History 102SY The United States and the Middle East 1900 to the Present

Media Portrayals of the Middle East, 1970s-1990s

The Rise and Fall of the Oslo Peace Process

February 1991—Coalition launched ground war against Iraqi forces

Iraqi forces quickly capitulated

March 1991—Two separate Iraqi rebellions, by Shia in south and Kurds in north, broke out

Saddam crushed both rebellions, creating huge refugee crisis

US military declared “no-fly” zones in northern and southern Iraq, creating safe havens for Kurds and Shia, respectively

Saddam Hussein remained in power in Baghdad

Media Portrayals of the Middle East, 1970s-1990s

Orientalist themes in American popular culture 1921

For decades prior to the 1970s, there had been a romantic tradition in Orientalist depictions of the ME 1926

For decades prior to the 1970s, there had been a romantic tradition in Orientalist depictions of the ME 1921

For decades prior to the 1970s, there had been a romantic tradition in Orientalist depictions of the ME 1921

Mid-1970s—romantic tradition gave way to more hostile portrayals of Arabs and Muslims, stressing violence, terrorism, obscene oil wealth, etc 1975

Mid-1970s—romantic tradition gave way to more hostile portrayals of Arabs and Muslims, stressing violence, terrorism, obscene oil wealth, etc 1976

Mid-1970s—romantic tradition gave way to more hostile portrayals of Arabs and Muslims, stressing violence, terrorism, obscene oil wealth, etc 1977

1986

s—Situ became more complex: negative portrayals continued, but Arab Americans sometimes succeeded in pressuring media outlets to soften portrayals

1994

Mid-1990s—Some speculation about ME terrorism turned out to be false, encouraging more caution Oklahoma City bombing, 1995 Timothy McVeigh

Mid-1990s—Some speculation about ME terrorism turned out to be false, encouraging more caution Crash of TWA 800, 1996

Late 1990s—Some mainstream movies presented more complex and human ME characters and situations 1998

Late 1990s—Some mainstream movies presented more complex and human ME characters and situations 1999

Late 1990s—Some mainstream movies presented more complex and human ME characters and situations 1999Jack Shaheen

The Rise and Fall of the Oslo Peace Process

Israeli occupation of West Bank and Gaza Strip

Late 1980s-early 1990s— Palestinians in West Bank and Gaza Strip mounted Intifada (uprising) against Israeli occupation

During prelude to first Gulf War, Saddam Hussein offered to withdraw from Kuwait if Israel withdrew from Arab territories taken in 1967; offer generated enthusiasm in Arab world

President George H.W. Bush refused any quid pro quo but made vague commitment to address Arab-Israeli dispute after Iraq was ousted from Kuwait

Arafat’s and the PLO’s vulnerabilities by the early 1990s: Dwindling support from the Arab world Loss of Soviet patronage

Growing pressure on Israel to change status quo in occupied territories Israeli women protesting the Occupation, Tel Aviv, 1988

October 1991—Bush and Mikhail Gorbachev hosted Middle East peace conference in Madrid; talks soon bogged down

—Bush refused request of Israeli prime minister Yitzhak Shamir (Likud) for $10 billion loan guarantee, on grounds that some of the money would be used to build Jewish settlements in West Bank and Gaza

Summer 1992—Yitzhak Rabin (Labor) became Israel’s prime minister and pledged to stop building new settlements, but number of settlers continued to rise

Bill Clinton vs. George H. W. Bush, 1992

Clinton and Israel With Yitzhak Rabin

Summer 1993—Israeli and PLO officials met secretly in Oslo, Norway, and worked out general formula for resolving dispute: Israel would withdraw from small part of occupied territories, which Palestinians would govern; later negotiation would resolve “final status” of territories

September 1993—Yitzhak Rabin and Yasser Arafat sealed agreement with handshake on White House lawn

Palestinian critiques of Oslo Secular nationalist (Edward Said) Islamist (Hamas)

November 1995— Rabin assassinated by right-wing Israeli fanatic

By 2000 Israel had withdrawn from about 40% of occupied territories and evacuated most Palestinian population areas

But Israel continued to populate territories with Jewish settlers against will of Palestinians

July 2000-January 2001—In series of negotiations moderated by Clinton, Palestinians and Israelis narrowed their differences but ultimately failed to reach agreement Arafat and Israeli PM Ehud Barak

Israeli proposal Palestinian proposal Solid blue: areas to be annexed by Israel

September 2000—Ariel Sharon made provocative visit to Temple Mount in East Jerusalem, sparking Palestinian protests, which Israeli forces violently put down

Second Palestinian Intifada erupted in occupied territories; Israelis and Palestinians turned increasingly toward violence

February 2001— Ariel Sharon elected PM of Israel