Shambles before the storm

By Naguib Mahfouz

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The Arab world may well have passed through an enormous amount but nothing in its history comes close to matching the current, multi-faceted ordeal.

Palestine used to be the sore spot; now Iraq comes a close second and Sudan is catching up in third place. The situation is as puzzling as it is painful. We know, indeed we have always known, that many powers have their eyes set on our region. And yet we seem to be making their job easy.

When the US threatened to invade Iraq, the Iraqi leadership acted in the most ridiculous manner, providing the Americans with all the excuses they wanted for an invasion that we now know was totally unjustified.

A similar scenario is now unfolding in Sudan. We know that certain powers are looking for an excuse to intervene in Sudan. And what is better than bloodshed at the level now witnessed in Darfur to give these powers a plausible cause for interference.

The excesses being perpetrated in Darfur have been denounced as ethnic cleansing, furnishing a perfect pretext for those foreign powers seeking to gain a foothold in Sudan. Something has to be done about Darfur. Action has to be taken before it is too late.

Based on an interview by Mohamed Salmawy.