Wednesday, June 22, 2005

Misunderstandings on America and the Middle East

Conspiracy theorists associate everything bad in the Middle East with America’s ambition. But their viewpoints are dubious. I would like to correct these misunderstandings.

1. The United States had a honeymoon period with Saddam Hussein in the past.

Absolutely not.

During the Iran-Iraq War, the Reagan administration tried to use Iraq a buffer against the theocratic regime in Iran. However, it was very cautious. Baathist ideology is a combination of radical pan-Arab nationalism and socialism. This is hardly acceptable to the United States.
During the Cold War, Saddam Hussein was one of the most pro-Soviet leaders in the Arab world. The Iraqi forces in those days were armed with Soviet and French made weapons. It was Valéry Giscard d’Estaing who aided Iraq build a nuclear power plant, even though Saddam Hussein was suspected of his ambition to make a nuclear bomb.

2. Everything bad in the Middle East results from the Palestine problem.

Completely wrong.

Most of the problems are rooted in the Arabs themselves. Arab states fight against Arab states. Iraq invaded Kuwait, and Syria invaded Lebanon. Also, Arabs have clashes between modernization and tradition. Ethnic minorities, like Kurds, Barbers, and Turkmen are severely oppressed. These troubles are not related to the Israel-Palestine conflict. Read the article “A World without Israel” by Joseph Joffe in Foreign Policy in January 2005. It is utterly wrong to blame America and Israel. You will understand it very well.

3. The United States should not have sponsored Afghan guerrillas. They caused the 9-11.

No way.

It is ridiculous. The United States should have allowed the Soviets to expand their influence throughout the Persian Gulf area and the Indian subcontinent? It is true that Islamic radicals have become the most serious threat to the United States and Free World. However, I have to remind you that the rise of such radicals dates from the Iranian Revolution. The Carter administration was excessively dovish against Shiite riots. Saddam Hussein would have never invaded an Iran, under the Pahlavi dynasty or pro-Western strong man. The loss of Iran has been critical to the Middle East security. People hardly criticize such a wimp foreign policy, although Islamic fundamentalists have been one of the most serious threats since then.

4. Middle East democracy is a plot driven by Bush, neocons, Jewish lobby, and oil industries, in order to maximize their business interest.

Are you kidding?

Whether liberal or conservative, it is American national interest to spread a stable democracy throughout the Middle East. Their disagreements lie only in the method to achieve this goal. The Iraqi National Congress, lead by Ahmad Chalabi, has been sponsored by the United States since the Clinton era. Moreover, non-partisan and liberal think tanks have been engaged in numerous researches on Middle East democratization.
It is America’s national project, and completely off the point to denounce Bush, neocons, Jewish lobby, and oil business.


Left-wingers and conspiracy theorists distort the public opinion. We need to have a balanced viewpoint.

8 comments:

LA Sunset said...

Good job, Shah. From the looks of your blog, you know your history well and have a good grasp on the current situation, too.

I will look forward to visiting your blog again, very soon. And thank you for visiting mine. Feel free to visit and comment anytime.

Σ. Alexander said...

Thank you for your comment. I will post articles on the US, Europe, Japan, the Middle East, Asia, and worldwide. I will leave a comment to your blog in a few days.

xdalaw said...

Good post shah. I agree and am glad that you cleared up some lingering conspiracy theories. I fear that the ones who should be reading this wont. Maybe they'll stumble upon it by accident and "suffer" an awakening!

Always On Watch said...

Thank for for visiting my blog. I have bookmarked yours and will be stopping by on a regular basis.

You have made three excellent points in this article. The fact that many seem to subscribe to Myth #2 (that everything bad seems to stem from the Palestinian problem) flies in the face of the facts. Islamic fundamentalists use the Palestine issue as a rallying cry, but the fact is that Arabs and Islamists are themselves warlike in orientation.

You might also like to read
http://socialsense.blogspot.com/2005/06/terror-is-universally-islamic.html

and

http://alwaysonwatch.blogspot.com/2005/06/our-own-gullibility.html

This site also offers some interesting insights:
www.libertyandculture.blogspot.com

The goal of Islam is to establish a worldwide caliphate, and those of us who are not Muslim must unite against this menace. The big question: Will our leaders dare to face the threat instead of making excuses?

Now, a personal question for you: How strong is the Islamic movement in Japan? I confess that my focus has been on the United States and on Europe.

PS: I saw from your profile that you are a baseball fan. So am I! My husband and I live in the D.C. area and, this season, are agog that the Washington Nationals are rattling the bleachers.

Σ. Alexander said...

To xdalaw

Thank you for your reply. I feel puzzled to see too many conspiracy theorists assume themselves representatives of the global civil society. This is not true. The real global citizens understand their fraud.

Σ. Alexander said...

To always on watch

Thank you for introducing interesting blogs. In Japan, Islamic movements are not so strong. Instead, people focus on anti-Japan sentiments in China and South Korea, and North Korean kidnappers and nuclear bombs.

However, some areas in Tokyo, people have highly alert security checks. Since 9-11, people have become more sensitive to terrorists. The ministry of foreign affairs offers security information to Japanese travelers abroad.

And baseball? I hope to see a real Babe Ruth without steroid.

Always On Watch said...

Shah,
Thanks for the information. I just finished reading a long feature story about China in Time Magazine. The military buidlup there is frightening.

Σ. Alexander said...

Yes, the military build-up is grave. Also, China confronts Japan and the United States over the Taiwan Strait and Spratley Islands.

I will visit your blog again.