U.S. Pressure on
Rights and Democracy is at Root of the Problem
"Washington
uses the slogans of defending human rights, protecting freedom and democracy, and
supporting citizens of other countries to apply pressure to other governments and
get them to make greater policy concessions. The U.S. seems oblivious
to the dangerous repercussions of using this double-edged sword."
The old proverb,"the eye is blinded by what its seeks to beautify," best describes U.S. policy
in the region. Since the last century, in the early 1950s, Washington has rarely
resolved a crisis that didn't end in making things even more complicated, unknowingly
jeopardizing its own interests in the Middle East and Africa and continuing to
lose allies and attract enemies. Can it remain leader of the free world - which
is how it refers to itself - with such expertise at attracting disasters that
undermine its own interests?
The U.S. administration has learned
nothing from the past five decades, particularly about how it has helped undermine
global security and stability. It has aided the spread of extremism and created
incubators of terrorism. The result was September 11, 2001,
the effects of which we continue to confront to the present day.
Washington uses the slogan of
defending human rights, protecting freedom and democracy, and supporting citizens
of other countries to apply pressure to other governments and get them to make
greater policy concessions. The U.S. seems oblivious to the dangerous
repercussions of using this double-edged sword. This simply attracts crisis and
undermines international confidence in the self-proclaimed leader of democratic
states.
In the early 1950s, the U.S.
used the same slogan to topple Egypt's liberal monarchy [the Muhammad Ali Dynasty].
One of those who led the U.S.-backed revolution to overcome the monarchy, Gamal Abdul Nasser,
soon became the nation's leader and turned against them. In very short order,
he was building alliances and spreading hatred of America.
In spite of all this, the U.S.
repeated its failed experiment on itself in Iran, when it encouraged the
mullahs to overthrow the Shah and replace him with Khomeini. This radical regime has stoked
hostility and created or aided a large number of extremist and terrorist
groups, the most obvious examples being Hezbullah in Lebanon and Hamas in Gaza.
And let us not forget how America's contradictory policies have weakened the
state of Pakistan and sparked new conflict with India.
Washington has proven expert at
fomenting sectarian strife to destabilize and weaken other states, which has
sown hatred against it. Meanwhile, it has failed to provide solutions to the issues
that preoccupy the planet day and night. The main sticking point is bringing
about a just peace in the region while the U.S. condones Israel's daily terrorist
activity, massacres against and attempts to evict the Palestinians from their
land. America's motives are suspect, it is known for its double standards, and it
is regarded as untrustworthy.
Throughout recent decades, Washington
has helped create breeding grounds for terrorists, all the while screaming of
the pain they cause. And the U.S. inhibits the efforts of others to find practical
solutions to a problem that pollutes the atmosphere and for which the region
has paid dearly.
Posted by WORLDMEETS.US
But none of this has gotten
successive U.S. administrations realize that they are losing allies one by one,
widening the gap between governments and citizens. It is therefore not
surprising to see the shaky positions taken by the U.S. on recent events in
Egypt. The Obama Administration has behaved like a schizophrenic, shifting its position
by the hour. This is not the way a leading nation is supposed to behave.
It was us Arabs who were once
accused of creating the most creative and imaginative expressions. But now after
successive U.S. administrations, it's clear that Americans lead the way in
coining absurd, surreal expressions. For example, "creative chaos" is
a term meant to impose drastic reform to bring economic opportunity to impoverished
states. Unfortunately, what it has done is destroy past economic success and allow
gangs and drug cartels to spread as they have in Afghanistan and Somalia. They
have also encouraged widespread constitutional violations, pirates, thieves and
jail-breakers to continue their unscrupulous activities. Such phenomena are now
occurring in countries where Washington continues to mount pressure on governments
not to impose public order.
"Creative chaos" is
responsible for creating such phenomena. Perhaps, given these purposely created
difficulties, "destructive chaos" would be more appropriate. Does
Washington want to deprive Arabs of the chance to experience stability, or
would it rather see extremism prevail and for people to become captives of
terror? This is a significant and dangerous question!
*Ahmed Al-Jarallah is the
editor-in-chief of Kuwait's Arab Times and Al-Seyassah of Kuwait
