The Arab world and its dead meat leadership [Archives:2005/882/Opinion]

It is not plausible, prudent or even logical that the close to 300 million Arabs living in the Arab World, even in their fragmented situation of some 22 “sovereign states” should sit idly and watch the situation in Iraq leading to no perceivable end. Moreover, the ongoing theater of death and uncontrollable violence in Mesopotamia would trigger a sense of alarm among most Arabs that any of their fragile regimes could fall into the same quagmire. Like Iraq, before the perplexing American invasion, the destiny of most of these Arab states, remains out of the reach of the general populations and easy prey for outside interference, either through direct military “liberations”, or by the submission of most of the regimes to the dictates of outside powers, which have their own externally formulated agendas. Needless to say, these dictates would not have as a priority the interests of the constituencies in these states. In fact, as we are obviously seeing in Iraq, the American intervention in Iraq has not produced any reasons for hope that the Iraqis will have any chance for reaping the fruits of the bounties and resources their country is endowed with. Oh, one will not fail to take note of the collapse of the oppressive regime of Saddam Hussein, which is by all means worthy of praise to Allah. But the continuing martial venue and the unorthodox practices of the self proclaimed foreign liberators in facing up to a legitimate resistance and the sudden presence of a dubious “Islamic” activism have not altogether assured the observer that the occupiers are any better off in terms of relinquishing repressive tactics from their methodology in dealing with what appears to be as obvious outcomes of their very own misguided adventure. Yet, the ugliness of the blood madness displayed by some of the “insurgents”, who one can be sure are not demonstratively motivated by sympathy for the Iraqis or a clearly discernible yield from their inexcusable madness and the “hammer 'em out operations carried out by the occupation forces, are frightening scenarios that could possibly be embedded in many of the Arab states. The political outcomes of the “liberation” has so far yielded a weak regime of former Iraqi exiles that have been out of touch and out of political tune for decades, coming from many different turfs, the latter of which have their own different political expectations from their former guests. Except for maybe a couple of these former “opposition” movements, most have little grass roots backing to lay claim to, or to substantiate their disproportionate presence in the political establishment.

The Arab states' attitude, collectively or individually, has not truly shown any clear signs of concern, not just for the unfortunate demise that has befallen their helpless Iraqi brethren, but for the potentiality of their own domains falling under similar circumstances. This is a matter of grave worry among many Arab citizens outside and inside the political establishments that hold sway in their respective countries. There is, in many of the Arab states, the presence of the many of the same factors that led to Iraq being currently in such a chaotic battleground. In this open field for warfare, none of the antagonists have produced any discernible platforms of respite for the Iraqi people. On the other hand there is strong reason to believe that the entire Arab World should be placed on high alert. Yet, there is a sense that the Arab world, as one regional conglomeration or as individual states have lost all sense of worry or even care for their own blood cousins' suffering, whether in Iraq or Palestine. What has produced such a rather careless attitude that defies logic or explanation? The Arab League has ceased to reflect any cohesiveness among the 22 member states and has for all practical purposes ceased to function as an effective regional assembly of nations with similar ethnic, religious and language affiliations. The individual states have shown themselves to be vassal states of the superpower that has decided to take the law into its own hands and bring the rest of the world under submission of its own designs, even though it is not clear what those designs are, but it is still strongly garnished with evil.

In all the Arab states, it is safe to assume that the general populations still cling on to nationalistic pride, even though their leaders have lost all sense of pride and gone so far as opting for relations with the most dangerous enemy in their midst, under secret arrangements that no one clearly can see any fruitful outcomes arising thereof. Israel continues its campaign of death, destruction and havoc in the Holy Land under the weakest pretensions to a desire for peace and stability to reign on in the region. So, the hope then of the Arab leaderships is that they will not fall to the calamity that the Ba'ath regime in Baghdad was forced to confront. Yet it is obvious that America can not even be counted on to ensure the endurance of any regime, once its strategic arithmetic shifts out of line with the services that this regime may be able to provide for a relatively short time. Have the Arab regimes forgotten that no one has accommodated American policy in the region by going through a horrible senseless war with Iran just so the Khomeini Revolution is not allowed to get off the ground, let alone spread to other potential areas in the region that also are ripe for revolution against the various tyrannies that they are forced to subscribe to.

So, what hopes do the oppressive regimes in their various manifestations cling to that Uncle Sam will not turn them into historical impotent regimes that failed to see that their only hope for survival is if they turn back to their people, act responsibly towards them and give up some of their repressive machines that have prevented their people from echoing their concerns for their fellow Arabs who are now subject to horrible bloodbaths that show no sign of letting up in Iraq and Palestine. Even with the demise of the Ba'ath regime in the back of their minds, the Arab regimes continue to rule in the same manner as the former regime in Baghdad and show no signs of trying to attract any popular support from their constituencies or efforts to mobilize their people to ensure that they are ready to face the eminent threat that could come at anytime from Washington (and Tel Aviv, since the latter remains a provider of the catalyst that orients US policy in the region). Must we wait until Cruise Missiles pave the way for opening up their countries to the same chaotic state which their poor Iraqi and Palestinian brethren are subjected to? By then it will be too late and these presently shielded regimes will find that they are not as omnipotent as they make themselves out to be, when they turn against their own people. God's will works in strange ways against transgressors.
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