MideastAnalysis.com
  • Home
  • Gordon Robison
  • Articles
  • Consulting & Public Speaking
  • Links
  • Contact

Why America's health care debate matters for the Middle East

11/8/2009

 
Gordon's column from Wednesday's Gulf News:

One might think the health care debate is a purely domestic issue - holding no importance for the Middle East. Nothing could be further from the truth.

US Debate Resonates

By Gordon Robison, Special to Gulf News

Viewed from the Middle East, America's loud, increasingly angry debate over healthcare may look like a purely domestic matter - yet another Washington argument that seems terribly important to the people involved, but holds little interest for the wider world.

This, however, is not the case.

Healthcare is shaping up as perhaps the defining battle of Barack Obama's presidency. Its outcome, for better or worse, will affect the president's political strength in every other area of policy. That, in turn, means it ought to matter to observers in the Middle East.

If Obama loses this fight - either because Congress fails to deliver a health bill that he can sign, or because the bill that does get signed is widely seen as watered-down to the point of being meaningless - the consequences for the rest of the world will be significant.

Traditionally, August is the quiet season for American politics. Members of Congress return to their home districts and spend most of the month meeting with constituents. They take the local pulse regarding the issues of the day and offer assistance to those needing help dealing with the federal government's bureaucracy.

During these weeks back home members routinely hold 'town hall meetings' - open forums where any interested citizen can come hear a presentation from the congressman, ask questions and raise issues of concern.

That, however, is rather different from what has been happening over the last two weeks.

Congressmen returning home this month have found themselves hung in effigy, portrayed on posters as the devil and routinely shouted down by protesters opposed to the health bills making their way through congress. With anti-reform protesters becoming increasingly vocal, pro-reform activists have stepped up to confront them.

In a few cases the resulting arguments have degenerated into violence - an almost unheard-of development in American political culture. The recriminations on both sides have served only to deepen the partisan divide over this and many other issues.

Obama's supporters charge that the protesters are a mix of partisan activists and gullible 'real folks' taken in by lies circulated by insurance and drug companies, right-wing talk-radio and the Republican Party (including the ridiculous, yet widely believed, claim that the health bill would mandate euthanasia).

Republicans tend to look at the same crowds and see concerned citizens worried by the seemingly inexorable growth of government and fearful of European-style 'socialised medicine'.

And that, in a nutshell, is the problem.

For too many people - Republicans mainly, but some Democrats as well - the healthcare debate no longer has anything to do with policy or philosophy (let alone helping sick people). It is simply about winning.

Because healthcare has emerged as the signature issue of Obama's first year, the Republicans want to defeat him not because they are against health reform - though many are - but because they believe such a defeat will cripple his presidency.

If health reform dies the GOP strategy of opposing anything Obama suggests will be validated. Having succeeded on this issue, Republicans will redouble their efforts, again with little or no thought regarding the merits of the actual policies they will line up to oppose.

That would include efforts to reach out to the Muslim World, open a dialogue with Iran, thaw relations with Syria and get the Israelis and the Palestinians to deal seriously with each other.

So if you care about the myriad issues on Washington's Middle East agenda and hope a new administration can bring genuine change to this part of the world, pay close attention to America's seemingly arcane debate over health reform. Because if Obama fails in his effort to bring fundamental change to how America cares for its sick, he has little chance of winning the domestic backing he will need to shift debate in and about the Middle East.

Gordon Robison is a writer and commentator based in Burlington, Vermont. He has lived in and reported on the Middle East for two decades.





Comments are closed.

    Author

    Gordon Robison has more than 25 years of experience living in and writing about the Middle East.

    Please click on 'Gordon Robison' in the navigation bar for a full bio.


    To receive future posts by email send a note to:

    mideastanalysis@gmail.com

    Archives

    February 2013
    October 2012
    September 2012
    September 2011
    May 2011
    March 2011
    February 2011
    January 2011
    November 2010
    October 2010
    September 2010
    August 2010
    July 2010
    March 2010
    February 2010
    December 2009
    November 2009
    October 2009
    September 2009
    August 2009
    July 2009
    June 2009
    May 2009

    Categories

    All
    Abu Dhabi
    Afghanistan
    Alqaeda
    Arab Politics
    Bahrain
    Cairo
    Dubai
    Education
    Egypt
    Elections
    Gulf
    Gulf News
    Iran
    Iraq
    Islam
    Israel
    Libya
    Links
    Obama
    Pakistan
    Peace Process
    Qatar
    Saudi Arabia
    Terrorism
    Tunisia
    Uae
    Un
    Us Culture
    Us Media
    Us Mideast Relations
    Us Politics

    RSS Feed

Powered by Create your own unique website with customizable templates.