousands of Syrian refugees fled to Europe.
20Some died at sea or were turned back as nations struggled to deal with the mass migration.
21Some considered the migrants security threats.
22In Yemen, a Saudi-led coalition has been fighting Houthi rebels supported by Iran since 2015.
23The conflict has left 13 million people at risk of starvation.
24But stories of children starving have not brought continued international attention to that conflict.
25Bruce Riedel formerly worked for the U.S. Central Intelligence Agency and U.S. National Security Council.
26He is now a member at The Brookings Institution in Washington, D.C.
27He said that it was "understandable" that many in the Middle East see a double standard by the West.
28Riedel said: "The United States and the United Kingdom have supported Saudi Arabia's seven-years-old war in Yemen, which created the world's worst humanitarian catastrophe in decades."
29People around the world have sent Ukrainians supportive messages on social media.
30The have praised those who take up arms against an occupying army.
31But critics say that when Palestinians and Iraqis do what appears to be the same thing, they are called terrorists.
32Aaron David Miller is with the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace.
33He said Middle East conflicts are complex.
34Ukraine's conflict is much clearer.
35There is a sense of wrongdoing.
36Russia is widely considered to have launched an aggressive war against its neighbor.
37A similar situation happened in the Middle East when Iraq invaded Kuwait in 1990.
38The U.S. answered by bringing together a military coalition including Arab states that drove out the Iraqi forces.
39Elliott Abrams is with the Council on Foreign Relations.
40He was an advisor to former President George W. Bush when a U.S.-led coalition invaded Iraq a second time in 2003.
41He said there is a difference between Ukrainians battling Russian invaders and rebels in Iraq who fought Americans.
42"Iraqis who fought U.S. troops on behalf of Iran or ISIS were not freedom fighters," he said, talking about the Islamic State group.
43"Making these moral distinctions is not an act of hypocrisy."
44But many in the Middle East saw hard treatment of Arab and Muslim migrants as unfair.
45They considered it proof that Western nations do not support human rights and values when it comes to their culture.
46Many feel their suffering is taken less seriously because of the idea that the Middle East has always had violence.
47They believe that Western nations ignore their part in starting and continuing the Middle East's many long-term conflicts.
48Ines Abdel Razek is a director for the Palestine Institute for Public Diplomacy.
49She said, "There's this expectation, drawn from colonialism, that it's more normal for us to be killed, to grieve our families, than it is for the West."
50I'm Gregory Stachel.
1Some Middle Eastern leaders say Western countries use one set of rules for the conflict in Ukraine and another for conflicts in the Middle East. 2They say that, within days of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, Western countries punished Russia and supported Ukraine. 3Russia quickly faced sanctions from individual countries and groups like the European Union. That means they placed financial and trade restrictions on Russia meant to punish the country for its actions. 4Many countries also welcomed Ukrainian refugees, and sent supportive messages to Ukraine's armed resistance. 5But the actions in support of Ukraine have angered people across the Middle East. Many there see a double standard in how Western countries deal with international conflicts. A double standard is when a set of rules is enforced differently for one group than for another. 6Palestinian Foreign Minister Riad Malki spoke about this feeling to a security meeting in Turkey earlier this month. He said: "We have seen every means we were told could not be activated for over 70 years deployed in less than seven days." 7He called this: "Amazing hypocrisy." 8Middle East conflicts 9The U.S.-led war in Iraq began in 2003. At the time, people in some nations considered the action an unlawful invasion of one state by another. Iraqis who fought the Americans were called terrorists in the news media. Refugees seeking to flee to the West were often turned away and treated as possible security threats. 10Russia intervened in Syria's civil war to help Syrian President Bashar al-Assad in 2015. The move was denounced by many Western nations but there was little action. With Russia's help, Syria's forces destroyed cities leading to hunger and death. 11Many thousands of Syrian refugees fled to Europe. Some died at sea or were turned back as nations struggled to deal with the mass migration. Some considered the migrants security threats. 12In Yemen, a Saudi-led coalition has been fighting Houthi rebels supported by Iran since 2015. The conflict has left 13 million people at risk of starvation. But stories of children starving have not brought continued international attention to that conflict. 13Bruce Riedel formerly worked for the U.S. Central Intelligence Agency and U.S. National Security Council. He is now a member at The Brookings Institution in Washington, D.C. He said that it was "understandable" that many in the Middle East see a double standard by the West. 14Riedel said: "The United States and the United Kingdom have supported Saudi Arabia's seven-years-old war in Yemen, which created the world's worst humanitarian catastrophe in decades." 15People around the world have sent Ukrainians supportive messages on social media. The have praised those who take up arms against an occupying army. But critics say that when Palestinians and Iraqis do what appears to be the same thing, they are called terrorists. 16Aaron David Miller is with the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace. He said Middle East conflicts are complex. Ukraine's conflict is much clearer. There is a sense of wrongdoing. Russia is widely considered to have launched an aggressive war against its neighbor. 17A similar situation happened in the Middle East when Iraq invaded Kuwait in 1990. The U.S. answered by bringing together a military coalition including Arab states that drove out the Iraqi forces. 18Elliott Abrams is with the Council on Foreign Relations. He was an advisor to former President George W. Bush when a U.S.-led coalition invaded Iraq a second time in 2003. He said there is a difference between Ukrainians battling Russian invaders and rebels in Iraq who fought Americans. 19"Iraqis who fought U.S. troops on behalf of Iran or ISIS were not freedom fighters," he said, talking about the Islamic State group. "Making these moral distinctions is not an act of hypocrisy." 20But many in the Middle East saw hard treatment of Arab and Muslim migrants as unfair. They considered it proof that Western nations do not support human rights and values when it comes to their culture. 21Many feel their suffering is taken less seriously because of the idea that the Middle East has always had violence. They believe that Western nations ignore their part in starting and continuing the Middle East's many long-term conflicts. 22Ines Abdel Razek is a director for the Palestine Institute for Public Diplomacy. She said, "There's this expectation, drawn from colonialism, that it's more normal for us to be killed, to grieve our families, than it is for the West." 23I'm Gregory Stachel. 24Joseph Krauss reported this story for the Associated Press. Gregory Stachel adapted it for VOA Learning English. 25__________________________________________________________________ 26Words in This Story 27amaze - v. to surprise and sometimes confuse (someone) very much 28hypocrisy - n. the behavior of people who do things that they tell other people not to do; behavior that does not agree with what someone claims to believe or feel 29humanitarian - adj. connected with helping people who are suffering and improving the conditions that they are living in 30catastrophe - n. a terrible disaster 31decades - n. a period of 10 years 32distinction - n. a noticeable difference between things or people 33grieve - v. to feel or show grief or sadness 34We want to hear from you. 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