4 - 10 October 2001
Issue No.554
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Al-Ahram Weekly Online 4 - 10 October 2001 Issue No.554 |
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With us or against us
In America the "war against terror" sanctions some surprising alliances but covers a multitude of sins, writes Thomas Gorguissian from Washington
In the name of combating terrorism or, as some American commentators like to put it, a "jihad against terrorism," politicians, pundits and experts have missed few chances to point fingers, warn of new threats, revive stereotypes, cry wolf, and offer liberal use of the word "terrorist."
America is at war -- "make no mistake" as President Bush and other officials have repeatedly said. The administration is shopping its war around every corner of the globe, but at home, many are still unclear as to who this war is against.
After meeting with Greek Foreign Minister George Papandreou on Tuesday, Secretary of State Colin Powell told reporters outside the State Department building, "I made the point to the minister that America has embarked upon this campaign by pulling together a coalition of like-minded nations who are coming together to condemn terrorism. We will pursue this campaign vigorously, with patience." He added, "We will use financial instruments, intelligence, law enforcement, [and the] military as appropriate, diplomatic and political isolation. And we are in it for the long haul."
Authorities around the world have frozen millions in bank accounts allegedly linked to terrorist activities, with some 30 accounts attributed to Osama Bin Laden's Al-Qa'ida network in the United States and another 20 overseas. Moreover, as Bush announced, "about 150 terrorists and their supporters" in 25 different countries have been arrested or detained.
Back in the US, it seems that not a day goes by without Arabs being made the subject of more ludicrous caricatures, more one-sided representations. No half- truth is too flagrant. A few days ago the following question was asked of White House spokesperson Ari Fleischer at a daily press briefing: "Was the president made aware, before he visited the mosque, that three of the organisations that met with him -- the Council on American Islamic Relations, the Muslim Public Affairs Council and the American Muslim Reliance -- have, reports the Weekly Standard, sponsored a speaker who announced that Jews are descended from apes [sic], the Holocaust is denied, and [compared] Palestinian suicide bombers to American Minutemen?"
Fleischer, failing to question the evidence behind this claim, glossed over the obvious slander: "You should never assume that when the president meets with a group for important reasons that he would ever agree with anything anybody in that group has said."
And all the while, the list of enemies of the state is lengthening, the list of countries to be targeted is growing and the coalition-building continues. Washington had already welcomed the support that NATO showed early on with the decision to invoke its mutual defence clause for the first time in the history of the 19-member Western security alliance. But these are old friends, nearly always allied with Washington.
A wide coalition -- or, rather, a sort of cooperation -- is nonetheless forming between the US and other countries, even "unexpected ones". Countries like Russia, China, Sudan, even Iran, are all coming into play. Not surprisingly, Arab countries are reportedly arguing about the inclusion of Israel, which, in turn, has objected to any cooperation from the Palestinian Authority or Syria.
Russian President Vladimir Putin last Monday announced that Russia will share intelligence with the United States and open Russian air corridors for "humanitarian supplies" to the war zone, as he described it. The Russian president also said that he had agreed to let the Americans use former Soviet military bases in Central Asian republics -- particularly Uzbekistan and Tajikistan. In addition, Putin signalled the possibility of taking a more active role as the military operation develops. Washington, in response, appears ready to soften its policy regarding Russian involvement in Chechnya. Press reports mentioned that the Kremlin believes at least 400 Afghan-trained "mercenaries" with links to Bin Laden are fighting with Chechen rebels against Russian forces.
The process of cooperating with Pakistan will prove an interesting case study. The Bush administration, according to reliable sources, is currently crafting plans to provide financial assistance to some allies in the campaign against terrorism -- namely Pakistan, Azerbaijan and Afghan opposition groups. The administration gave Pakistan an initial $50 million instalment last week, and another $50 million is expected soon. Moreover, the IMF gave its blessing last week to Pakistan's performance and approved a $135 million loan for Islamabad. Some $379 million in debt has also been rescheduled.
As new allies test the waters of US cooperation, old allies have found a chance to shine. "A 'Prophet' Finds Honor at Last" was how conservative columnist Cal Thomas titled one of his articles in the Washington Times. Who, one wonders, could this upstanding figure be? "If there were such things as prophets in our day, as there were in ancient times, former (and perhaps future) Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu would be one," Thomas wrote. And what wondrous piece of perspicuity did Netanyahu produce to deserve such praise? "For years, he has been prophesying about terrorism, but few would listen. Now everybody is listening."
With the justification of "the war against terror," the basest of politicians are suddenly back in favour. Netanyahu was fêted in Washington recently; testifying before the House Committee on Government Reform. In his message to the House, Netanyahu said, "What is at stake today is nothing less than the survival of our civilisation." He also said, "Our values are hated with an unmatched fanaticism that seeks to destroy our societies and our way of life."
In the Washington Times, Thomas lauded Bibi's credentials: "Mr Netanyahu knows the neighbourhood in which he lives and has been personally scarred by terrorism." The Palestinians, scarred, maimed, mutilated and murdered by the government of Netanyahu, did not merit mention. At about the same time as all this, CNN broadcast an interview with Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon during which he compared Osama Bin Laden to Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat.
While Israel's leaders are allowed to sermonise, only Muslims, it seems, are to be investigated in the war against terror. Last Tuesday at a hearing session in the House on "US Policy Toward the Palestinians," Dennis Ross announced, "While terror is a global phenomenon, it is a special problem in the Middle East, precisely because it has been treated too often as legitimate. In the struggle with Israel, suicide bombers are portrayed as martyrs, not as monsters. Killing innocent non-combatants has been glorified, not rejected. Recruiting kids for human destruction has been celebrated, not condemned." Not a mention of the crushing travails that might lead someone to throw away their life. Not a mention of an Israel that needs no children or suicides for its fight, because it can rely on its artillery and gunships and F-16s.
Ross went on to display his intimate knowledge of the Middle East: "Check nearly any Friday sermon broadcast by the Palestinian Authority over the past year and you will see that suicide bombers are glorified and calls for jihad against Israel and the United States are commonplace," he remarked. He added, "The Palestinian media ... are not unique in the area. A few days prior to the attack, an Egyptian journalist in one of Egypt's mainstream newspapers described how he had swelled with pride when he saw the suicide bombing of the pizza parlor in Jerusalem."
With such a decontextualised, one- sided and biased view of Arabs flowing from official mouths, it is no surprise that hate crimes are on the rise among ordinary Americans. And yet, recent diplomatic moves show that the Bush administration is pushing through some surprising measures that radically alter the US government's long-standing division between the good guys and the bad.
Bush has praised the diplomatic efforts in New York at the United Nations, where the Security Council last Friday unanimously adopted an American- authored resolution introduced only two days earlier that compels all UN member countries to sever financial, political and military ties with terrorist groups and freeze their assets. The measure had it's price, however. In good faith, the United States abstained in a vote that will allow the UN Security Council to lift travel restrictions placed on Sudanese officials -- considered a significant change in policy towards Sudan, which remains on the US State Department's list of countries that support terrorism. The next day it was reported that the US has received substantial intelligence from the Sudanese government regarding followers of Osama Bin Laden.
Lawmakers in Congress and negotiators from the White House have been working hard to draft a bill that will lift the ban on US arms sales to about 27 countries. These countries were previously blacklisted because of terrorist activity, nuclear proliferation and human rights violations. But now they are described as sources of intelligence and other assistance -- so they can be part of the desperately wanted coalition and they can have what they wish.
Last Friday, President Bush signed a long-awaited free-trade agreement with Jordan. The agreement was negotiated last year, and its approval is a show of support for an Arab ally. "We're in a different world, where we've got a president who needs to build coalitions and build them quickly," said Senator Judd Gregg, adding, "We need to give [Bush] the tools to do that." The political, intelligence and military support of allies and former foes always needs tools, incentives -- and bribes. And Bush wants this coalition at any cost.
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