While support for Sunni and Shia Muslims fighting US troops in Iraq is heating up on the Arab street, Arab regimes are shying away from publicly criticising US military operations in the war-torn country.
| Oh, why not? Go ahead and be consistent. |
Although some analysts put the Arab regimesâ low profile down to fear of antagonising Washington, others said officials are worried that Iran might be behind a revolt by militiamen loyal to a radical Iraqi Shia cleric.
| It's that obvious, is it? |
Arab satellite televisions have pointed out that most Arab governments have not reacted to a bloody US assault on the Sunni stronghold of Fallujah, west of Baghdad, or to clashes between coalition forces and partisans of Moqtada Sadr in the south. And for those Arab regimes that did react, their words were far weaker than those of Russia, which Friday called on the US-led coalition to refrain from âdisproportionateâ use of force and halt its offensive.
âArab governments are keen on having good relations with the United States,â said Mustafa Kamel al-Said, a lecturer at the faculty of economy and political science at Cairo University. âSome Arab governments depend on the United States for financial assistance, others are having problems with Washington and want to improve their relationship,â he said.
| Meaning it's a good time to keep quiet and see which way the wind eventually blows... |
Given that âmost Arab regimes are not democraticâ, Said said that they feel threatened by Washingtonâs âGreater Middle East Initiativeâ, a reform plan to spread democracy and economic liberalisation in the Middle East. But Waheed Abdul Megeed, from the Al-Ahram Centre of Strategic Studies, disagreed, pointing out that several Arab countries, including US allies such as Egypt, did oppose the US-led invasion of Iraq one year ago. âWhat is happening now in Iraq, he said, delays the hand over of sovereignty to the Iraqis,â slated for June 30, under a timetable agreed by the US-led coalition and Iraqi politicians, and endorsed by the United Nations. Megeed said several Arab regimes consider âIran to have instigated the movement of Moqtada Sadrâ to wrestle control of some southern cities from Bulgarian, Salvadorian, Spanish and Ukranian coalition control.
| And maybe even frighten them out of the alliance... |
He said hardliner conservatives who ousted reformists in Iranâs controversial February elections âwant to drag the US forces in Iraq to a swamp, in order to prevent Washington from turning against Iranâ later on. âIt is very simplistic to say what is happening now is resistance against occupation, it is far more complicated than this,â he said.
| Cheeze. Even an Arab scholar can see it... |
As thousands of Palestinian, Syrian and Egyptian demonstrators took to the streets of their cities over the past few days, Arab League Chief Amr Moussa stood alone in the world of officialdom by saying Thursday that âwhat is happening is unacceptableâ.
| Amr can't see it, though. |
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