Hi Dr. Seal, nice to see you on islamonline. How do you see the main features of the US policy of the Middle East in the light of the recent events in Iraq, Palestine, and other countries?
Answer
The dominant feature of the Middle East today is America's armed military presence at the heart of the Middle East. This affects every political relationship in the region. It has caused great anxiety in many ME capital especially in Iran and Syria, which are posed now in the front line. So the key questions are: what does America want, what it will do with its military dominance, will it be a good cop – a force for good solving problems and ending conflicts – or it will be a bad cop with its policies manipulated by a small group by ambitious men in Washington in pursuit of their own agenda.
Another key question is: will the US stop at Iraq or is it planning to attack another country?
My own view is that it has its hands full in Iraq and that President Bush now understands that he must do something about the Arab-Israeli conflict if his policies are to gain support in the Arab and Muslim world.
Name
Hala
-
Profession
Question
How do you see the causes for the latest bombings attacks against American targets especially in Riyadh and Morocco?
Answer
The first thing one has to say about these attacks is that they demonstrate that al Qaeda, or something much like it, is still very much alive. But, I believe one should condemn these attacks because the victims are innocent people, many of them local Arabs and Muslims, and they have the effect of the rallying opinion in those countries, Saudi Arabia and Morocco, against the bombers. In other words, the targets of these attacks were ill chosen and the results counter productive, because the government's concerns will now increase the repression of opposition groups, many of them Islamist in nature.
Nevertheless, even if we condemn such attacks, we should try to understand the thinking of the people who carry them out. No doubt, they see their actions as a violent response to the violence used against Arabs and Muslims by the United States and its allies.
In general terms, I expect more resistance to the United States both inside Iraq and in the Arab and the Muslim world as a whole. Occupation breeds resistance. I do not believe the Arabs are ready for another colonial experience as say in 1920 when the modern Iraqi state was created by the British after the collapse of the Ottoman empire in World War I.
Name
arthur
- United States
Profession
teacher
Question
I am confused by the latest moves of Bush. This concern for the palestinians all of a sudden is it artificial, was it Sharon's idea, has Sharon blinked in acknowledgement that he has failed and has called on Bush to bail Israel out?
Answer
I believe we should give President Bush the benefit of the doubt and we should applaud his recent statements concerning the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. In Aqaba, in Jordan, he declared once again that "the Holy Land must be shared" between Israelis and Palestinians. He restated his vision of a Palestinian state living at peace and side by side with Israel.
No one should quarrel with these views. But he must now wait for implementation. At the Aqaba summit between President Bush, the Palestinian Prime Minister Mahmoud Abbas and the Israeli primer Ariel Sharon, Sharon promised to dismantle some of the "illegal" outbursts established by settlers in the occupied west bank. They are today more than one hundred of these outbursts. Dismantling some of them is only a few small start; they must all go as must the great majority of the Israeli settlements in the West bank, if a viable Palestinian state is to emerge. There is still no sign that Ariel Sharon is prepared to take such radical step. On the contrary, he may be playing for time, knowing that the start of the American presidential campaign this fall is bound to distract President Bush from Middle East "vision".
We need to remember that Sharon heads the most right wing government in Israel's history that he has dedicated his life to the recreation of a greater Israel, that the Labour Party and the Peace Camp in Israel have never been weaker, and that Bush's administration contains many powerful American Jews who are close friends of Sharon. So there are many obstacles ahead. But we must not be unduly pessimistic, and we must be grateful to President Bush for at least making a start at finding a solution to the Middle East conflict. The key question is: will he have the political courage and the will to see the drop through to the end?
Name
-
-
Profession
Question
Do you think America are trying to take the limelight off Iraq (and the fact they are not able to come up with concrete evidence of weapons of mass destruction) by focusing their 'energy' on the Palestine issue?
Do you believe they have ulterior motives to trying to come up with a solution to resolving the conflict in Israel & Palestine? I for one, cannot believe Sharon is doing this off his own free will & fear the Palestinians will be under even more persecution.
Answer
This questions raises two issues, first the issue of weapons of mass destruction in Iraq, and secondly the connection between the Iraqi crisis and the Israel-Palestinian conflict.
As everyone knows by now, no weapons of mass destruction have been found in Iraq. The American congress and the British Parliament are beginning to investigate how the intelligence which formed the basis for the war was so mistaken. Was the intelligence deliberately fabricated to justify an attack. Who was responsible for providing this intelligence? These questions are proving embarrassing to Primer Minister Tony Blair, but also to President Bush. I believe that Bush is beginning to question the reliability of the intelligence he received. We may be witnessing a beginning of a backlash against the neo-conservatives in the administration who campaigned for war.
In turning his attention to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, Bush seems much more his own man. In campaigning for a Palestinian state he is running counter to the views of the leading hawks in his own administration. We must wait and see how this battle at the heart of US government will be resolved.
Name
AbderRahim
- Morocco
Profession
Question
Assalamu alaikum:
Don't you think that the American new policy in the middle east is merely one further step in a long-term process which aims to concretise Big Israel and pave the way for the final neuclear battle in Majidou? It's true that the policy-makers have been obliged to jump over many steps because of the unexpected September 11th attacks, but the scam still exists.
Answer
A fact of life in the ME is the US-Israeli alliance which dates back to the 1960's and which has become ever close over the past 40 years. Leading members of President Bush's administration seem to believe that US and Israeli interest are identical and cannot be separated. They seem determined to want to destroy all opposition or resistance to US or Israel whether this opposition is Islamic radicalism, Arab nationalism, or Palestinian militancy.
But I do not believe that President Bush, or indeed the State Department has adopted every aspect of this policy. There is some evidence that President Bush now understands that his credibility as well as the security of American interests and American citizens in the world, lies in resolving the Arab-Israeli conflict on the basis of justice and not on the basis of Israeli domination. If this is true, it is a big step forward and will reduce opposition to America's imperial project in Iraq.
Name
Ali
- Morocco
Profession
Question
Hello Patrick,
Nice to you here again,
US wants to destroy WMD and it named countries they want to go after. Why is never Israel on the list and since Israel a big quantity/capacity. Israel is a threat to its neighbours and criminals like Ariel Sharon runs the country.
Thank you
Answer
The question of proliferation of WMD has become a key element in President Bush's global policy. After the 9/11-2001 attacks on the US, America became very much afraid of mass-causality terrorism. In particular it was concerned that so called "rogue state" might pass on weapons of mass destruction to terrorist groups which might then attack the united states. The attack on Iraq was justified but the arguments that Iraq possessed WMD and was no in touch with terrorist groups.
Of course to outsiders the fact that the US never mentions Israel WMD is the scandal and a blatant example of double standards. The truth is that ever since the jonchson administration of the 1960's the US has turned a blind eye to Israel's necleaur weapons programs.
Name
Najah
-
Profession
Question
Do you think the Palestinian issue will take a new turn after Abu Mazen, especially after his pledges to stop the intifada? Do you think he will succeed in his mission, or the final say will be only with the Palestinian people?
Answer
Well, I personally have very much hope that Abu Mazen will succeed; however as he must be aware of, there many many obstacles on the road in front him.
Bu I think we have to understand that both the Israelis and Palestinians are very tired of the conflict and this may be a hopeful sign. Primer minister Mahmoud Abbas is a leading moderate and outspoken opponent of the armed intifada. He has said that he will use every means to stop violence against the Israelis.
Now this does not meant that the violence of the last 3 years was useless. I believe that it has convinced many Israelis that there is no military solution to this conflict; it would indeed be a tragedy if 3 thousands, Palestinians and Israelis had been killed for nothing. But I believe that it is now time to negotiate a settlement.
Now, unfortunately, I feel there are grave doubts about Prime Minister Sharon's sincerity in accepting the roadmap. As I said in an answer to a previous question, he heads the most right wing government in Israel's history. Extremist settlers have already launched attack on him under the slogan that "Sharon is a traitor". These people are extremely dangerous, they are armed and well organized, one of them killed Prime Minister Rabbin in November 1995, and it is doubtful that Sharon will win to confront them. At the same time the Israeli labor party is in deep crisis and at the weakest point in its history. So I believe it will need a political earthquake in Israel and the United States to bring about an Israeli withdrawal from anything like the 1967 borders.
But we should not be too pessimistic, but meanwhile Israeli settlements continued to expand and the security sense is being been built, which is eating up still more Palestinian territory.
We should remember President Bush's words when he says "When I say I am going to be involved in the peace process, I mean I am going to be involved in the peace process."
We have to take him at his word and hope he means it.
Name
Hassan
- Canada
Profession
Question
Hello,
My question today is:
What is the US trying to achieve with its new policy in the middle? Do you think because Israel is disintegrating?
Thank you
Answer
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