Opinion Editorials, October 2014

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President Obama’s War Agenda 

Devoid of knowledge, paranoid and vengeful, President Obama’s raging statements and policy outlines of “an inclusive government in Iraq and to defeat the ISIL” are obsessed with fear of the unknown threatening American global hegemony and futuristic vulnerability to remain a superpower. President Obama is operating amid matrix of lies and political deceptions. The extension of aggressive war against ISIL in Iraq- Syria simply replaces the old rhetoric of anti-Al-Qaeda syndrome. The goal is to incapacitate the sustainability of the oil producing Arab countries to ensure complete interdependency on American weapon sales and military intervention. The overwhelmingly foreign policy views the Arab world as dormant, self-centered and unable to challenge the US ambitions and its geography open to further foreign occupation. Yemen, Iraq and Syria are the carved portraits of the US strategic policy of containment. Today, Yemen’s capital Sanaa is overtaken by the Houtis - the Shite group fighting for a balanced political representation in the governance. The sectarian crises in Yemen are outcomes of the US military intervention and drone attacks on innocent civilians. Yemen was incapacitated to workout political solution. The scenario of military intervention aims at dismantling the entire cultural and civilizational structures of the Arab world. Professor James Petras (“The US and Global Wars: Empire or Vampire?” Global Research: 9/11.2014), an international scholar and co-author of Globalization Unmasked and most recent book: The Arab Revolt and the Imperialist Counterattack, offers candid observations on Obama’s new intervention in Iraq and Syria:

Contemporary US intervention does not seek to secure and take over the existing military and civilian state apparatus; instead the invaders fragment the conquered state, decimate its cadres, professionals and experts at all levels, thus providing an entry for the most retrograde ethno-religious, regional, tribal and clan leaders to engage in intra-ethnic, sectarian wars against each other, in other words – chaos….. With US invasions, entire existing socio-economic structures are undermined, not ‘taken over’: all productive activity is subject to the military priorities of leaders bent on permanently crippling the conquered state and its advanced economic, administrative, educational, cultural and social sectors. 

President Obama’s statements reaffirm the historical aim of “Crusade” against Muslims under the guise of stopping ISIL territorial gains in Iraq and Syria. This group does not have the capacity or aim to threaten America or its West European allies. The Iran’s sponsored “Iraq's Shiite militias are becoming as great a danger as the Islamic State” warns Phillip Smyth writing in Foreign Policy issue of September 18, 2014: “All the Ayatollah’s Men.”  Badr Organziation is another armed group operating under Iran’s direction, explains Phillip Smyth: “Badr also has great influence in the political sphere: It has secured key positions within the Iraqi government, and is part of Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi's State of Law alliance -- Abadi even wants to appoint its leader, Hadi al-Amiri, as the country's interior minister.” 

Stephen Lendman (“Obama Threatens War on Humanity.” Information Clearing house: 9/11/2014), is a Chicago-based author of many books including the latest: “Flashpoint in Ukraine: US Drive for Hegemony Risks WW III.”, investigative journalist and a peace activist and a man of global human conscience depicts the imagery of Obama’s mind: 

Permanent war is official US policy. Obama is the latest in a long line of rogue warrior presidents. America’s culture is violent. It’s always been this way. It glorifies wars in the name of peace….. “Pav(ing) The Road To War With (Big) Lies,” says Paul Craig Roberts……Seeking world dominance. Replacing independent governments with pro-Western stooge regimes. It’s wanting unchallenged first-strike capability. It’s risking humanity-destroying global war in the process. America is addicted to war. They rage one after another or in multiples. They’re not about spreading democratic values……Or humanitarian intervention. Or responsibility to protect. Or eliminating terrorist threats. Or making the world safe for humanity. America was never beautiful. It’s no “land of the free and home of the brave.” It’s a serial killer. A war on humanity monster. An out-of-control rogue state. An ideologically over-the-top evil empire. 

Is the Arab World Coming to an End? 

Truth-telling and critical rational analysis of the prevalent political imperatives of global political affairs must penetrate to open-up the thinking of the closed Arab leadership mindset.  Consequently, they can find out ways to reject Obama’s matrix of political lies. The only known Middle East conflict was between Israel and Palestine and to search for a peaceful settlement of the existence of State of Israel and establishment of an independent State of Palestine. The 2003 American-led war against Iraq was planned to subside the real issues of the Arab world and to give credence to unthinkable new political problems and sectarian warfare turning the Arab leaders into mincemeat and dummy character readily susceptible to more weapon sales and military interventions. The 21st century oil exporting Arab world is a world of delusion and fantasy floating in its own bubble of economic prosperity in complete disconnect to the mainstream of global compelling political realities.   

The voices of reason and human conscience must speak out loud and clear. With unstoppable cycle of political killings, sectarian massacres and daily bloodbaths emerging across the Arab world  - Syria, Iraq, Libya, Egypt, Lebanon and Yemen, and spill-over impacts to other oil producing Arab nations - and reactionary militancy against the authoritarian rule and dismantling of the socio-economic infrastructures:  is the Arab world fast approaching the end of history?   Once the Arabs were leaders in knowledge, peace, creativity, science and human manifestation, progress and future-making - the Islamic civilization lasted eight hundred years in Al-Andulsia- Spain. But when they replaced Islam - the power and core value of their advancements with petro-dollars transitory economic prosperity, they failed to think intelligently and fell in disgrace and lost what was gained over the centuries. Ironically, Arab people are skeptical about the Western politically oppressive domination- from George Bush to Barrack Obama. Yet, these are the same political leaders who have helped the Arab masses to get rid off some of the worst authoritarian dictators- Ghaddafi, Saddam, Hosni Mubarak and Ben Ali dominating most of the Arab Middle East. Strangely enough after more than sixty years of end of European imperialism, the Arab societies do not have any educated, responsible and intelligent leaders to offer sense of moral and political security to the people in crisis?  Where is the Arab leader’s moral and intellectual consciousness of the gravity of the crises – emerging death squads, politically geared sectarian violence and accountability to the people?  

The contemporary Arab world is a world of distractions and false imagery of hallow happiness, extortion and painful miseries if one is to see the real pictures of the existing societies. The Obama Military Plan being enforced in Iraq and against ISIL exposes its own strategies at work that Arab people should be bombarded, occupied by force and dehumanized to the extent not to gain unity of purpose to be One People- Muslim Ummah as Islam bridged the tribal differences of the age of ignorance and enabled the much belligerent tribal cultures into a Unity of Faith- One Nation in complete submission to God. The secular ingrained Arab leaders view Islam as a challenge not a place of Unity for change and human development as was the case prior to the discovery of oil reserves. 

If the Arab leaders had any intellectual foresight they should have refused to join ‘the coalition of the willing’ to support Obama’s war plan in Iraq and Syria. Both Saudi Arabia and Kuwait were complacent in providing logistical support to US-led bogus war on terrorism against Iraq in March 2003. If the theory of the Clash of Civilizations had any purpose and meaning to be clarified, it is becoming more apparent that President Obama and some of the Western European leaders – British and French in particular, are allied to re-invent a new age of Crusade against the Arab world.  The American, British and French military actions against ISIL in Iraq-Syria will provide coverage to their long-terms strategic ambitions to destabilize the Arab region and ultimately to take control of the oil resources and management of the Arab States. This scheme of political thinking and emerging air strikes in Iraq-Syria will enlarge the scope of the US-British and French military engagements onward to Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and the UAE. Lacking tangible evidence, the US intelligence alleges that Sunni businessmen and other ideological comrades from Saudi Arabia, Qatar and the UAE support the ISIL structure and operations. This paradigm will articulate a strategically favorable situation on the ground to make feasible adjustments to Arab geography and to facilitate most favorable solution to the Israel-Palestine problem. This means no solution will be a thinkable alternative on the freedom of Palestine. American friendship and animosity are problematic in constantly changing global affairs. The Arab rulers are nothing more than dead wood stump entity in challenging global political arena.  America used to preach human rights, freedom and democracy but it conspired and supports authoritarian absolutism across the Arab world. The Western political mythologists do not envisage Islam as part of the Arab culture and economic destiny. Islam focused on human development, societal change and institutional development for people’s participatory institution-building and system of governance to ensure law and justice to all. But the contemporary Arab rulers denied to masses what was theirs by faith, culture, hopes and history.  

The Perpetuated Genocide in Iraq will soon engulf other Arab Countries

The ISIS group owes its origin to the US strategy and military intervention in Iraq. But after the facts, America and some of its European allies fear of a less engaged role and cumbersome futuristic domination of the oil enriched Iraq and the neighboring Saudi Arabia and UAE. They want to contain the ISIS now ISIL as an Islamic Caliphate- governing body of the conquered regions in Iraq and Syria. ISIL is one of the composite groups fighting to overthrow the authoritarian regimes, do not pose any direct threat to challenge the US-British homeland security or sovereignty.  Sherwood Ross (“US Sponsored Genocide against Iraq 1990-2012 killed 3.3 million including 750,000 children.” Global Research: 12/06/2012), revisits the statement made by Professor Francis Boyle, Kuala Lumpur War Crimes Tribunal and many other investigative reports clearly blame the US led forces to have massacred more than three millions civilians in Iraq. The US and British are responsible for much of Iraq’s planned destruction, increased sectarian violence and dismantling of the political governance.

The global news media depicts the horrifying daily scenes of sectarian hatred and political killings across Iraq, Syria, Yemen, Libya, Afghanistan and Egypt and more to come in other parts of the Arabian states.   Time is not on the side of the Arab rulers. Do American masses care about the on-going massacres of civilians in other lands?  America is in a grip of crises, one after another as legal and political repercussions of the continued wars against Iraq, Yemen, Afghanistan and Pakistan. The war mentality has not changed under Obama’s presidency and much intended political stunt “Yes We Can.” Obama’s failure is written on boards when several thousands innocent American citizens are gunned down by domestic violence and political intransigence. The war veterans continue to commit suicide at an alarming rate of 18-25 per day (“Why do soldiers commit suicide and Global Warlords.” Uncommon Thought Journal: 4/14/2014)). What does it tell about America’s leaders and the Congress making bogus wars on others? America is bankrupt in moral, financial, political and intellectual domains. Over the centuries what was evolved and built by its historical thinkers, philosophers and political leaders, has been undermined and destroyed by George W. Bush and Barrack Obama just in a decade. The War on Terrorism has crippled America’s political capacity and image as a superpower and its moral and intellectual strength on a global scale that no nations can take it seriously any more. “Is America at war with itself and that war is illusion” wonders William Boardman (“A Country At War With An Illusion.” Information Clearing House: 8/19/2013) and then what is the cure?  …”No wonder we seem sometimes to be at war with ourselves, and have been for most of the 21st century….No American Under 12 Has Lived In A Country At Peace….America’s Main Enemy Is Nameless, Shapeless, “Associated Forces”… The American Enemies List Is Decided Anonymously and Secretly.

Do the Arab Leaders have Moral and Intellectual Credibility to Envisage Sustainable Future

The Arab League in Cairo, the OIC and the GCC based in Saudi Arabia and nameless other enterprises are just paper-based titles in dry ink and nothing more. Ironically, Arab world has no competent and fighting armed forces to defend its faith, geography and people. The only well established institution that maintains Arab authoritarian governance is secretive police apparatus. There are no public institutions to deal with critical issues of peace and conflict management.  Across the Middle East, Israel is the only country having institutions of peace and conflict analysis and viable system of political governance. How should the global humanity view the contemporary Arab societies, their war torn bloody cultures run by few authoritarian figures?  What kind of message of civility, moral and intellectual values do they convey to the watchful eyes of the global community? The present Arab leaders are a failure on all of the major frontlines of global affairs. What happened to their Islamic culture, values and glorious civilization? Was the petrodollar a conspiracy (“fitna”) to disconnect the Arab people from Islamic civilization?  The petro dollar maintained superficial economic prosperity has removed sense of fear and shame to the extent that over several decades of cruelty has embolden the Arab dictators to commit any crimes, bloodbaths and rob the people of their originality of thinking, culture and history. Would the future generations free of foreign captivity hold these monsters accountable for their infested crimes and political cruelty?

Time is critical for self-reflection and finding out ways and means to critical thinking and be able to have the Unity of Purpose and proactive leadership to solve the political crises and consequential catastrophic humanitarian problems. It is possible through transformational leadership if educated and intelligent people of new generation come to assume the power and leadership role. If the contemporary Arab leaders have slightest impulse of intelligence, they should focus their resolve on political change and to phase-in intelligent and educated people to assume major offices, make decisions and facilitate sustainable future. But the Western supported puppet regimes will not surrender to the will of the people and urgent requisites of Political Change as it happened in Egypt.  Why millions of innocent people have become refugees in their own homes, culture and region? Is there a number game to touch the human conscience? The Western news media reports indicate during the past three years more than 150 thousand civilians were gunned down in cold blood murdered across Syria. All the civic societal infrastructures are dismantled because of one man- Bashar al Assad will not go away like so many of the current Arab rulers.  Millions have become homeless and refugees in their own backyard. Those few millions fled to Turkey and other neighboring Arab societies face miserable conditions for survival. None of the Arab countries have moral, political and physical capacity to deal with this magnitude of catastrophic humanitarian crises. Do any of the Arab leaders realize the plights, pains and sufferings of these innocent people? Why should common people be the victims of authoritarian insanity? What other priorities do the Arab leaders have if they cannot deal with problem solving and restore public trust and normalcy in their own homeland?  If they are waiting to get workable solutions from Washington, London or Paris, they could not be more stupid and disconnected in this knowledge-based age of global affairs. Soon they will see unthinkable hangings and face replacement by their own Master. Some of the Western leaders including the US are asking Bashar al-Assad to step down but not to other authoritarian Arab rulers subservient to the US and its European allies. Have the egoistic rulers misread the lessons of history?  Could they be thoughtful of their own future - how would they end-up - most likely sooner than later?  Have the Arab rulers solved any of the important problems confronting the Arab masses over half of a century?

(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 the latest: Global Peace and Conflict Management: Man and Humanity in Search of New Thinking. Lambert Academic Publishing, Germany, May 2012).

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editor@aljazeerah.info & editor@ccun.org