Democracy, arms and double standards

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Irked by its apparent failure in Iraq, the US is using Iran as a whipping boy. It wants to attack it, but it hasn't decided when and how. What a change this is from the time when the US was a true world leader, when it talked of a new world order and the world believed it. Saddam Hussein is gone now, but so has the aura of invincibility that the world's sole superpower used to have. Gone is the time when the world believed in US leadership, as it did during the campaign to liberate Kuwait.

The US was supposed to lead the world under the umbrella of international law. It was supposed to restore rights to their true bearers, as happened during the liberation of Kuwait. But under George W Bush, things have changed. Bush Sr had reliable aides and a belief in international law, whereas Bush Jr explores obscure and outdated doctrines. The US is still talking of victory in Iraq, but we all know what's going on in that country. The losses of US forces are no secret. So has the intervention in Iraq been a success?

President Bush is aware that the war on Iraq was not necessary. This is why US policy has shifted from eliminating weapons of mass destruction to promoting democracy around the region. For the time being, the US is now trying to take on Syria and Iran, two countries that are known for their influence on events in both Iraq and Palestine.

As far as Syria is concerned, the US has found a valuable ally in France. The French abhorred Damascus's coerced renewal of President Emile Lahoud's tenure, which was possible only by changing the constitution. Once former prime minister Rafik Al-Hariri was assassinated, the US succeeded in turning the UN Security Council against Syria. The US is now using a similar tactic with Iran. It knows that the UK, Germany and France are displeased with Iran's attempts to enrich uranium. Washington is now prodding the Security Council for action against Tehran. And Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice is telling us all options are open. The West, we're told, is opposed to a nuclear power emerging in the region. But what about Israel's atomic arsenal?

Oddly enough, Iran's Mahmoud Ahmadinejad is playing into the hands of his foes. He is making fiery statements that remind us of Saddam's doomed defiance. The Iranian president is questioning the holocaust and making threats to Israel. By doing so, he is giving ammunition to the enemy.

We don't want nuclear weapons in this region -- Israeli, Iranian or American. The whole region should be cleared of all weapons of mass destruction, whether nuclear, chemical or biological. But we're tired of the double standards. The US went to Iraq, we're told, to track weapons of mass destruction and found nothing. Now Washington promotes democracy yet it rejects the democratic process that may bring Hamas to power. What is this hypocrisy? What do the Americans want exactly? Judging by their reaction to Iran's nuclear programme and their position on Palestinian elections, the answer is rather obvious. The US wants to promote the Israeli agenda, regardless of the consequences for everyone else in the region.