Considering its economic and strategic significance for our national interests£¬ the Arabian Peninsula iS not well known to the general public£®Media report¡ª irig and comment are at best sporadic£®and usually intensify only at moments of international tension when American interests appear to be in jeopardy£®The public tends to regard the Arabs and Islam£¬their predominant religion£¬as backward£¬morally deficient£¬and as t11reatening£¬both economically and politically£¬to the industrialized democracies£®This perception naturally colors the popnlar interpretation of news and other discussions of the region£® The question is not one of deliberately distorted reporting£»our journalists sent to the area are mostly competent and consciemious£®However£¬since access to these countries is ditiicult£¬broad and sustained coverage is imprac¡ª tical£®Editonal conceptions of what constitutes a good news story add a further element of selectivity£®Understanding the societies of the Arabian Peninsula requires an intimate acquaintance that relatively few outsiders have the oppor¡ª tunity or the inclination to acquire£® Since the days of our founding fathers£¬Americans have assumed that the principles on which our nation¡¯S political institutions are based are universally and eternally applicable£®We have become convinced that if our manner of conducting public affairs were faithfully copied everywhere£¬the common aspiration of all humanity toward peace£¬material progress£¬justice£¬and civil liberty wonld be realized throughout the WOrld£®We tend to iudge another society according to its government¡¯S resemblance to our own£®We overlook the fact that our nation s principles evolved within a tradition of thought
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