Khaled Almaeena
In 48 hours Americans go to the polls and the new entrant to the White House will be packing his or her personal belongings for a four-year stay. Also in the next 48 hours, many Arabs will be sitting around their TV screens or following on social media the course of events in America.
This is the most divisive election in American history and the focus is all on domestic issues. However, this race that has tightened sharply and become wide open is also of crucial importance to Arabs.
You have Hillary Clinton who has totally bowed down before the Israelis and has pandered to them in very undignified ways. She has made comments, such as her intention of inviting Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu to be the first foreign leader to visit her in the Oval Office.
She has gone out of her way to confirm her support for a government that occupies and suppresses, murders young children and practices the worst form of apartheid. The latest revelations from WikiLeaks expose her e-mails that show that she believes the destruction of Syria is beneficial to Israel.
She is also a woman who has had no qualms about crucifying those women who accused her husband of rape.
How will the Arabs deal with a woman who will go to any extent to gain power?
Arabs who think she will be good for them should be warned that they are in for a big surprise.
As for Trump, he too will not be of any benefit for the Arab position. Naive and inexperienced, he will do what he thinks is best for himself. After all, why should he be sympathetic to the Arabs when they themselves are slitting each other’s throats. The political chaos in the Middle East will make him hesitant to step in. Therefore, the Arab world should not expect much from either candidate.
However, the most dangerous is the woman with many faces: Hillary Clinton.
But since most Arabs lack political education and do not do their own research to understand American politics or do their own homework to be able to choose correctly who to ally themselves with, they end up being disappointed and let down. Will the Arabs ever learn?
— Reprinted with permission of the Saudi Gazette and Khaled Almaeena. The writer is Editor-at-Large. He can be reached at kalmaeena@saudigazette.com.sa and followed on Twitter: @KhaledAlmaeena