When greater means less
By
Salama A Salama
US and European politicians, having utterly failed to facilitate a peaceful settlement in the Middle East, are busy looking for other ways by which to pretend to help. They are now promising us prosperity and democracy, freedom and human rights, and the empowerment for women. This is their way of diverting attention from the peace issue, from Israel's increased oppression of the Palestinians, and from the endless misery that has resulted from the occupation of Iraq.
The US promise, made by President Bush, of creating two states, a Palestinian one along with Israel, has somehow fizzled away into nothing. So have all the efforts made to pressure Israel into implementing the roadmap. Sharon, meanwhile, is pressing ahead with unilateral solutions, building the apartheid wall, scheming to corral the Palestinians in separate cantons. Targeted assassinations, siege and the subsequent "mopping- up" continue apace, and without a single word of protest from the international community. Now, ironically, as never before, the time has been deemed right to teach Arab nations and governments to forget justice and accept the inevitable.
This much became clear during the conference on security policies held in Munich, which discussed the possible role of NATO in the Middle East, and the plans through which Europe and America wish to rehabilitate the region and eradicate terror. The solution that emerged was a "full partnership", extending over the Greater Middle East, from Afghanistan to the Mediterranean.
The US is no longer confining itself to the war on terror. It wants to lead a multilateral effort, involving NATO, to modernise the region, democratise it, and free it from economic and political backwardness. It is no coincidence that the region in question encompasses Islamic countries, from Afghanistan to Morocco. This is the latest pet project of the US neo-cons.
The change of tack is related to the failure of US policies in Iraq and the collapse of the Israeli- Palestinian peace efforts. The US is hoping that NATO will take on security responsibilities in Iraq, as it did in Afghanistan. Washington wants to see Arab regimes embroiled in reform schemes imposed by the West. It wants to see the Arab and Islamic nations struggling for democracy and freedom, not demonstrating about Iraq and the Palestinians.
As for Europe, Rumsfeld pointed out, the Greater Middle East schemes will not only help in the fight against terror but will also curb illegal immigration, organised crime and drug smuggling, all ills, it is suggested, that Europe suffers because of its proximity to Muslims in Africa and the Mediterranean.
The agenda for this Grater Middle East is likely to be further refined at the meeting of NATO heads of state, slated for June in Istanbul. So far Europe has voiced cautious support for the US initiative. The German and French foreign ministers have spoken in support of a stronger UN role in Iraq, and expressed willingness to contribute, through cultural efforts, to modernising the region. It is quite possible that European countries, in their effort to mend the rift with America over Iraq, may endorse a joint scheme to reform the Middle East.
Meanwhile, there is no mention of peace plans, or Israeli repression, no mention of the violence and terror Israel is exporting to the Palestinian people and the region, and no mention of Israel's threats to use force against Lebanon and Syria.
