The Middle East is arguably suffering the worst turmoil in recent history—occupied Palestine, Syria, Iraq, Libya, Yemen and other parts. Yet, the voices of Arab leaders are muted while the Arab League, as always, is in a state of paralysis. Granted the Arab World, beset with divisions, is far from being monolithic. But surely, it is time for Arabs to set aside their differences and look at the big picture. If this seeming inertia continues, without wanting to be overly dramatic, country after country is likely to be carved up along sectarian, religious or political lines.
For generations, certain Arab states have been under the sway of the US in a kind of ‘I’ll-scratch-your-back-if-you-scratch-mine’ fashion. Uncle Sam says ‘behave and in return you will receive my protection or avoid my displeasure.’ Those states that have rebelled against American diktats have been suitably punished (Iraq and Egypt), disregarded (the West Bank and Gaza), isolated (Syria) or ultimately forced to fall in line (Muammar Gaddafi’s Libya). In no case have the lives of citizens shown any improvement. On the contrary, more than a million have been laid to rest as a direct or indirect result of US policies.
From the Arab perspective, the worst US president was undoubtedly George W. Bush who was responsible for turning an imperfect but relatively stable Iraq into a living hell that has brought about a de facto three-way split—the Kurds in the north, an Islamist ‘caliphate’ in the centre and a Shiite entity in the south under the sponsorship of Iran. However, US President Barack Obama has to be a close second to Bush. While the junior Bush was proactively aggressive under the pretext of a “war on terror,” that served to spawn terrorist organisations where there were none, Obama’s presidency is marked with feckless policy-making, indecision and betrayal, missteps that threaten mighty America’s global relevance. Obama conned the Syrian opposition with his “red lines” into believing he was poised to bring down the Bashar Al Assad regime—a pledge on which he backed down, focusing instead on relieving Syria of its chemical weapons capabilities.
Obama conned the Palestinians too with a promise of a Palestinian state, when all he did was instruct his envoys to engage in rounds of shuttle diplomacy with no positive outcome. He did moan about colony expansion, but that was as far as those efforts went. And today, as the world witnesses Israel’s slaughter of a people caged, Obama can only say he backs Israel’s right to defend itself. And what does the leader of the so-called free world say about the most bloodthirsty, primitive terrorist gang in history grabbing Iraqi and Syrian territory while ordering Christians to convert, pay jezia (tax based on religious belief) or die. Not much! Surely, he made a token gesture by sending a handful of military advisers to Baghdad, but is doing nothing to prevent the killing of Iraqi Sunnis and Christians rightly rebelling against their barbaric new rulers, risking beheading or nailing to a cross. The Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) almost makes America’s foe in Afghanistan, the Taliban, seem benign do-gooders in comparison.
Obama’s stance against the Egyptian people—who rose up against a cultish Muslim Brotherhood president who invited his Al Qaida “brothers” to set up camp in the Sinai Peninsula—was just as despicable. Even now, when Cairo battles terrorist groups, the US suspends delivery of much-needed F16 fighter planes, Apache helicopters and tanks to the Egyptian military. On the other hand, Obama goes out of his way to cozy-up to Tehran that holds Lebanon hostage via its surrogate Hezbollah and is fuelling violent dissent in Bahrain and northern Yemen.
You get the point! If the US was ever a friend to the Arab world—in particular, the Sunni Arab world—it certainly is not now. In some of the cases mentioned above, this is deliberate. In others, due to unintended consequences or bad judgments. What does it say about US influence when US Secretary of State John Kerry spends days in the region, speaking to Palestinian National Authority President Mahmoud Abbas, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Hamas leader Khalid Mesha’al, via the agencies of his buddies in Doha and Ankara, on the urgency of a ceasefire and comes away with just a 12-hour humanitarian pause?
Arab states must come together to take charge of their collective destiny. This is an era when countries join together to form political, economic and military blocs—a sensible trend that appears to have escaped Arab leaders. Where is the Arab equivalent to the European Union or the BRICS (Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa) or NATO? The closest is the Gulf Cooperation Council, which in recent times has faltered on issues such as a proposed single currency or the formation of a federation. And, no, I didn’t forget the Arab League, which, quite frankly, is hardly worth a mention. Arabs’ first priority should be the formation of a joint force to act as a deterrent, a peacekeeping entity, and, if necessary, to intervene to prevent crimes against humanity.
What will it take for Arabs to wake up to the dangers! The region, that hosts numerous US military bases, is imploding and exploding as never before as the neoconservatives in Washington, the right-wingers in Tel-Aviv and deranged Takfiri lunatics are enjoying the show.
Linda S. Heard is a British specialist writer on Middle East affairs. She welcomes feedback and can be contacted by email at heardonthegrapevines@yahoo.co.uk.
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Let Arabs not count on Western powers
Posted on July 31, 2014 by Linda S. Heard
The Middle East is arguably suffering the worst turmoil in recent history—occupied Palestine, Syria, Iraq, Libya, Yemen and other parts. Yet, the voices of Arab leaders are muted while the Arab League, as always, is in a state of paralysis. Granted the Arab World, beset with divisions, is far from being monolithic. But surely, it is time for Arabs to set aside their differences and look at the big picture. If this seeming inertia continues, without wanting to be overly dramatic, country after country is likely to be carved up along sectarian, religious or political lines.
For generations, certain Arab states have been under the sway of the US in a kind of ‘I’ll-scratch-your-back-if-you-scratch-mine’ fashion. Uncle Sam says ‘behave and in return you will receive my protection or avoid my displeasure.’ Those states that have rebelled against American diktats have been suitably punished (Iraq and Egypt), disregarded (the West Bank and Gaza), isolated (Syria) or ultimately forced to fall in line (Muammar Gaddafi’s Libya). In no case have the lives of citizens shown any improvement. On the contrary, more than a million have been laid to rest as a direct or indirect result of US policies.
From the Arab perspective, the worst US president was undoubtedly George W. Bush who was responsible for turning an imperfect but relatively stable Iraq into a living hell that has brought about a de facto three-way split—the Kurds in the north, an Islamist ‘caliphate’ in the centre and a Shiite entity in the south under the sponsorship of Iran. However, US President Barack Obama has to be a close second to Bush. While the junior Bush was proactively aggressive under the pretext of a “war on terror,” that served to spawn terrorist organisations where there were none, Obama’s presidency is marked with feckless policy-making, indecision and betrayal, missteps that threaten mighty America’s global relevance. Obama conned the Syrian opposition with his “red lines” into believing he was poised to bring down the Bashar Al Assad regime—a pledge on which he backed down, focusing instead on relieving Syria of its chemical weapons capabilities.
Obama conned the Palestinians too with a promise of a Palestinian state, when all he did was instruct his envoys to engage in rounds of shuttle diplomacy with no positive outcome. He did moan about colony expansion, but that was as far as those efforts went. And today, as the world witnesses Israel’s slaughter of a people caged, Obama can only say he backs Israel’s right to defend itself. And what does the leader of the so-called free world say about the most bloodthirsty, primitive terrorist gang in history grabbing Iraqi and Syrian territory while ordering Christians to convert, pay jezia (tax based on religious belief) or die. Not much! Surely, he made a token gesture by sending a handful of military advisers to Baghdad, but is doing nothing to prevent the killing of Iraqi Sunnis and Christians rightly rebelling against their barbaric new rulers, risking beheading or nailing to a cross. The Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) almost makes America’s foe in Afghanistan, the Taliban, seem benign do-gooders in comparison.
Obama’s stance against the Egyptian people—who rose up against a cultish Muslim Brotherhood president who invited his Al Qaida “brothers” to set up camp in the Sinai Peninsula—was just as despicable. Even now, when Cairo battles terrorist groups, the US suspends delivery of much-needed F16 fighter planes, Apache helicopters and tanks to the Egyptian military. On the other hand, Obama goes out of his way to cozy-up to Tehran that holds Lebanon hostage via its surrogate Hezbollah and is fuelling violent dissent in Bahrain and northern Yemen.
You get the point! If the US was ever a friend to the Arab world—in particular, the Sunni Arab world—it certainly is not now. In some of the cases mentioned above, this is deliberate. In others, due to unintended consequences or bad judgments. What does it say about US influence when US Secretary of State John Kerry spends days in the region, speaking to Palestinian National Authority President Mahmoud Abbas, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Hamas leader Khalid Mesha’al, via the agencies of his buddies in Doha and Ankara, on the urgency of a ceasefire and comes away with just a 12-hour humanitarian pause?
Arab states must come together to take charge of their collective destiny. This is an era when countries join together to form political, economic and military blocs—a sensible trend that appears to have escaped Arab leaders. Where is the Arab equivalent to the European Union or the BRICS (Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa) or NATO? The closest is the Gulf Cooperation Council, which in recent times has faltered on issues such as a proposed single currency or the formation of a federation. And, no, I didn’t forget the Arab League, which, quite frankly, is hardly worth a mention. Arabs’ first priority should be the formation of a joint force to act as a deterrent, a peacekeeping entity, and, if necessary, to intervene to prevent crimes against humanity.
What will it take for Arabs to wake up to the dangers! The region, that hosts numerous US military bases, is imploding and exploding as never before as the neoconservatives in Washington, the right-wingers in Tel-Aviv and deranged Takfiri lunatics are enjoying the show.
Linda S. Heard is a British specialist writer on Middle East affairs. She welcomes feedback and can be contacted by email at heardonthegrapevines@yahoo.co.uk.