Issue No. 603
Opinion
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12 - 18 September 2002 Issue No. 603 Opinion |
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| Published in Cairo by AL-AHRAM established in 1875 | Recommend this page | ||
Still counting the victims
Ibrahim Nafie reviews the year since 11 September
The Middle East is the region most severely effected by the fallout from 11 September. No sooner had Washington fingered Al-Qa'eda and its Arab members as responsible for the attacks than it plotted its warpath accordingly. Of course, Israel helped mark it out, as it deftly turned 11 September towards its own ends. Playing on the anti-terrorist alarm, it ensured that Washington branded the Palestinian resistance as terrorist, secured Washington's support for its massive offensive to reoccupy PA territory and succeeded in driving a deeper wedge between Washington and the Arabs.
That the Arabs unanimously denounced the attacks against the US and condemned terrorism and the targeting of innocent civilians made no difference. Nor did appeals to the US to work within the UN framework, to wait until definitive proof of the identity of the perpetrators of the attacks became available and to convene an international conference to reach a universally acceptable definition of terrorism. On the contrary, such attempts to urge Washington to a more level-headed response and to avoid a repetition of a military operation without UN Security Council approval only provoked its ire.
As we take stock of the year since 11 September, it is easy to perceive the high price the Arabs have had to pay for those attacks. Arabs and Muslims were the primary victims of the mood swing in the US that allowed security exigencies to gain the upper hand over human rights and civil liberties. Arabs and Muslims in the US are still the object of constant suspicion and surveillance and, because of recent security measures, it is impossible to tell how many of them are being detained in US jails. In addition, Arab and Muslim students, businessmen and tourists are afraid to travel to the US because of harassment while anti-Arab and anti-Muslim hatred is being fanned.
No sooner did the US point its finger at Al- Qa'eda than Arab governments came under the spotlight of the Western media, denounced as a breeding ground for terrorists. Yet it was Washington that encouraged Al-Qa'eda's rise during the Cold War. Nor should we forget that Western nations in general persistently offered "safe refuge" to terrorists from the Arab world under assorted human rights pretexts.
But, the primary victims of the fallout of 11 September were the Palestinians. The aftermath of 11 September brought a sharp decline in support for the Palestinian cause. Many countries that had voiced support for the Palestinians' drive to secure their legitimate national rights have gone mute.
Simultaneously, Israel hastened with consummate dexterity to insinuate itself into the same trench as the US against "Arab and Islamic terrorism". The payoff came in the form of Washington's green light to Sharon to launch his massive offensives against PA territories, rolling back a decade's worth of progress on the Palestinian negotiating track. Today, Israel is still reaping the fruits of Washington's allegations against Arab and Muslim states and groups. It is more confident than ever of Washington's support, while for the Palestinians the nightmare goes on.
The anniversary of 11 September comes as danger looms over the Arab world as a whole, as the US readies itself for the next round in its war against terrorism. A strike against Iraq would open a Pandora's box throughout the region, all the more so because the justification is so flimsy. The US and the UK assert that Saddam Hussein is developing weapons of mass destruction and that the world knows nothing of his armament's programme since UN inspection teams left four years ago. Iraq has announced that it is prepared to let the inspection teams back in, which, one would think, would constitute sufficient declaration of intent to silence the war drums. Apparently not. Vice President Cheney has stated that the US is going to go ahead with its strike against Iraq whether or not Saddam allows the inspection teams back in, indicating that the true purpose is to topple the regime.
That Israel is pestering Washington to mount a military operation against Iraq increases its likelihood, in defiance of all logic. Iraq is not occupying the territory of another people, it is not persecuting a people under occupation, it is not refusing to implement international resolutions and it no longer has a nuclear arms programme. All of these charges apply to Israel, which is pointing Washington's nose in the direction of Baghdad while Washington helps Israel paint itself as the potential "victim" of possible Iraqi retaliation.
Worse yet, deliberate leaks from Washington suggest that Iraq will only be the first stepping stone in a vaster US military campaign in the region, which is to include Iran, Syria and Libya. These, at least, were the countries Secretary of State Donald Rumsfeld cited in an article that was scheduled for publication last Sunday, but was withdrawn at the last moment. Who are these leaks serving? How does Washington expect its friends and allies in the Arab world to react to the bombing of other Arab countries? Does it expect them to lend a hand?
Washington's determination to strike Iraq is deeply dismaying to Arab governments that regard themselves as friends of the US. The warmongering against Iraq, along with the deliberate leaks suggesting strikes against other Arab countries only work to exacerbate the gulf between the US and the Arab world and to fuel extremism.
We hope Washington heeds Arab and international pleas to give diplomacy a real chance and to spare the Middle East catastrophe. There can be no winners or losers from a military action that is certain to unleash chaos. Peace and stability will be the victims, along with strong and balanced relations between the Arab world and the US.
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