Believe it or Not

This color cartoon shows an Arab man giving a kick to the rear of Uncle Sam. To the right is the Arab man and to the left is Uncle Sam. The Arabs clothing state “Arab Gov’ts” and “Severance of Diplomatic Relations”. On Uncle Sam’s hat it says U.S. Gov’t. The Arab man is depicted giving a hard kick to Uncle Sam so hard he comes off the ground. The Arab man is shown with an angry expression while Uncle Sam is shown as a thin old man with a foolish expression. Uncle Sam’s response to the kick says “Ah! That Reminds me, I must give you some more foreign aid”. He is holding up his finger, showing he is making a response to the kick. The title of the cartoon is “Believe It or Not”. 

The Arab man in the cartoon represents the Arab governments involved in the Six Day War. Uncle Sam is representing the U.S. government and their involvement in the Six Day War. The Arab man is giving a kick representing the “Severance of Diplomatic Relations.” Arab nations during the Six Day War cut diplomatic relations with the U.S. to protest their support for Israel. This action is shown as a kick to the rear, signifying disrespect. Uncle Sam was depicted as an old fool because he states “Ah! That Reminds me, I must give you some more foreign aid!” The purpose of his response is how the U.S. would give foreign aid even when disrespected just to fight off Soviet influence. Both superpowers wanted to gain influence with nations during the Cold War. They would even give aid to countries that had insulted them. This shows how during the Cold War countries would manipulate the U.S. and Soviet Union into getting aid from both.  

The most important factor in the cartoon is the Cold War dynamic between countries in the Middle East. Israel had aligned with the U.S. as a capitalistic and western like democracy, while many Arab countries got aid from the Soviets. Arab countries would manipulate the U.S. into giving them aid by showing they could be pulled away from the Soviets. The Arab countries would use the threat of severance of diplomatic relations to get aid. The meaning of the cartoon is the U.S. can be used and threatened but would still be willing to give aid.