The voices condemning the attacks against the Taleban and Al-Qaeda are heard even in Kuwait. The Kuwaitis, who oppose the American-led war, however, have been subjected to more severe criticism than the rest of the Arabs who have criticized the American war in Afghanistan.
After reading a number of Kuwaiti newspapers and listening to their radio and TV broadcasts, I wondered how the people of Kuwait could forget the ordeal they themselves went through barely a decade ago. The United States is currently being criticized because of large-scale civilian casualties and destruction of cities as a result of the West’s campaign in Afghanistan which basically targeted one single man.
The arguments against the Western attacks are almost the same as those heard when Iraq was attacked in order to guarantee the territorial integrity of Kuwait. Other Arabs were of the view that bombing Iraq was wrong because it only harmed innocent civilians and destroyed the Iraqi economy rather than hurting or weakening Saddam Hussein, the sole Iraqi the United States wanted to punish.
The arguments against bombing Iraq were made either with the good intention of stopping the war and thus protecting innocent Iraqis or with a sinister intent to pave the way for Iraq to win in its war on Kuwait.
The arguments of other Arabs were unacceptable to the Kuwaitis because it was Kuwait that was being invaded and it was their land that was occupied by Iraqi forces. The Kuwaitis were thus understandably against any negotiating or bargaining that might have prolonged their miseries while they waited for an international peaceful settlement. They were well aware that efforts toward a peace settlement would only be an obstacle to liberating their country and they were afraid that their plight would be no different from that of other occupied territories and would soon be forgotten or ignored by the international community.
No country, however, has the moral right to oppose the punitive actions launched by the US against the man who launched an attack on it.
Most of the Arabs, who are safely away from the danger of anyone attacking them or their interests, consider the American moves unacceptable. At the same time, the Kuwaitis who condemn the US attacks in Afghanistan are illogical in their views as they have forgotten their own recent past and perhaps lost sight of their future as well.
The shallow views of Kuwaiti opponents to the American initiatives in Afghanistan can be compared to an opinion from a Moroccan expressing his fears about the attempts of Western countries to bring down the price of oil. This fear would be valid if it came from a Saudi, a Libyan, an Algerian or any citizen of an oil-exporting country. A high oil price, however, works against the interests of Morocco which must import oil — and pay the market price — to meet its own domestic requirements. The bonds in the name of the Arabism are not always linked to economic interests. On the other hand, a low price would likely be beneficial to Morocco’s economic growth and to that of other oil-importing countries.
Does the logic of the Kuwaitis who demand strong action against Saddam yet oppose action against the Taleban differ basically from this hypothetical Moroccan opinion?
