"Even
if he's a former president infamous for lying to his people and the world, the
fact that he's a former president lends them special significance. … Many in
the Islamic world may be reluctant to read Bush’s memoirs out of personal
hatred for the man and his policies … I recommend, however, especially to government
officials, that they read them carefully."
I haven't fully read the
memoirs of former U.S. President George W. Bush, but I read most of what has
been written about it in the major newspapers and Web sites. This might have
been enough for people to familiarize themselves with some of the information that
hasn't been revealed before, but it’s insufficient if one considers the book's
importance to the follower of global politics. It is therefore a necessity to
read the book in its entirety and with care. And not because it's fun, since
reading a book that is by its nature antagonistic to culture and thought and
defined by the shallowness of George W. Bush. No, it's not enjoyable, but it is
important to read for other reasons, the most important being:
1. The
person who wrote it: George W. Bush spent eight years in the most important place
of decision making in the world and, at the end of his presidency, he was stigmatized
as the most foolish president in American history. I am one of those whose
eyebrows pricked up when the American political system elected a man of such
shallowness and stupidity, and we can expect that his memoirs will shed some
light on some of the darker aspects of the American political system.
2. The period
that the book covers was exceptional, comprising such major events as: the
attack by civilian aircraft on the World Trade Center towers in New York and the
Pentagon in Washington; the war on Afghanistan; the war on Iraq; the global economic
and financial crisis … etc.
In addition, because these memoirs
focus on how America made decisions during all of these calamities, surely
reading this book will helps us to better understand what happened, regardless of
our personal assessments of the policies that the United States adopted with
regard to these crises.
3. Timing: These
memoirs were published just days after midterm congressional elections in which
the right won a major victory. Because controversy over the crises that began
in the reign of President Bush have yet to be decided, it's possible that his recollections
will have an impact on the future and contribute to the reformation of the
extreme right to which he belongs, and which now feels the pride of its electoral
victory. So in one way or another, it helps to read the statements in Bush’s
memoirs, not only to understand the past, but to understand what is to come as
well.
Posted
by WORLDMEETS.US
Naturally, memoirs of such
importance contain information that has never been published, some of which will
be received with particular sensitivity in certain countries. As far as Egypt
is concerned, Bush mentions that General Tommy Franks, the Chief of the Central
Command who was in charge of the U.S. invasion of Afghanistan, said he was told
[by Egypt President Mubarak] that “Iraq had biological weapons and was certain
to use them on our troops,” and that Egypt, “refused to make the allegation in
public for fear of inciting the Arab street.”
This information might or
might not be accurate, but just the fact that a U.S. president mentions something, even
if he's a former president infamous for lying to his people and the world, lends
it special significance and transforms it into a historical document! What
surprised me wasn't that information like this was part of Bush’s memoirs, but
the complete absence of any reaction from Egyptian officials. That's not to say that
they are in the least responsible for what Bush says, but that they are
indifferent. Not to their people or the Arab people, but significantly, such
silence only promotes the circulation of such information and lends it added credibility,
since it comes from the very highest level of American decision making, none of
which has been contradicted by other U.S. officials.
Many in the Arab and Islamic
worlds may be reluctant to read Bush’s memoirs out of personal hatred for the
man and his policies, or because they question the validity, value and motives
of what he says. One is well advised to deal cautiously with all personal accounts,
because they are more often aimed at defending their authors and justifying their
decisions than revealing the truth.
I recommend, however, especially
to government officials, that they read these memoirs carefully. This will help
them not only benefit from the lessons of the past, but anticipate the tragedies
of the future.