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| Axis of Evil |
| Arabs fail to act against Iraq war |
| 2003-01-31 |
| This article appears in the Middle East Online. Arabs fear a US-led war on Iraq would spread chaos across the region but seem unable to take serious action to avert it, analysts said Friday. Contrary to the 1991 Gulf war, when leading Arab states such as Egypt, Saudi Arabia and Syria joined the US-led coalition to free Kuwait from Iraqi invasion, none has said it would take part this time. Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak, a solid ally of the United States, has been repeating that war would spread "regional chaos." A similar warning was issued by Jordan, which has important economic ties with neighbouring Iraq. Egyptian Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Fayza Abul Naga said in December a war on Iraq would cost her country between six and eight billion dollars in lost revenues from tourism, exports and other sectors. But beyond economic concern, Arabs fear that a destabilisation or partition of Iraq would have a knock-on effect on the rest of the volatile region that includes a mix of ethnic and religious communities. Arab regimes thus suspect a hidden US agenda to remodel the region: who's next after Iraq? Figured it out, did you? Heh heh Egyptian analyst Anis Mansur wrote in Wednesday's Al-Ahram daily that the whole region is on Uncle Sam's hit list, a widespread opinion in Arab media. And here's the list! He said Israel's accusations that Iraq's weapons of mass destruction are hidden in Syria aimed at making Damascus "the next victim, after Iraq." Check "Things then will move on to (Muslim but non-Arab) Iran, as it supports Syria, the Lebanese militia Hezbollah and Palestinian group Hamas which are accused of attacking 'innocent people' in Israel," he added. Check Saudi Arabia is also well positioned in the US firing line, said Lebanese-born analyst Antoine Basbous, who directs the Observatory of Arab Countries in Paris. "The September 11 2001 attacks are the founding event of the new century. The Americans search for terror mastermind Osama bin Laden in Afghanistan, but they don't find him," he said. Didn't find what's left of him, but continue. "They find out that the Wahhabis of Saudi Arabia" who uphold a rigorous interpretation of Islam "are behind all that," he added, pointing out that 15 of the 19 September 11 hijackers came from the conservative kingdom. "Their Saudi ally for 60 years stabbed them in the back. They ask the Saudis to crack down on the Wahhabis, but the kingdom doesn't because of fears of civil war." So "the United States decides to reactivate the world's second oil reserve (Iraq) to replace the first (Saudi Arabia)," he said, estimating that the kingdom would also come at some time under US threat. Double check! "The Americans think that the Arab world is backward, suffering from Islamist intellectual terrorism and that its institutions, whether it's the Arab League or the Gulf Cooperation Council, are obsolete," said Basbous. Triple check, he's on a roll! Arab allies and of the United States have become wary of Washington's designs, according to diplomats. Asked why the Arab leaders have adamantly denied exerting pressure on Iraqi President Saddam Hussein to go into exile, an Arab diplomat said "this is out of question, it would be an upsetting precedent." NOTE: He said "precedent" and he knows what it means! Lebanon called Thursday for a meeting of Arab foreign ministers before mid-February to discuss the situation in Iraq, which could pave the way for a full-blown emergency summit before the regular one set for March in Bahrain. But observers expect little from the Arab League, which has become a symbol of the Arabs' failure to act decisively. Check again! "The Arab regimes have said nothing since war-talk started six months ago," charged Egyptian analyst Wahid Abdel Meguid. "They behave as oldtimers who prefer the devil they know to the devil they don't." Light dawns, clue found, etc. |
| Posted by:Steve |
| #4 The man's got a brain. Then again, he could be reading Den Beste. |
| Posted by: Ptah 2003-01-31 20:09:27 |
| #3 ...and nobody does "regional chaos" better then the Arabs. Is the current situation considered "stability"? |
| Posted by: tu3031 2003-01-31 12:51:38 |
| #2 Invading Iraq would "spread 'regional chaos!'" "Arabs fear that a destabilisation or partition of Iraq would have a knock-on effect on the rest of the volatile region!" To borrow a phrase from Steve Den Beste, "that's not a bug, it's a feature." |
| Posted by: Mike 2003-01-31 11:40:10 |
| #1 About time someone said publicly what is really going on. I had to reread the piece in disbelief. Exile is not an option. It will just get too crowded in Libya for all the crowds of exiles. Also would make a very tempting target. |
| Posted by: Alaska Paul 2003-01-31 10:51:36 |