The Orientalism Mindset - How Does it Frame Our Foreign Policy?

 For centuries, Western nations have viewed the East though an ideology called Orientalism, a lens that portrays the East as mysterious and ultimately different. This lens continues to influence modern foreign policy, impacting how the United States engage with countries in the Middle East, Asia, and North Africa.

Orientalism: A Brief Overview

Orientalism, a theory of power conceptualized by Edward Said, examines how the West has historically constructed and maintained power over the East (the “Orient”). The argument is that the West has enforced a perspective where they are progressive, superior, and civilized, whereas the East is inferior, irrational, and uncivilized. This view imposes a framework that justifies colonial and imperial dominance, framing the East as needing salvation from the perfect West, shaping how the two sides interact with each other.

Today, in foreign relations, while colonialism has ended, Orientalism has translated into how perceptions directly translate into policy actions. The West’s approaches to the East is seen as interventions, economic sanctions, and diplomatic relations. By painting the East as incapable of governing absent Western power, these policies reinforce the dichotomy between the Global North and South.  

Framing the East: the “Other”

The process of “othering” describes one of the most evident ways that Orientalism shapes foreign policy. The East is framed as violent and dangerous, forcing Western intervention to bring stability or democracy. This framing is not only misrepresentative, but also allows abusive and aggression foreign policy’s, such as military interventions or regime changes.

The invasion of Iraq in 2003 is a prime example. The United States justified their intervention that killed hundreds of thousands of civilians by claiming that Iraq needed to be “liberated” by Western forces. The Orientalist narrative decided that Iraq was incapable of governance under Saddam Hussein’s regime and created allegations of Iraq building weapons of mass destruction. This built public support for the war, despite Western intervention only exacerbating the ongoing chaos.

However, Orientalism is not always as obvious. It’s subtly represented in our everyday lives. The media often portrays Eastern labor in countries such as India, China, and Vietnam as exploitative and main hotspots for sweatshops and child labor. These narrative paints these nations as inherently corrupt and abusive in their labor practices, while ignoring the root cause and perpetuators. The U.S. frequently prides itself for having more humane conditions, yet it is a major buyer in outsourcing production to these very countries. By relying on cheap labor abroad to produce goods like shoes and clothes, the U.S only exacerbates these conditions that they criticize.

Counterterrorism: Stereotypes reinforced by Surveillance

Counterterrorism policies are also heavily influenced by Orientalist stereotypes, particularly in the Middle East. Since 9/11, the portrayal of the region as filled with terrorists and violent has shaped U.S. foreign policy. The "War on Terror" saw the entire region of the Middle East as a breeding ground for extremism, which justified the West’s military interventions, drone strikes, and heavy surveillance.

The main problem starts with Orientalism overlooking the root causes of terrorism such as political instability or systematic poverty, and instead reinforces stereotypes about the inherent violence of the Global North.

The Long-Term Consequences of Orientalism in Foreign Policy

The Orientalist mindset in foreign policy has caused people to have long-lasting resentment and disgust when thinking about the East, leading to the alienation of Eastern people both internationally and within Western societies. These distorted representations have caused structural violence through an exacerbation of xenophobia, racism, and microaggressions, as seen in the rise of Islamophobia in many Western countries post-9/11.