In focus:

Deceitful democracy

Since 9/11, US foreign policy has brought nothing but infamy upon Washington, writes Galal Nassar

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One of the things the US administration came up with following 9/11 was the so- called "war on terror". The war came with a determination to bring down those political regimes suspected of harbouring and abetting "terrorists"; countries such as Iraq, Iran and North Korea that President Bush lumped together in his so-called "axis of evil".

We were also told that the sources of terror must be dried up, which means that funding for what American policymakers brand as terror groups must be stopped. These groups include Palestinian resistance organisations as well as some liberation movements across the world. And, American officials said, the cultural and intellectual structures that inspired the 9/ 11 attacks must also be changed.

We were told that tensions in the Arab world, where despotic regimes remained in power with US backing for over half a century, offered an incentive for 9/11. The anger and desperation generated by despotic regimes must end, American officials maintained. As a result, the US administration pledged to end despotism in the region and promote democracy and tolerance. So what exactly has happened since then? Where do the world and our region stand? And what happened to the much-vaunted drive for democracy?

The first thing the US did was attack Afghanistan. Only a few weeks after 9/11, Afghan cities were surrendering one after another while US generals looked around for other targets to bomb. The country was already torn by war, poverty and hunger. It had no infrastructure to mention and no significant military targets. US planes pummelled Tora Bora in the hope of killing Taliban leaders and nothing came of that. In the first few days of the war American losses were minimal, but invading troops managed to kill more Afghans than the victims of 9/11.

The next stop was Iraq. Now that was a different story. Attacking Afghanistan may have been justified, for the Taliban is known to have aided and abetted Bin Laden and his notorious outfit. But the war against Iraq was launched on the flimsiest of reasons -- lies actually. The Americans claimed that Iraq had an extensive arsenal of weapons of mass destruction, which it didn't. Iraq was said to be supporting Al-Qaeda, which it wasn't. The war against Iraq was illegitimate, fraudulent, and contrary to international law. It was waged without a UN mandate. And it ended with Iraq occupied, divided, and slipping into sectarian chaos.

The third stop was Palestine, where Ariel Sharon waged a brutal assault against the West Bank and Gaza. This assault was hailed as part of the global war on terror. Palestinian President Yasser Arafat was held captive at the headquarters of the Palestinian Authority in Ramallah until the end of his days. Many Palestinian leaders from Hamas, Islamic Jihad, and the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine were assassinated. Those included Abi Ali Mostafa, Sheikh Ahmed Yassin, Abdel-Aziz Al-Rantisi, and many others. The West Bank was dissected into three parts, Gaza was cut off, the separation wall was built, Palestinian towns and camps were besieged, and then an unjust economic boycott was slammed on the Palestinians.

The victory of Hamas in the 2006 parliamentary elections and its consequent formation of government have refuted the US claim that the war on terror was one for democracy. As soon as the election results were announced, the Israeli and US administrations took punitive measures against the Palestinian people. Their only fault: having elected Hamas.

US democracy is a deceptive slogan. The US thinks of democracy as a synonym for submission. Elections are fine, it seems, insofar as they bring to office people who support US policies of domination and aggression.

The fourth stop was Lebanon. The destruction of the Lebanese south was extensive, and yet the Lebanese fought back with extraordinary determination. As I said in earlier articles, the aim of the war was to bring Lebanon to its knees, disarm the resistance, continue the implementation of UN Resolution 1559, and pave the ground for Olmert's unilateral plans and consequently for the "Greater Middle East".

Looking back over five years, what exactly has been achieved? Is the world now a safer place than it was before 9/11? And what about the freedom and democracy the US still claims to espouse?

The US army is bogged down in both Afghanistan and Iraq. Casualties among US soldiers are mounting. As for individual freedom -- especially women's freedom -- it has diminished in Iraq. The civil status law governing Iraq before the war was more liberal than the ones passed by the Iraqi government following the occupation.

Is security and stability in Iraq and Afghanistan better today than they were in the past? Iraq has had its share of political conflict in the past, but it didn't have the sectarian strife that we see today. Nor was it ever close to civil war. Afghanistan and Iraq have been torn to pieces. Iraq is being partitioned along the lines of the no- fly zones President Bill Clinton imposed on Saddam's government.

In Palestine, US democracy has been thoroughly discredited. The Palestinians saw how the US and Israel went out of their way to demolish the outcome of fair and free elections.

The methodical destruction of Lebanon, by Israel and with the full support of the US, has undermined all US claims for freedom and human rights, regardless of what the US media may say.

Hatred to the West has doubled since 9/11 as Muslims across the world listened to President Bush making references to "crusades" and Islamic fascism. Insults to Islam and to Arab and Muslim moral and religious principles have mounted since 9/11.

In Latin America, discontent over US policies has been growing. The people of Latin America have voted into office leaders known for their contempt of the US administration, such as Venezuela's Hugo Chavez. And that might be just the beginning.

The US war on terror is still continuing. The US has further plans to interfere in the domestic affairs of Arab countries, such as Saudi Arabia, Sudan, Egypt, and Syria. The Iranian nuclear crisis, the Korean nuclear crisis, Somalia, and Darfur all remain a source of possible conflict.

How does the US plan to deal with those new tensions? The US is unpopular, bogged down in conflicts half way across the globe, and suffering immense losses. What does it hope to achieve? Perhaps one day we'll know.