1 - 7 March 2001
Issue No.523
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Al-Ahram Weekly On-line 1 - 7 March 2001 Issue No.523 |
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Shifting tides
Is it enough for the US administration to change, in order for conditions to alter in the Middle East? In other words, does the election of a new American president lead the Arab peoples to rearrange their priorities, looking away from the Palestinian quagmire -- occupation of Arab territories and ceaseless aggression against Palestinians -- and postponing the questions of peace in accordance with Bush's agenda?
In the course of his election campaign, the new president had expressed disapproval of his predecessor's immersion in peace negotiations between Israel and the Palestinians, opining that America's influence and standing in the world community had suffered greatly following the failure of the Oslo agreement, given the time and effort the Clinton administration had invested in the process. The issue of Iraq, of course, was at the top of the new administration's list of priorities; just as obviously, the focus of Secretary of State Colin Powell's visit to the Middle East was the reintroduction of sanctions with which to ensure that Iraq will not develop weapons of mass destruction. It is only natural, then, that the attempt to get rid of Saddam Hussein and his regime should also be resumed.
It was in this context that Colin Powell visited the region: to focus America's Middle East policy on the problem of Iraq without the slightest intention of ending Israeli aggression, and to invigorate the alliance in which America sought support during the Gulf War. In Bush's view -- which is naïve, to say the least -- the Iraqi regime as a source of disruption and rebellion against the US-imposed order is an obstacle in the way of the peace process, inciting Palestinians to reject Israeli conditions. Then there is Iran (and Hizbullah in Lebanon) -- the political forces the US accuses of fueling and encouraging the Intifada.
The last American air raids on Iraq were launched suddenly, without explanation. Equally unexpected was the appointment of Paul Wolfowitz as deputy secretary of defence, a man well-known for training Iraqi opposition figures abroad to bring down Saddam's regime. This is presumably by way of affirming America's new strategy for the Middle East, even though at his press conference in Cairo Powell admitted that in the past few years Saddam has not managed to fortify his military machine.
What is surprising is the American administration's failure to recognise the predominant feeling in the Arab countries on the Iraqi question, and the way in which the tides are shifting here -- information one would have thought American embassies could provide. Even more surprising is that the American agenda is entirely consistent with the agenda proposed by Sharon, who announced that he is working to restructure Israeli-American relations so that they do not concentrate on peace negotiations with the Palestinians. This means that America's strategy on Iraq, which has proved a resounding failure, has Israel's unconditional backing, simply because it will divert the Bush administration's attention from the Palestinian issue.
Washington, even if it so desires, will never be able to distance itself from the Palestinian-Israeli issue. This is probably what Arab leaders told Colin Powell during his tour. The real problem will arise if Washington insists on implementing its policies, leaving the task of confronting the Israeli monster to its Arab "friends," in which case Sharon would not hesitate to dissolve the Palestinian Authority and reoccupy Palestinian land. These are the issues the Arab summit in March will have to address, assuming that Arab heads of state have not lost the power of speech by then. Alliteratively, it is always possible that the US secretary of state will have seen the situation for what it really is.
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