JEDDAH/RIYADH/DAMMAM, 21 March 2003 — Reactions in Saudi Arabia to the news of the US-led attack on Iraq in the early hours of Wednesday morning were varied and vocal. Many criticized President George W. Bush for launching a war against Iraq without UN approval. Most thought the war immoral and potentially destabilizing to the Middle East.
Even though the action is supported — overtly or covertly — by over 40 countries, the US is the main target of criticism here.
“If President Bush’s moral instinct is so strong, he should address the question of North Korea (a nuclear power) and try to give lessons in democracy to Cuba nearby,” said Qudsia Mirza, a Riyadh-based editor of Canadian News. She said the war had deeper, racist motives and underlined the need for unity among Muslims.
Adnan Jaber, a Jordanian national and economic editor of Al-Watan, said the US had two objectives for the war — controlling Iraq’s oil reserves estimated at 300 billion barrels and changing the political map of the Middle East, leaving Israel as the only major regional power.
“If President Bush and his government think they can win the war easily, they are mistaken,” said Adnan, who writes on Iraqi affairs. “Since America wants to occupy the country, there will be stiff resistance inside Iraq, which has its own professionally trained and battle-hardened army.”
Adnan said the war could trigger an arms race across the world, as the countries in general and those targeted in particular would ratchet up their defense spending at the cost of their development programs. Further, it would increase terrorism rather than reduce it, since political instability would provide a breeding ground for radicalism.
Alkis Righas, the Greek Cypriot administrative manager of a multinational construction company, said that by waging a war in the face of global opposition, the US action would have an adverse impact on the Middle East. “We are already feeling the impact, as the Saudi government had already put construction projects on hold.”
Ahmed Abu Bakr, a 56 year-old businessman, also believed that the Americans are in this war to control Iraq’s wealth. “They are willing to kill women and children for oil. Inshallah this will be another Vietnam for the United States.”
“I hope this aggression will end soon, allowing diplomacy to take over,” said Monerah Muhammad, a 25-year-old university student. “War has never been a solution to any problem.”
Allen Walsh, a 32-year-old Westerner working in a courier company in Jeddah, was forthright in his comments. “By waging war, both the US president and the UK prime minister are putting the lives of all Westerners in the Middle East in jeopardy. Already some attacks have taken place in the past few years, and what will happen in future is anybody’s guess,” he said.
Personal memories of previous conflicts surfaced in some expatriates.
“We Sri Lankans know what kind of suffering the people in general have to go through, and we suffered a lot both in terms of men and material during the two-decade-old rebellion,” said Jeddah-based executive Ibrahim Mubarak.
Expatriates in general are opposed to the conflict. “Imagine how many people will be killed, maimed or injured as a result of the aerial strikes,” said Nawaz Khan, a taxi driver in Jeddah who hails from Dera Ghazi Khan close to Pakistan’s border with Afghanistan. “What happened to Afghans and even some Pakistanis during the terror attacks in Afghanistan is well known. You cannot hold an entire country to ransom for the so-called wrongs Saddam might have done.”
“It was entirely irresponsible of Bush to go in without diplomacy being given the chance to explore every avenue,” said Andrew Willox, a film production manager in Jeddah. “The disingenuous offer of a ‘road map to peace’ as some kind of sweetener to the Arab and Palestinians is insulting. I frankly doubt if anything will come of it.”
The attack has had a visible effect on the streets of Dammam in the Eastern Province. Today was exceptionally quiet, even for a Thursday, when only the private sector works a half-day. There was a general atmosphere of seriousness, though a few admitted they were afraid. Anger at the attack was widespread among the people in the region and many felt it was “unjust, unethical and barbaric.”
“It appears the world is moving backward,” said Saleh Al-Humaidan, managing director of Al-Youm Publishing Group. He said the shocking part of the attack was that America which claimed to be a citadel of democracy and champion of human rights indulged in such a unilateral preemptive strike.
Fayez Mazroui, a local journalist, was in tears. “My heart goes out to the people of Iraq who already suffered so much during the past 12 years,” he said.
