Alternative Insight

The War Against the Arab World
A Diversion from the War Against Terrorism

The United States of America has diverted its valid war against international terrorism to an illegal war against sections of the Arab world. The invasion of Iraq, a country that had been an antagonist of Radical Islam and had the potential of being the central power of the Arab Middle East, has increased the interference of Western might in the Arab world and elevated the Middle East conflict to a higher level.

The War Against the Arab World
The war to dominate the Arab world has been one result of the UN partition plan in 1947 that legitimized the incursion of Western populations into the Middle East. American leadership recognized that Israel's policies and territorial expansion could be used to develop its own opportunities - assure control of the world's petroleum reserves, create a strategic foothold between Europe and Asia and prevent a future Arab challenge to its strength.

The unfolding battle against the Arab world does not need military adventures to obtain its goals: Essential parts of the present strategy for U.S domination of the Middle East are:

Aggressive Threats
Iraq is beyond threat. It would not succumb and so it has been occupied - a warning to other nations that will not listen to reason. Jordan and Egypt have already become paralyzed and incapable to respond to U.S.A. aggressive actions. Libya has recently pronounced that it will not pursue weapons of mass destruction and desires friendly association with the West. Syria, Iran (which is actually not an Arab nation but will be treated as such because it is Moslem and is an important Middle East country), Saudi Arabia and Lebanon know they will be confronted after the situations in Iraq and Palestine are resolved to America's advantage.

Hateful Propaganda
Al-Qaeda and militant Islamic groups that have international presence are dangerous and must be contended. However, opposing Al-Qaeda does not excuse the constant anti-Muslim rhetoric in print, television, talk-radio and Internet columns. The hate propaganda that attempts to align Western nations against Moslems is apparent in the mass e-mail distributions that echo the offensive remarks against Islam and highlight selective comments against the West by extremist Islamic leaders and sermons in a few Mosques. The attempt to associate much of Islam with Al-Qaeda indicates a well-calculated and organized effort to influence public opinion against Islam and qualify the cruel blows that await the Arab world. Two examples that illustrate this thesis:

Many of our children are being indoctrinated, in religious schools,that the Arabs are Amalek, and the bible teaches us Amalek must be destroyed. There was already a rabbi (Israel Hess) who wrote in the newspaper of Bar Ilan University that we all must commit genocide, and that is because his research showed that the Palestinians are Amalek. Murder of a population under cover of righteousness: Shulamit Aloni, former Member of Knesset who served in Labour government Cabinets ; Ha'aretz, March 7th, 2003.

I think the overlay on this (abuses at Abu Gharib) is a very strong tendency in our culture to demonize Muslims..It's all tied up with a very strong religious warfare kind of mentality - that they're on a Jihad against us and we need to respond in kind. Richard Mouw, president of Fuller Theological Seminary, Washington Post, May 29, 2004.

Criticism of the Arab world portrays an archaic and restrictive Islam shackling the Arab nations in ignorance and economic despair. The economic problems arise from other sources:

The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia refuted the statements by Colonel Muammar Gaddafi who falsely alleged that the Wahhabi sect in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia should be held responsible for the emergence of the al-Qa’ida organization and other terrorist groups, and that the Kingdom is based on fundamentalism. 08/08/03 Official source refutes Gaddafi’s statement, Saudi Arabian Information Source


On the other hand, the U.S. and Israel have indirectly supported terrorists. America and its Pakistan ally played decisive roles in the Taliban's gaining control in Afghanistan. Although Saddam Hussein's Iraq assisted Hamas, Israel was its original supporter.

Starting in the late 1970s Israel helped build up the most fanatical and intolerant fundamentalist Muslims as rivals to the nationalist PLO. The terrorist organization Hamas is largely an Israeli creation. A UPI story last year quoted a U.S. government official as saying: "The thinking on the part of some of the right-wing Israeli establishment was that Hamas and the other groups, if they gained control, would refuse to have anything to do with the peace process and would torpedo any agreements put in place." Israel's Hamas, George Szamuely, The New York Press Volume 15, Issue 17, April 2002

Economic Pressures
Sanctions, withholding of aid and social isolation are effective pressures against recalcitrant nations that are: not self-sufficient, dependent upon imports for their survival, requiring international assistance for development programs and relying on close associations for military and economic assistance. Most of the Arab countries have these characteristics.

Sanctions against Iraq and Libya during the 1990s debilitated the economies of both these Arab countries. They are now incapable of combating American interests.

On May 11, 2004, the United States of America imposed limited sanctions on Syria . The sanctions ban the import of American products other than food and medicines and freeze the assets of the Commercial Bank of Syria, the main state bank, in the United States. The reason - "Syria harbours terrorism."

Iran and Syria, both of whom are not harming any country, are threatened daily with economic isolation and even possible military action. Iran is being attacked because it has the potential of becoming a nuclear power and supposedly because it assists Lebanon's Hezbollah. Syria, whose Golan Heights has been taken away by Israel, is threatened because it won't sign a peace treaty with Israel without return of all of its captured lands and because of accusations that it assists Palestinian groups labelled terrorist by Israel and the U.S.. Lebanon, another Arab country, is also threatened with economic retaliation because it houses Hezbollah, an official Lebanon Party with representation in Parliament, that is accused of unwarranted provocations against Israel.

Iran, Syria and Lebanon. have not committed any aggressive actions against the U.S. and have felt thay have been cooperative in the war against Al-Queda and international terrorism. Iran has arrested Al-Qaeda operatives in its country and Syria received praise for several of its actions.

Since Sept. 11, Syrian information has been instrumental in catching militant Islamists around the world, say US officials: Nicholas Blanford | Special to The Christian Science Monitor, May 14, 2002

What do these nations have in have in common? They support the Palestinian cause and contest Israel. Their principal arguments with Israel have support by almost all of the world's nations and in several United Nations Resolutions:

UN General Assembly Resolution, December 17, 2003
Calls upon Israel, the occupying Power, to comply with the relevant resolutions on the occupied Syrian Golan, in particular Security Council resolution 497 (1981), in which the Council, inter alia, decided that the Israeli decision to impose its laws, jurisdiction and administration on the occupied Syrian Golan was null and void and without international legal effect...

Palestinian Sovereignty, May 6, 2004
By a recorded vote of 140 in favour to 6 against (Israel, Marshall Islands, Federated States of Micronesia, Nauru, Palau, United States), with 11 abstentions, the Assembly affirmed that the Palestinian people had the right to self-determination and to sovereignty over their territory, and that Israel had only the duties and obligations of an occupying Power.

Security Council Resolution 1544, 19 May 2004
Reiterating the obligation of Israel, the occupying Power, to abide scrupulously by its legal obligations and responsibilities under the Fourth Geneva Convention relative to the Protection of Civilian Persons in Time of War of 12 August 1949...

Imposition of Values
America's economic system is driven by markets and the system never saw a market it didn't relish. The oil-rich Middle East has market potential. All it needs to fulfill its potential is to incorporate the extensive materialism of the Western value system. This is happening in several of the Arab countries and is one reason for the rise of Islamic fundamentalism and strife within those countries. Al-Qaeda has taken advantage of the backlash to the imposition of Western values to gain adherents and internationalize its operations.

If the U.S. wants to minimize international terrorism, it would seem wise to limit one of its major causes - a rapid change in Arab cultural values to Western values that inflame rigid fundamentalists. America has not followed the obvious path - just the opposite - it wants to bring democracy to countries that have no institutions to develop democracy and create the conditions for added strife in nations that are already battling against Radical Islam .

Reinforcement of Radical Islam
The battles waged by the U.S.A.in Afghanistan and Iraq, and its occupations of these two countries, have not diminished terrorism. It is obvious that, especially in Iraq, resources have been diverted from the war against terrorism and the nature, capabilities, and numbers of terrorists have increased. Add America's unqualified support of Israel in its subjugation of the Palestinian people and the U.S. policies have provided terrorists with many reasons to augment their ranks. Why does the American administration pursue counter-productive policies? Is it ignorance and poor strategy or are there other reasons? Whatever the reason, U.S. policies are radicalizing the Arab world, and the more the Arab world becomes radicalized, the more reasons the U.S. has to subvert the Arab nations and control them.

Truth and Consequences
America armed the Contras against Nicaragua, armed Jonas Savimbi against the Angola government, provides arms to Israel in its battle against the Palestinians and then sanctions little Syria because it gives some undefined attention to Palestinian groups fighting against Israeli occupation. If Syria has assisted America in the war on terrorism and poses no threat to the U.S., and the same are true for Iran and Lebanon, why does the U.S. constantly threaten these nations? It must have a larger mission in its intrusions - and the mission leads to domination..

The possible consequences of this mission:

The Bush administration has developed a confusing Middle East agenda that clouds its purpose. The purpose might not be intentional and might be the result of unavoidable conditions. In any event, the purpose leans towards U.S. domination of the Arab world.

alternative insight
june 1, 2004

 HOME PAGE     MAIN PAGE

alternativeinsight@earthlink.net