I henceforth define "Orientalism" as...

A typical orientalist image.

My definition: Any description or observation made by a non Arab/Persian/Turk/Berber (you get my point) that has negative connotation or the potential thereof about Arabs/Persians/Turks/Berbers/etc and/or Muslims. Or any description of observation by the former about the later that implies any sort of responsibility on the part of sovereign nations in the Middle East and greater area for some of the problems that exist both domestically in those countries and in the international arena.

Some people might view that as an extreme definition but this definition is what I believe the term "orientalism" has begun to truly encapsulate. Now, of course, I do not discredit Edward Said for his observations made nearly 40 years ago. It is true that his version of Orientalism did and still does exist to an extent. However, it seems that in the academic community of the Middle East (at least here in Egypt) uses this term anytime anyone says anything disagreeable about the current state of affairs. Usually this "anyone" is a foreigner from the West. There are, however, a good number of students from the Far East who study Middle East politics and I plan to seek out their opinion on this current trend of discrediting anything disagreeable as "orientalist."

I concede that truly orientalist stereotypes and imagery still persist in the United States, such as Disney's Aladdin. As Douglas Little points out in American Orientalism, the love story is about "two rather Westernized Arabs, Aladdin and Princess Jasmine, whose English was flawless..." surrounded by "other inhabitants of their imaginary oriental sheikdom" depicted "as frightful thugs sporting turbans, daggers, and thick accents." Additionally, you cannot discount the lyrics of the opening song:

Oh I come from a land

From a far away place

Where the caravan camels roam

Where they cut off your ear

If the don't like your face

It's barbaric, but hey, it's home

Yes, this is most arguably a racist stereotype otherwise known in this context as "orientalist." I would, however, point out that this example comes from a Disney movie that is by no means supposed to be taken all too seriously. You can argue that we are subliminally implanting racist messages in our children but then again, perhaps Disney is also guilty of propagating gender stereotypes:

"Cinderella is a beautiful woman who cleans her house and does all of the chores that her evil stepmother (another gender bias) tells her to do. She is dependent on finding a man to come and sweep her off of her feet and save her from this terrible life. Prince Charming is of course the man to do it. He is handsome and everything that a girl could want in a guy. He is nothing short of perfect.

The perfect woman.

"Cinderella is forced to rely on a man to help her have a good life, even though she is smart, determined, and a wonderful girl, she cannot break out of her stereotypical lifestyle. The evil stepmother is a character that Disney likes to use often. The woman is typically the villain: Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, 101 Dalmatians, Cinderella, ect. Women are constantly portrayed as helpless creatures who lie around waiting for a man to save them from whatever predicament they got themselves into."

I will also concede that previous movies are also guilty of "orientalism" or reenacting the stereotype of the "white mans' burden." Lawrence of Arabia and even Indiana Jones fall into this category. I would also argue that the highly popular Avatar (extremely popular here in Egypt for its not so subtle analogy to the US invasion of Iraq) is yet another example of the noble savage stereotype. The tribes cannot save themselves without the help of the white man from the invaders. He is their savior and he is the only person who can ride their sacred bird. 

But, I do not agree that observations made in the realm of foreign policy always revolve around "orientalist" stereotyping. Cultural observations, while not perfect (they cannot be perfect considering that they are always subjective), are not always racist. Political observations are the same. I do not agree that I am being an "orientalist" if I observe that Egypt has no true method of animal control and that there are a preponderance of stray animals, often rabid, running the streets of Cairo. I'll take this a step further. If I want to analyze previous Arab wars and why they were potentially lost, I will need to make observations that often include cultural analysis. While this has the potential to seem racist because I may not a write a glowing report about why wars and battles were lost, this does not mean I am in some way degrading an entire race of people. The piece "Why the Arabs Lose Wars" is a great example of this phenomenon and is surely to be called "orientalist" in most academic circles. 

Now I will proceed with my "orientalist" and opinionated observations. The Middle East, particularly in the academic circles that should be leading the way for social change, is in a culture of victimization. No one is arguing that the colonial past was appropriate or justified. The very boundaries of nations created by the haggling between Britain and France at the conclusion of WWI are an example of the enormous influence and oppression Western powers projected onto the Middle East. However, the Middle East cannot continue to languish in the past and the injustices done. It produces very little results just as it produces very little results to blame most current injustices on the United States and Israel. The argument as to whether the accusations are true or not is not the point. If the Middle East continues to view themselves first and foremost as victims of Western powers who are unable to control their own destiny then there will be little reason to make an effort to change the current status quo. Constantly seeing yourself as a victim takes power out of your hands to change what you do not like. If it is America's job to fix the Middle East and resolve the Israel-Palestinian conflict then this by default removes the agency and the power from the hands of the people here. If the Middle East has had no ability to stop the injustices committed against it or alter the current state of affairs, then this is in affect a type of racism. It denies Arabs/Persians/etc the ability and power to effectively address their current situation. It denies them the ability to seek change themselves. In this world, no one is going to fix your situation for you even if they should. In the end, you will have to take charge yourself. Constantly bemoaning the past will not produce anything for the future.