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Arabs and the West:
How Wrong Thinking Has Misled
Humanity?
By Mahboob A. Khawaja
Al-Jazeerah, CCUN, November 8, 2010
Leaders create leaders. There are no “people-oriented”
proactive leaders at the global theatre of politics sensitive to
humanitarian thinking and actions and striving to make rational policies
and decisions to lead the besieged humanity out of the man-made
catastrophic wars of deaths and destruction engulfed in the 21st century
age of reason. The contemporary world is coerced to egoistic political
governance by the wrong people, with wrong thinking, wrong agenda and
doing the wrong things. The issue that whole of humanity faces is how to
change the wrong thinking of the wrong people into positive thinking and
rational human discipline articulating basic human values of freedom,
morality, compassion, equality, justice and service to all. Irony
of the Ironies: Failure of the 21st Century Global Institutions
All the global organizations- the presumptuous claimant of representatives
of the human ideal principles and values, have failed miserably once again
to bring the whole of humanity to tragic man-made conflicts and
consequential horrible impacts of the sophisticated wars on human life and
habitats. The same ideals embodied the making of the League of the
Nations- a first global experience in peacemaking and collective security
but its members led it to failure. The UN carried on another human attempt
to recover from the past mistakes and to usher hope for the remaining
humanity but the superpowers selfish aggrandizements made it impotent long
before it was supposed to be working for the good of the humanity.
Individual visions failed to materialize the collective goodness for all
of the living humanity. The deliberate destruction of human civilizations
is well in progress. The US led “War on Terrorism” devastated the
impoverish humanity, killing millions and millions and destroying their
lives, businesses and habitats just to satisfy the ferocious mindset of
the few neo-conservatives governed by George W. Bush, now a candidate for
war crimes. So is the former British PM Blair actively sought by the
concerned global humanity for alleged war crimes in Iraq and Afghanistan.
The office bearers of the UN responsible to save the humanity form scourge
of war and to foster global peace and security now turned out to be
incompetent master of lies and deception. They were all knowledgeable
people and chosen to govern the people-based liberal democracies but
proved ignorant and arrogant to the human principles of freedom and
justice. The Western policy makers claim power (knowledge and
material possessions) and have used it to pave the ways for influence and
hegemonic control over the rest of the world. The Two World Wars and now
the US-British led “war on terrorism” are the outcome of that absurd
thinking. The others less fortunate in knowledge and material possessions
(power) – the generally described Third World (not sure, who are the club
members of the First World and where is the 2nd World), a connotation full
of sarcastic formula and inhuman thought serves the interest of the policy
planning agenda in the superpowers chess board game. E.H. Carr
had assigned the history as teaching-learning guide for the mankind - the
very essence ignored and denied by the global power brokers- the so called
Five Power gangsters pretending to be godfathers of the UN Security
Council- a dormant and functional debating circle irrelevant to the global
affairs. The facts of human life speak for themselves as the global
institutions of collective security have flunked under pretensions and
counter-claims of concerns to serve the interest of the humanity. The
institutionalized one-track organizations do not represent the humanity
but hypothetically carved-up nation states of the world-some legitimate
some otherwise. The humanity does not sit at the UN. NATO, the EU, NORAD
and so many other titles and names that are composed of the nation states,
not of the living mankind. The paper-based names and legally incorporated
titles could easily be rescinded, changed and transferred as was the case
with the former USSR. They are hardly a point of reference for the
beleaguered humanity oppressed by the powerful states. Animals do not
commit massacre of their kind and specie nor set-up rape camps for the war
victims, the Western led wars against the humanity have and continue to do
so at a global scale without being challenged by any global
establishments. Perhaps, they view humanity just in digits and numbers,
not as the living entities with social, moral and human values and
progressive agendas for change and development. Every beginning has its
end. It is just that most advanced nations have failed to learn from the
living history- a slap at the EH Carr precious thoughts of human history.
When they see the end, it is irreversible. Had Pharaoh a choice, he could
have come out alive from Red Sea. Modern Pharaohs have failed to grasp the
reality of human history. George W. Bush, Cheney, Blair and so many others
would never acknowledge that there was something basically WRONG with
their THINKING until they see the tribunal for war crimes? You wonder, how
almost 3 million human beings have been killed in Iraq and millions of
them made homeless and forced to leave their habitats to seek shelters in
foreign lands and the same is going-on in Afghanistan and Pakistan - the
blessings of the wrong thinking of the few. The Christian led wars of
Crusades have never ended against the Muslim living in one humanity-one
world. It has assumed the name of American led Crusade of hi-tech weapons
submerged in the waves of fear and ferocity – the minds of the US
belligerents in which presently reason and mankind are entrapped.
In Search of Educated Leadership to Conduct Global Affairs Peace
is sought against war. Knowledge against ignorance, truth against
falsehood, day against night, right from wrong and so on. After the end of
the horrifying human sufferings during the two world wars, the humanity
hoped for sustainable peace and human enrichment of co-existence and
friendly relations across the globe. Not so, it was just a hollow dream,
an illusion of the left-over humanity tarnished by the draconian warlords
of the Western world with complacency of the authoritarian Muslim rulers-
the bootlickers of the Western game of political power. There are too many
pretensions for peace and services to the humanity. For more than sixty
years, Arabs have done it, Israelis have longed it, West European and the
US have professed it and the former Community bloc led by now the dead
USSR tried to copycat the scenario of peace and friendship often marked
with timetable - Twenty Year Friendship Treaty, as if the doomsday was
suppose to follow after the time expiry of the treaty. Could anyone be
held accountable for cruelty and deception to the well being goals for the
humanity? Not so, there was no accountability for those who forced
the humanity to fight during the two world wars and now in the bogus war
on terrorism conducted by the bankrupt US political leaders. Form
the human audacity to the US Presidency, Obama seems to have misread the
US history of freedom and the Principles of human equality, dignity and
justice. Otherwise, the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan would have been
stopped and daily bloodshed reversed. It is needed for face saving to the
US policy makers- the ardent proponents of the New World Order lost in its
home setting. Again, the world is in shackle and death and human
destructions make the headlines of the news media presentations. Who is
responsible for this miserable 21st century landscape? Nobody else except
the Wrong Thinking, Wrong Agenda and Wrong Actions of the Few controlling
the political nerve centers of the global political chess games. The
Us-Britain and others are fighting for new territories with opportunities
to exploit the natural resources and enlist human armies to fight for the
capitalism. Few of the controlling elite make the majority to fight for
their political goals - for profit, exploitation and political power. A
century earlier C.E. M. Joad (Guide to Modern Wickedness, 1936), described
it well: “The necessity for fighting entails large armies of
citizens willing able to fight. Foreseeing this necessity, capitalism
provides for it in advance by establishing Fascist regimes, Fascism being
the method by which in the last phase of Capitalism, the dominant
capitalism class reduces its own working class to such a state of dupery
and subjection that they are willing to fight without question for the
interests of their masters.” For sure, the human THINKING can be
changed and reformed. The Divine words of God illustrate it clearly:
“Allah does not change the conditions of the people unless first they
change themselves (Al-Qura’an, Surah Al-Ra'ad.). Are there any human being
listening with a living conscience that humanity is engulfed with untold
torture, killings and displacement that must be stopped and those
responsible be held accountable? Ideas and Ideals that have been
wronged by the Leaders Since the middle of the 20th century, Arab
leaders achieved economic prosperity and unplanned rise in higher
standards of living via the oil exports- a natural gift from God. It was
something that they have not worked for it to have its true importance,
understanding and value. John Perkins (Confessions of an Economic Hitman)
explains “how the Western elite are milking the Arab cows until the
sunset.” The oil export business is managed by the Western enterprise.
Almost 75% of the Arab oil wealth is invested in mostly American banks and
other West European economic sectors. The policy and decisions are made
and approved by foreigners to fit the Arab authoritarian leadership taste
and ideals. The Arab rulers have little to share in terms of contemporary
and much needed proactive visionary leadership. What if there was a Sultan
Salhuddin and conscientious of the Arab-Islamic interests, he could surely
have developed a balanced relationship with the West without being object
of their aims and political games. There are no proactive leaders in the
Arab-Islamic world to THINK of the Muslim’s interests and strategic
priorities. They live in closed palaces, not with the people to understand
the prevalent changing and challenging realities of the global politics.
They maintain armies but for the self, not to defend the Muslims and
Islam. Freedom and statehood of Palestine is the focal issue in the
Arab-Israelis affairs in the Middle East. But the problem and freedom of
Palestine never comes up as an active agenda item for planned actions. The
Arab leaders had over sixty years to plan and prepare themselves to
encounter the growing Israeli force and political presence in the Middle
East. They could have planned and developed the strategic capacity
to pursue a balancing act in the Palestine-Israeli conflict management and
conflict resolution. It was the capacity that makes differences at the
policy table, not the actual acts and military challenges. The Arab
leaders have not listened to educated voices of reason to change and
reform their own failing capacity of the mind and non-existent leadership
role. The drum beats of the Arab power and influence are a fallacy of the
Western created illusion and nothing else. They have no public
institutions to persuade the West for change and policy impacts.
Organizations like the Arab League, OIC and others are paper-based set ups
manned by those who have neither vision nor educated leadership to extend
sense of moral, political, and intellectual security to the Muslim Ummah.
Throughout the Arab-Muslim world, there is not a single
institution to educate people in peace, security and conflict analysis and
conflict resolution. This should have been the top most priority to plan
and develop the moral and political capacity of the Arab-Islamic
perspectives and policy stance. Two decade earlier (“Strategic Policy
Planning: Comparative Analysis between the Muslim world and the West’)
published across the Arab world attempted to focus on institutional
development capacity-building and active role for peace and conflict
management. A decade earlier, I made several proposals to an affluent Arab
ruler and a foreign minister, but my voice ended up in dead-ends. The
ideas and ideal for New THINKING and strong and rational political
standing continued to live in denials across the Arab-Muslim world. The
traditional uneducated policy makers and the governing elite must have
felt threatened by these new ideas and vision for the Arab-Muslim nations
to have the institutionalized capacity to be active in global political
governance. Imagine, if there were several “think-tanks” and established
academic institutions in Islamic thinking, global peace, security and
conflict management conducting research, examining workable alternatives
to critical economic and political issues and leading in policy making and
advisory role, would the Arab-Muslim world not be powerful and effective
to encounter the global challenges? When would the so called Muslim rulers
listen to voices of reason and honesty for change and reformation of their
own thinking and behaviors? In reality, the failure of the Arab-Muslim
leadership has victimized not just the Palestinian people but the Muslim
Ummah as well. Towards Understanding the agony of the Palestinian
People and Looking for Conflict Resolution If you will analyze,
you will see that all the institutionalized establishments to peace making
and security links are connected to Israel and Israeli lobbyists in
the US and Western Europe. Israelis have no peace and security without
sharing the same with the Arabs and Palestinians. It is not a one way
street. The Arab rulers need to reform their thinking and upgrade their
institutionalized capacity to conduct peace and security affairs. If
nobody has peace and security, how could they give it to others? Being
oil-rich living in splendid palaces and greedy consumer does not scare the
Israelis or the Western policy makers. If the Arab leaders had posed an
intellectual and political challenge to them, they would have taken it
seriously to respond with measurable rationality and purpose for policy
change and workable co-existence for peace and security in the Arab Middle
East. The Western mass media has been used as a weapon to
misinform the masses and create a culture of animosity against the rights
of the Palestinian people. They are the victims of the global conspiracy
and a living example of the failed Arab leadership and indifference. Most
of the global community seems to have failed to comprehend the true nature
of the sufferings and agony of the Palestinian people living under
continued Israeli occupation. Their homes are occupied, displaced from
ancestral lands and forced to live in the UNRWA camps- refugees in their
homes. Today, if the Arabs had educated leadership, strong public
institutions and proactive visions and advisory, they could have been in a
position of strength and not in weakness to resolve the Palestine problems
and to establish an independent state for the beleaguered Palestinians to
live in peace and harmony with Israelis. Educated Jews have worked hard to
establish their thoughts and presence across the mainstream politics of
the Western world. Intellectual Jewish resources and heavy financial
contributions to the US lobbyist networks have strengthened the Israeli
views and stance in the Western political culture. With abundance of
intellectual and financial resources, have the Arab leaders any thought
how to manage their vital political interests and global affairs? Don’t
blame the Israelis for all the engulfed miseries and battlefronts as they
will continue to do so for their survival and presence in the Arab Middle
East. The Arab leaders should face the mirror and comprehend their
collective failure to grasp the political realities is one of the major
factors for the continued unresolved Palestine issue. The world will
listen and pay attention only if you know how to communicate your ideas
with reason, intellect and plea for political equality and human justice.
Freedom cannot be denied to the Palestinians. How to reform
the absurdity of THINKING and articulate a sustainable future?
Could the people and nations live harmoniously in man-made superficial
conflict and war zones? When policy makers and leaders of the nation share
sense of responsibility, their eyes and minds are open to listening and
learning and thereby prospective change in behavior. It is one of the most
pertinent characteristics of modern leadership to be listening and
learning without agreeing or disagreeing with public inputs. Those reject
the necessity of listening, are often end-up in failure, disgrace and
eviction from political life. Is Obama is listening? No. Are the oil
riched Arab leaders listening? No. Are the democratic Israelis listening?
No. Everyone pretends to be doing something right but they are all
WRONG and terribly naïve of the consequences of their selfish thinking and
its futuristic consequences. More wars are looming on the innocent
humanity- the foremost victims of human ignorance, injustice and travesty.
The proponents of wars engender decadence, hatred and degenerate
the human positive thoughts and energies to make the human beings acts
like animals and dummies. The Western policy planners are well equipped
with instincts of pugnacity and political hatred and ferocity. Theses
instincts serve the agenda for their strategic plans against the Arabs and
Muslim people. With bribed and bought collaboration of the Western mass
media, they have carved –up images of the Arabs and Muslims as
“extremists”, “fundamentalists” and “terrorists.” When ordinary folks see
theses video manufactured images, they tend to take them seriously and
believe in them for their fear of survival and security. There are no
planned counter-balanced rational illustrations exposing the Arab-Muslim
viewpoints to balance the imbalanced imagery making propaganda. Wars are
fought and capitalized on such images to make the home audience that the
US and British are fighting against the “terrorists” in Iraq, Afghanistan
and Pakistan. The media campaigns never tell that the “US-British led
terrorism of wars have terrorized the rest of the humanity” for the much
sought out oil and gas resources in the Muslim world. What is ultimate
motive for the war of aggressions against the Arab and Muslims?, Nothing
except a desire for control of the natural resources, profit and political
power. C.E.M. Joad (Guide to Modern Wickedness) notes: “Human beings fight
because they are afraid, afraid that worse will happen to them if they do
not. They might, for example lose their possession, or sustain a wound in
their pride or even in their honour.” Men who have led the
humanity to fight in wars were ignorant and foolish. They failed to
imagine the outcomes of the human killings and consequences of the wars
against the very humanity that they claimed to be part of and to serve.
Were they wicked and stupid in totality? CEM Joad is again very telling to
us: “If the human nature is in part wicked and in part foolish,
how can the human beings be prevented from suffering of the result of
their wickedness and folly?” C.E.M Joad shares a wise answer:
“Men simply do not see that war is foolish and useless and wicked. They
think on occasion that it is necessary and wise and honourable, for war is
not the work of bad men knowing themselves to be wrong, but of good men
passionately convinced that they are right.” To make peace and
ensure the human security, policy and attitudinal changes and reformation
is much needed across the globe. More so in the Arab Middle East than
anywhere else. The so called “war on terrorism” or terrorism of wars by
the US must be stopped and the victimized humanity should be safeguarded
and compensated by the warmongers. The Arab authoritarian leaders and the
Western democratically known to be elected leaders should learn from the
events shaping the contemporary history. Defying the history would deny
the prospects of future-building for peace and human security. There are
challenges ahead for more critical and greater in scope to deal with
global warming, sustainable human growth and development and peaceful
con-existence after the continued theatre of absurdity waging the
crusading “war on terrorism.” If there is One Humanity, living in One
World, it must come to understand and respect the URGENT need for human
and leadership capacity-building to be listening and learning from the
voices of REASON and proactive vision awaiting a different, more
progressive and promising future for the humanity as a whole as ONE UNIT.
Dr. Mahboob A. Khawaja specializes in global
security, peace and conflict resolution with keen interests in
Islamic-Western comparative cultures and civilizations, and author of
several publications including: "Muslims and the West: Quest for Change
and Conflict Resolution", University Press of America; How America Lost
the War in Iraq and Afghanistan and Mujahideen Won; To America and Canada
with Reason, VDM Publishers, 2009; “President Obama – War is War, Not
Peace”, 2009; and “Is President Obama Remaking America?” “The Arab Time
Capsule- Once You Were the Leaders of Islamic Civilization.” “The Arab
People Look for Peace and New Leadership.” “Arab-Israeli Search for
Co-Existence: from Animosity to Insanity Called Peace Talks.” Comments are
welcome at: kmahboob@yahoo.com .
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