Parallel war
By
Salama A Salama
The Middle East conflict -- certainly in its current manifestation on the Iraqi and Palestinian fronts -- might be characterised as a parallel war. It relies on deception and disinformation to confuse the enemy and destroy morale. This continues until its time for swift military attacks which will incur minimal losses and negligible international opposition.
Official statements by President Bush and his aides do not provide any clear indication on whether an attack against Iraq is imminent. Despite international inspectors confirming that they have not found a shred of evidence that Iraq possesses the weapons of mass destruction American intelligence insists it does, the US continues to amass troops in the region and their movements are broadcast on a daily basis. Predictions of when strikes will begin proliferate along with deliberate leaks from American military sources about their plans in the region.
Bush claims that war is the last option yet in the same breath adds that Saddam Hussein possesses weapons of mass destruction which must be neutralised with or without his consent.
British Prime Minister Tony Blair makes statements suggesting war is not on the table, that Bush should focus more on issues such as poverty and the peace process, and calls for a conference in London on the Palestinian issue. Yet at the same time Blair orders a British aircraft carrier and several battleships to the Gulf in support of the US war effort.
While Washington repeats a new UN Security Council resolution sanctioning the use of force against Iraq is unnecessary Britain's Jack Straw, foreign minister of the US's closest ally, insists that another UN resolution must be issued before force can be used. Meanwhile the British government is quick to deny reports in the British press that London is pressuring Washington to postpone strikes for a few month to give the inspectors more time.
It appears that France too is playing this game. Paris was always opposed to a military resolution of the Iraqi problem and has demanded that a new UN resolution must be obtained before force is used. Yet President Jacques Chirac has placed French troops be on high alert.
Meanwhile Arabs, opposed to an American invasion of Iraq, are being wooed by Turkey. Is Ankara working with Washington? What are the real reasons behind these efforts?
Turkey has not yet given permission for the US to use Turkish territory to attack northern Iraq though Ankara allows the US to use its military bases. Turkey has also negotiated a $14 billion deal in the form of loans and aid in compensation for war losses, the same figure currently being discussed by the US and Israel.
An even bigger scam is the inviting of Palestinian leaders to hold talks in London about the Palestinian issue when Ariel Sharon has placed a travel ban on Palestinians as a form of collective punishment for recent bombings in Tel Aviv. Although Egypt has agreed to attend these talks, no one knows the real goal of the meetings. It is rumoured that the aim of the talks is to help prepare the Palestinians for discussions of the "roadmap" after the Israeli elections take place. But even the most optimistic observers do not expect any progress in the peace process until the 2004 US presidential elections.
What is taking place is the semblance of activity and it is designed to distract the Arabs from the ongoing preparations for a war against Iraq.
Disinformation about the war in Iraq continues alongside disinformation over the Palestinian problem. Nor is it any coincidence that both issues are spuriously linked to the war against terror. And all of this is in the service of strategic goals that could not be further removed from the interests of the people of the Middle East.
