Issue No. 592
Opinion
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27 June - 3 July 2002 Issue No. 592 Opinion |
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| Published in Cairo by AL-AHRAM established in 1875 | Recommend this page | ||
Satellite wars
While Arab governments withdraw from the arena of conflict, stumbling over a variety of plans for peace, Israel's fifth satellite, launched on 27 May, prowls the region, offering the Israeli military precise strategic information about the Arab world. The Israeli space agency was founded in 1983, with NASA-support, and Israel has used satellites since 1988 to gather information and facilitate the use of missiles. Technological advances have since been used for the most intricate forms of espionage, and the focus is invariably military.
In the next stage of its ongoing plans to "fight terrorism", Israel will use satellites to refine the use of arms throughout the region and beyond, a strategy that will enable it to preempt any attack directed at it while at the same time planning surprise and even secret attacks against those it perceives as potential foes. Satellites also give Israel a tremendous advantage over its Arab rivals in accessing and controlling information, necessary adjuncts of regional conflicts in the electronic age. Israel may, in fact, be playing a shady role in the India- Pakistan conflict.
Arabs, in contrast, are virtually bankrupt as far as any ability to develop military and strategic industries goes. Following the liquidation of the Arab Industry Organisation in the mid- 1970s, no entity has emerged capable of pursuing such development. Instead Arabs have been striving after a perpetual postponed peace.
* This week's Soapbox speaker is the head of the Arab Centre for Strategic Studies.
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