MUSCAT, 6 April 2004 — Before the Sept. 11 events, the US was taking advantage of rifts and weaknesses among the Arab countries. It was dragged by Israel into outlining a strategy to further weaken and divide the Arab world, thwarting any chance of a unity of purpose, common goal and vision.
Thanks to the Sept. 11 events, the Arabs have awakened to the reality and the American Zionist plot. The Arab countries have begun working on closing ranks, embarking on a new strategy against the Israeli-American conspiracy. If you follow the American policies in relation to the Arab world, you will come across some painful facts. Arrogance and attempts at extending hegemony reached such an extent that the US expected and insisted that the rest of the world obey its orders without so much as raising an eyebrow.
America, no doubt, is blinded by its bias toward Israel. Its decisions blatantly flout international conventions and resolutions, approved and adopted by all members of the UN in support of the Palestinians. Worse still, America is refusing to open its eyes to acts of injustice. It turns a blind eye toward the rights of the Palestinians to live in peace and dignity. And it declares: “We are with Israel, no matter what it does, no matter if it is the aggressor or the victim.”
America does not respect Arab viewpoints. There are many examples to prove the point. The Palestinian issue, war plans against Iraq, the division of Sudan into two, the attack on a Sudanese pharmaceutical factory and the attack and imposition of embargo on Libya ... America is carrying out its plans without giving any consideration to the Arabs or the rest of the world.
One might wonder from where does America get its strength to inflict such injustice upon the Arab world. How come America is so certain that the Arabs can’t do anything against its policies? The answer is crystal clear. It derives its strength and arrogance from nowhere but Arab discord and disunity. Before the Sept. 11 events, the Arab world had not taken any bold, united stand against America or Israel. Arab opposition and resistance ended up with meetings, resolutions and statements of condemnation. All words and no action.
How many times have the Arabs met together and how many times have they taken decisions? More important, how many times have they actually implemented these decisions? Such inaction and disunity, of course, gave America confidence to do what it wanted. No wonder, it accused countries and people of “crimes” without any evidence. So while the Arabs were busy holding meetings and forming committees, America and Israel were working, calmly and in a calculated manner, for the fulfillment of their ulterior motives.
The US is hell-bent on aiding and abetting inter-Arab conflicts and crises. Drawing strength from history and experience, America is confident of dealing with the Arabs. And the US knows that the Arab reaction will be confined to rhetoric. Alas, the Arabs have many a strategic weapon in their hands, and if only they had used them properly, the situation would have been completely different now. Fortunately, the Arabs are now closing their ranks. Bold decisions and unified positions are now within reach. Arab diplomacy has moved in all directions to counter American and Zionist propaganda. Now there is a good chance of Arab diplomacy succeeding because American policies have become unacceptable even to its own allies. Aren’t we seeing the beginning of the end of American hegemony?
— Essa bin Mohammed Al-Zedjali is editor in chief of The Times of Oman.
