Basics

Answers to your questions…big and small.

What is the Euphrates Institute?

We are a non-profit, 501(c)(3) charitable organization dedicated to improving relations between the Middle East and West by 1) expanding individual awareness 2) inspiring action, and 3) promoting peace. We believe this is the approach that will bring lasting security and freedom to both regions.

In a climate dominated by war and the “clash of civilizations”, we’re inspiring a movement of Warriors for Peace–individuals who are taking action to learn more, bridge divides, and press leaders for humane and intelligent Middle East policies.

What do you mean by your motto, “Finding freedom and security as we discover what unites us”?

Both freedom and security are inherent human needs, and are those most threatened by the animosity between the Middle East and West. We feel less secure with the threat of terrorism and our dependence on oil; likewise, the Middle East’s security is often threatened by Western interventions. Both sides also yearn for freedom; we feel less free because of fear, while many Middle Easterners live under oppressive regimes, (that in some cases the West supports). Our vision is that as the moderates of both regions discover what we may have in common, we are united together to push out extremists on both sides. By lumping the battle into an us vs. them approach, however, we push moderates into the hands of extremists.

We have some ideas about what unites the two regions, but have only begun to scratch the surface. Let’s discover and share these ideas together, each doing our part to bridge the divides. Author Benjamin Barber in his bestseller,  Jihad vs. McWorld issues a clarion call to construct better models than the ones now being dictated by extremists that result in destructive clashes. “We can have our interactivity dictated to us by violence and anarchy, or we can construct it on the model of our own democratic aspirations. We can have a democratic and useful interdependence on whatever common ground we can persuade others to stand on, or we can stand on the brink of anarchy and try to prevent criminals and terrorists from pushing us into the abyss.”

Why is it important to improve the relationship between the Middle East and West?

9/11 was a stark wake-up call. We realized that we are no longer isolated but are affected by individuals, governments, policies, and cherished beliefs in the Middle East. In reality, we always were. Our historical and religious ties to the birthplace of major world religions, our dependence on the region’s natural resources, such as oil, and our vulnerability to terrorism, form the ties that bind.

We would be better off if these ties were positive and harmonious, rather than negative and conflict-ridden. We believe we can improve and strengthen the connections we have to other countries by getting back to basics: understanding each other better and by having more frequent and positive interactions with each other-at the level of individuals, not just governments.

Are you saying we do not understand each other?

Studies indicate that while both groups have negative images of the other, they understand little about each other. In a recent poll, thirty-three percent of Americans say that there is nothing they admire about Muslim societies, and twenty-five percent say that they do not know enough to have an opinion.

Aren’t you wasting your time on citizens/individuals? It’s the politicians that hold the power.

Long-term peace and security are built on mutual understanding and appreciation and do not arrive at the snap of politicians’ fingers. They come one step at a time, one individual at a time. In many circumstances, politicians have agreed to settlements, but they have fallen through because they did not have the full backing of the people. Likewise, look at the broad-based environmental awareness there is today. For decades, politicians on Capitol Hill heard hearings about the threats of global warming, but did not act. It took the increasing awareness, concerns, and willingness to take action on the part of the masses that inspired changes in our policies and governmental behaviors.

Imagine the difference even one person can make on his own. Take Greg Mortenson, for example, whose story is recounted in the New York Times bestseller Three Cups of Tea, who built schools for Pakistani children in Islamist and Taliban territory, a no-go area for most aid groups, including our own USAID. The Philadelphia Inquirer writes of Mortenson , “Sometimes the acts of one individual can illuminate how to confront a foreign-policy dilemma more clearly than the prattle of politicians.” The article quotes Mortenson as explaining, “We spend billions” on military efforts, but “one dollar per kid per month would set up schools,” a goal essential to preventing a new generation of terrorists. Mortenson’s goal is “to promote peace one school at a time.” Part of our goal at EI is to promote peace, one individual at a time!

Why should we care about people in the Middle East anyway? “They hate us” and our values.

Polls of Middle Eastern citizens persistently show that for a large majority, the negative image of the United States is not “because they hate us” or despise our values. Majorities admire our political freedoms, democracy, work ethic, and economic progress, and desire similar opportunities for themselves. The reason behind the increasingly and distressingly negative image of the US in the Middle East is not a dislike of our values, but of our actions-policies in the region. Muslims and Arabs believe we fuel conflict in the region through our intervention in Iraq and our perceived support for Israeli occupation of Palestinian Territories. Majorities also believed America supports authoritarian governments in the region and disrespects Islam.

How does something happening far away, such as the Middle East, affect me?

In today’s interdependent world, our own lives are affected by actions of others. Whether it is terrorism, energy resources, the Iraq war, or the Israeli-Palestinian conflict-what happens in one region directly affects the other. Since our image abroad and the Middle East, in particular, is at nearly all-time lows , we have a significant interest in positive relations with the region.

How do I affect the Middle East?

If you’re an American, you are directly (even if unwittingly) affecting the Middle East through the influence our government exerts in the region. Our interventions in Iraq, intimacy with Israel and close ties with Egypt, Jordan, and Saudi Arabia, (none of which are democratic), provoke suspicion and envy. Meanwhile, we commit substantial resources to undermining perceived hostile entities, such as Iran, Syria, and Lebanese and Palestinian groups.

On a personal level, every time you drive a car, you consume oil, nearly a fourth of which comes from the Middle East. Also, our American cultural icons, ubiquitous fast food restaurants, or consumer products, are widespread abroad and shape perceptions of Americans and the United States.

Where can I learn more about news and issues in the Middle East?

Visit our extensive resource page for a variety of news sources, studies, campaigns, articles, blogs, and organizations working on Middle East issues!

Can the Israeli-Palestinian conflict ever be solved? They’ve been fighting for millennia.

We hear you, the Israeli-Palestinian conflict seems hopeless, especially after the recent military operations in Gaza, which killed over 1300 Palestinians and 13 Israelis, but have not halted Hamas rocket fire or ended the blockade of Gaza. Even before this lowpoint, recent negotiations had made little progress , with continuing expansion of Israeli settlements in the West Bank, Hamas still in control of Gaza, and weakened leadership on both sides.

Maybe it’s time to stop putting our hopes for peace on politicians, who themselves are beholden to a wide range of constituents, including extremist factions. The Economist describes a major problem of the Israeli political system, “Parties that are brought in to make up the coalition numbers wield disproportionate clout, so extremists set the agenda,” while Palestinian Fatah also has to contend with extremist Hamas.

Looking instead at efforts at the grassroots level offers some hope. The famous Israeli author Amos Oz, wrote in

  • How to Cure a Fanatic

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    , that for the first time in 100 years, he believed the Israeli and Palestinian people were ahead of their leaders. Rabbi Michael Lerner , founder of Tikkun magazine , wrote in Healing Israel/Palestine , “It is my firm belief that lasting peace and reconciliation are not only possible but likely to be achieved in the next twenty years, and possibly sooner. The hunger for a world of caring and kindness is a more powerful force than the desire to hold onto anger and nurse old pains.”

    Consider these inspiring examples:

    • Bereaved Families Forum , the stars of the award-winning documentary, Encounter Point, comprising about 500 Israeli and Palestinian families, who have lost loved ones from violence perpetrated by the other side. These families, who have been most affected by the conflict, direct their overwhelming personal losses into positive channels, determined to meet and forge bonds with the other side in an effort to stop further violence from taking more lives.
    • OneVoice Movement, “an international mainstream grassroots movement with over 640,000 signatories in roughly equal numbers both in Israel and in Palestine, and 1,800 highly-trained youth leaders. It aims to amplify the voice of the overwhelming but heretofore silent majority of moderates who wish for peace and prosperity, empowering them to demand accountability from elected representatives and work toward a two-state solution guaranteeing an end to occupation and violence, and a viable, independent Palestinian state at peace with Israel.”
    • Seeds of Peace , a camp program begun in 1993 for Israeli, Palestinian, and Egyptian teenagers, now has nearly 4,000 young leaders working for peace. The organization has offices in New York, Amman, Cairo, Gaza, Jerusalem, Kabul, Lahore, Mumbai, Otisfield, Ramallah, Tel Aviv and Washington, D.C
    • Peaceplayers International , founded in 2001, uses sport to unite and educate young people in divided communities, on the basis that “children who play together can learn to live together.” In addition to other global hotspots, PeacePlayers International operates a basketball program in the Middle East that brings together hundreds of children to form positive relationships, develop leadership skills, and improve their futures. The organization’s programs are led by a global network of youth leaders, including our own Euphrates Institute Bridge-builder, Brian Sigafoos .

    What about Iraq? It just seems like a partisan issue and I’m tired of hearing divergent accounts of what’s going on there and how best to deal with it.

    Indeed, the Iraq war “may be the most partisan major foreign policy issue that we’ve ever had,” according to foreign policy scholar Michael Mandelbaum of John Hopkins University. The lens of partisanship, through which every aspect of the Iraq war is viewed, distracts individuals from the realities on the ground. It has been the major foreign policy predicament for all of America since 2002 and requires concerted attention, honest assessments, and solutions from all parties and backgrounds. Very often groups on either side of the political spectrum will either pretend that Iraq is paradise, or else an absolute hellhole. What gets lost in this focus on American infighting is the most important element to winning the war,–the Iraqis themselves. We are so worried about winning a domestic political argument that we don’t honestly account for the triumphs and challenges faced on the ground, which is the only place the war will be won. The Iraqi intellectual and architect of the war, Kanan Makiya , wrote recently of the predicament. “All of a sudden this raw, profoundly abused population, traumatized by decades of war, repression, uprisings, and brutal campaigns of social extermination, was handed the opportunity to build a nation from scratch.” Our biggest failure in Iraq was our inability to see events and reality from the Iraqi perspective. George Packer , journalist for the New Yorker and author of the best-seller Assassins’ Gate: America in Iraq , puts it this way. “The most important struggles were the ones going on inside the minds of Iraqis and Americans alike. The war’s meaning would be the sum of all the ways that all of them understood one another and the event that had thrust them together. In the end it would come down to these encounters, millions of them…”

    The situation in Iraq has greatly improved since the highest point of the violence in the summer of 2007, through a combination of greater number of troops, a shift in focus of those trips to counterinsurgency tactics, as well as a cease-fire by the radical, anti-American cleric Muqtada al-Sadr , plus our sponsorship of Sunni “Awakening” militias to fight al-Qaida in their areas. However, these measures will provide only temporary, physical relief and security, but will not guarantee any lasting benefits unless there are commensurate steps taken by the Iraqis on the political front. The recent provincial elections point to progress even on this front, as previously disenfranchised Sunnis made gains and more secularists garnered votes at the expense of Islamists.

    Why does Islam preach hate, violence, and jihad?

    A third of Americans believe mainstream Islam encourages violence against non-Muslims, according to a Washington Post/ABC News poll conducted in March 2006 . If so, then one would expect the more religious Muslim societies to support terrorist actions in greater numbers. Yet, recent Gallup polling data disputes this, revealing that Muslims who sympathize with terrorist acts are a relatively small minority; moreover, the aspect about the Muslim world that Muslims themselves say they admire least is “narrow-minded violent extremism.”.

    We have the largest military in the world. Why don’t we opt for the “kinetic” option?

    Most Americans feel that the United States puts too much emphasis on military force and unilateral action, and say they want Congress to work to shift the emphasis of U.S. foreign policy in favor of diplomacy, multilateral cooperation, and homeland security, according to recent polls. Moreover, a large and growing majority of Americans is dissatisfied with the position of the United States in the world and believes that U.S. policies are increasing the threat of terrorist attack and decreasing goodwill toward the United States. The American public’s concerns with the Global War on Terror include too much focus on Iraq and not enough on al-Qa’ida’s leadership; failures of US intelligence to detect and disrupt terrorist cells/operations, and the undermining of the image and stature of the U.S. in the Muslim world and beyond by violating legal protections for suspected extremist Muslims.

    The US military itself has been revamping and reworking its MO in Iraq over the past few years, because it learned that it cannot win through use of force alone. In today’s counterinsurgent/counterterrorist wars, it’s more often about tightly targeted operations that minimize civilian casualties, winning hearts and minds, reconstruction, policing, and educating than dropping bombs.

    Why all the animosity towards us and our policies all of a sudden? 9/11 really took me by surprise…

    The history of US involvement in the Middle East may be forgotten or ignored by many Americans, but to most Arabs, it is palpable and present. “The conflict with Muslim extremists and widespread Muslim frustration with the U.S. did not begin on 9/11,” reads the recent Search for Common Ground study entitled Changing Course: A New Direction for US Relations with the Muslim World. The study posits that since World War II, the US has played a prominent and controversial role in the region by putting our own interests first, like containing Soviet influence, maintaining the stability of Middle East oil production, and supporting Israel.

    Shouldn’t the government be working on these issues? Why should I be involved?

    The government is working on these issues, but it needs all the help it can get. For example, retired Army colonel and Colin Powell’s former chief of staff Lawrence Wilkerson noted that the entire national-security bureaucracy is outdated, is incapable of dealing with new wars, and requires massive overhaul. But today’s threats won’t wait for that to happen. We need each individual to do his/her part now. Benjamin Barber, author of Jihad vs. McWorld agrees. He describes the necessity for both an efficacious military front as well as a widespread “second front” of citizens to eliminate terrorism and assuage fear.

    “Eliminating terrorists will depend on professional military, intelligence, and diplomatic resources whose deployment will leave the greater number of citizens in America and throughout the world sitting on the sidelines, anxious spectators to a battle in which they cannot participate, a battle in which the nausea that accompanies fear will dull the appetite for revenge. The second front, however, engages every citizen with a stake in democracy and social justice, both within nation-states and in the relations between them. It transforms anxious and passive spectators into resolute and engaged participants-the perfect antidote to fear.”

    Aren’t you talking about citizen diplomacy?

    In a way, but it’s bigger than that. It’s also about citizen awareness and activism. Take Warrior for Peace Harold Dramstad from Montana, for example, who summed it up best in an email to us:

    “Maybe, the efforts of one person can make a difference. If so, then I would like to do my part as an American to promote an intelligent, informed, and humane foreign policy throughout the world, but especially with our so-called “enemies.” That may include learning Arabic. Winter nights are long in Montana, I have sworn off television, so in the words of Abraham Lincoln, “I will study and get ready and someday my chance will come.”

    Like Harold, we get that this is not just about governments, policies, and politicians. The only way for both regions to improve their relationship is for citizens to get in the game. At Euphrates, we focus on the human dimension of the issues and work to promote communication and positive interactions between individuals from the two regions.

    I’m learning that our relations with the Middle East are incredibly important. How do we reach others about these issues?

    You can start with the easiest way-conversation. We have found that when we discuss these issues and our approach with others, they become wide-eyed. “How did we not know this before?” they ask. They in turn start itching to share what they’ve learned with others, which can create a snowball effect. The grassroots approach certainly worked for the “green” movement. Al Gore talked about the slew of briefings that took place on Capitol Hill to present policymakers with convincing data that spoke for itself, but ultimately fell on deaf ears. Sparked by grassroots’ efforts and films such as his An Inconvenient Truth, change started happening as average individuals became more aware and took small, individual steps to modify their behavior.

    Would I have anything in common with someone from the Middle East?

    We think so, but we’d love to hear what you discover. It’s what we’re all about: “Finding freedom and security as we discover what unites us.”

    For starters, we share our common humanity. Einstein admonished us to, “remember your humanity and forget the rest.” More than our basic humanity, polls indicate there are many common values that we share, such as respect for democracy and distrust of religious fanaticism. A recent World Public Opinion poll noted that even the most divided populations, Iranians and Americans, believe Islam and the West can find common ground.

    Okay, I’m convinced! How can I get involved?

    Click here and you can start to make a difference now! You can be a warrior for peace , join one of our on-line discussion groups , support our efforts , build bridges through alternative energy , or organize a local Middle East Engagement Forum.

    How can I contact Euphrates Institute?

    For media inquiries: media@euphratesinstitute.org
    For general inquiries: info@uphratesinstitute.org

    Mailing address:

    19117 Hollow Lane
    Redding, CA 96003

    EI-recommended resources for learning more…and getting inspired!

    The Resources

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