It amazes me that while America has the biggest say in global politics, the American people have very little concern for its foreign policies that are affecting millions of people across the world and indirectly, ourselves.

The recent aggression on Palestinian territory by the Israeli army has sparked numerous protests worldwide both against Israel and the United States. Even America’s closest European allies have strongly condemned the aggression which is causing bloodshed on an almost daily basis. But the U.S. administration has given a tacit approval for the incursion while its people show their usual “its-not-our-problem” attitude.

Part of the reason for this attitude is historical and geographical. Historically, while European nations were actively following a policy of colonization in Asia and Africa, America never had colonies elsewhere because it was self-sufficient in natural resources. So Americans have never had the necessity to know about other nations. And geographically, North America is isolated from both Asia and Europe. But economically, technologically and militarily, America has the greatest influence on other nations.

U.S. foreign policies, especially in the Middle East, have caused extreme resentment against America. They have angered the common man on the streets of Iraq, Yemen and Saudi Arabia, creating many a seething terrorist. A recent poll conducted by CNN in the Arab countries shows that 60 percent of the Arab world feels America is arrogant, bossy and is an enemy of Islam.

But it is ironic that Islam is in fact the fastest growing religion in the United States. Contrary to the belief in the Arab world, American people are far from arrogant – they are actually most willing to openly accept other cultures and religions, and this has transformed America into the most diverse, multi-ethnic and multi-cultural society in the world. But why is there so much resentment against America in many parts of the world? The reason for this is that America’s foreign policies are very narrow and egoistic. It does not seem to adequately reflect it’s people’s openness and concern for other cultures.

I strongly feel that the American public must actively engage itself in framing American foreign policies. We need to make U.S. foreign policy just as important as issues relating to abortion and tax reforms. Our nation’s foreign policy now seems to be in the hands of a few government officials. If the American administration shows the same openness as it’s people, the world could be a more peaceful place to live in.

Prasanna Padmanabhan

Graduate student

Computer science