Stranger things have happened and are likely to happen, but the past week has seen some really odd ventures into the realms of insanity. The Cave Man wants to play politics now. He is offering Europe an olive branch in exchange for — what? Generalized statements about Muslims and Muslim countries are not exactly what would make you pass Political Science 101.
The man has no country, no army, no legal status, and indeed no popular base in a single geographic location. Yet he has the conceit to put his head out and declare in our names that what his loose bands of brigands have done will cease if... You might think this came out of the blue and has no precedent. Well, it does have a precedent if you know your history. The British Empire at its zenith did “negotiate” with the brigands and pirates of the Gulf area during the 19th and early 20th centuries. They were very much like Al-Qaeda, targeting ships and blowing them up for material gain. Now we know them as the Emirates and Oman. Are Bin Laden’s genetic tendencies overpowering his behavior? I wonder.
Another stranger-than-fiction incident came from a place that should be well versed in the art of politics: The White House. President Bush told the world that it is acceptable for Israelis to stay on Palestinian land and not acceptable for Palestinians to go back to lands they lost to war and aggression. This is a volte face from declared US positions held for fifty years. One might ask how it is possible for Bush to negotiate on behalf of the Palestinians. He sat with Sharon and they “agreed”. The world flinched. Even Blair wobbled. Al-Rantissi died 48 hours later.
Apart from being unfair, this declaration was not necessary at all. It will change nothing and provide more fuel for anger, hate and bloodshed. America now cannot be seen as a broker of peace, let alone an honest one. Couldn’t Bush have at least waited till Sharon’s own party agreed to these plans? It would be something if they voted it down when Bush has already agreed to it.
On a more practical front, this is the sort of thing that will happen when Arab leaders cannot even agree on a summit date and are occupied with nothing more than their personal interests. A proverbially deserted house will inevitably invite squatters.
The third bizarre incident is Rumsfeld’s declaration that he is “surprised” at what is going on in Iraq. He also added for good measure that no one could imagine that one year later things would be as they are. Well, many imagined and wrote about it. It was painfully obvious that there was no plan beyond the removal of Saddam. That having been achieved, the mayhem began. A Governing Council made up of crooks, discredited non-entities, thieves and glossy brigands was certainly not the answer. I can’t imagine anyone sitting with Bin Laden and talking politics, but I sure hope someone in Washington still remembers the lessons of Political Science 101.
