2 - 8 August 2001
Issue No.545
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Al-Ahram Weekly Online 2 - 8 August 2001 Issue No.545 |
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Strongarm tactics
Issues that have a bearing on America's political agenda or defence strategy are no longer open to discussion. The rest of the world must simply comply with US views regardless of the interests of other states much in the way that Eastern Bloc countries were expected to comply with Stalinist Russia. Prophets of the New World Order were right to point out that under a unipolar balance of powers, America would seek hegemony over other states, dictating its will by force. The prophecy has come true. Having become the world's uncontested leader, America sets out to subjugate the global community, a trend that recent developments in international politics suggests is accelerating.
First, America antagonised the whole world by refusing to sign the Kyoto agreement on global warming, even though it is the world's greatest source of green-house pollution. Secondly, America infuriated its allies, Russia and the EU, by insisting on its new missile defence system, a project that might trigger a new global arms race. America also avoided signing a UN agreement to stop the spread of small weapons, the kind that fuel wars in Africa and Asia. It rejected yet another agreement on biological warfare on the pretext that it would be inconsistent with its national defence strategy. It implemented an air embargo on Iraq without the sanction of the UN Security Council and, through NATO forces, it intervened militarily in the Balkans without the sanction of the world community. In the most recent episode of this unfolding drama, America has come to Israel's aid by emptying the decision to send international observers to Palestinian territories of any real content.
The next episode clearly involves the international conference against racism the UN recently called for. America has already threatened to make its participation conditional on not including on the agenda two crucial topics of discussion: compensation demanded by Africa for the damage inflicted by European and American slave trade over the last two centuries; and the condemnation of Zionism as a form of racism that involves discrimination on the basis of ethnicity, nationality and religion.
It is only natural that America should take issue with both topics. Not only was it the greatest slave trader until the end of the 19th century, it is responsible for the success of a racist, imperial government in Israel and continues to support it. Ten years ago America exercised an incredible amount of pressure to cancel a 1975 UN resolution declaring Zionism to be a form of racism, misleading Arab states into the false belief that peaceful relations with Israel required their consent. Now Washington strives to abort any progress made on either of these issues, summoning its ambassadors in Arab and African countries and issuing threats as punishment for the inclusion of the two topics.
This time America's pretext is that the conference, to be held next month, must concentrate on the future, not on the past. Having helped compensate Jews for Nazi oppression more than 50 years ago, America does not permit Africans to demand any compensation for their own misfortunes now or in the future.
It denies Palestinians their legitimate rights and endorses their life under a racist system that oppresses them now and will continue to do so in the future, not only by obstructing the Palestinian state but by mistreating, torturing and killing Palestinians.
The irony is that America announced its position on the conference at a time when Israel's religious establishment is stating that Arabs "reproduce like ants and will meet only with contempt," is praying that they may founder in hell, and is supporting political assassinations of, and terrorist operations against, Palestinians.
If the leading world power does not see this as a problem worthy of discussion at an international conference against racism, what kind of freedom, justice or human rights can the global community be said to enjoy?
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