-Caveat Lector- From: International Justice Watch Discussion List [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]] On Behalf Of Jody Ranck Sent: Sunday, April 14, 2002 7:20 PM To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Subject: First combat US ignorance. Then we may have peace.
First combat US ignorance. Then we may have peace 14 April 2002 The Independent So much for the "Bush Doctrine", that simple litmus-test of the war against terror, proclaimed shortly after 11 September, in which "those who are not with us are against us". Even then the doctrine was leaky. Among those deemed to be bulwarks of America's coalition were such pillars of ambiguity as Saudi Arabia and Pakistan. But no matter, the doctrine more or less held, as Mr Bush earned wide praise for his handling of the first phase of his war against terror. The Middle East, to whose agony this paper today devotes four pages, has demonstrated the limits of foreign policy by sloganeering in the bloodiest and most emphatic way imaginable. "Look, my job isn't to nuance," the President told an interviewer before his summit with Tony Blair. He was being questioned about the suicide- bombers and Israel's tank operations in the occupied West Bank, events that were so inconsiderately diverting attention from the preparations to get rid of Saddam Hussein. But in the Middle East, where both sides are right and both sides are wrong, Mr Bush is belatedly learning that nuances are all. The Doctrine classifies Yasser Arafat as a terrorist; yet Middle East realities make him an inescapable negotiating partner. Ariel Sharon is a close ally, yet his bloody record makes Israel the prime obstacle to better relations between the US and the Arab world. The tragedy which is unfolding is in good measure a tragedy of American ignorance. It is not Mr Bush's fault that the mission of Colin Powell is turning into a humiliation, or that he has been fated to deal with Israeli and Palestinian leaders united only by mutual hatred and the calculation that violence serves their interests. Indeed, there was no alternative to Mr Powell's trip, just as there remains no alternative to his meeting Mr Arafat, however distasteful for purists of the Doctrine. Imagine the criticism that would now be directed at the US had the Secretary of State sat fast in Washington as the Middle East blazed beyond control. In retrospect, it is clear he should have gone there long ago, when some margin of manoeuvre still existed. Mr Bush's fault is ignorance: his belief that Sharon and Arafat could be left to their own poisonous devices while he settled his father's unfinished business in Iraq. We knew Mr Bush cared little for foreign affairs when he entered the White House, but the advisers that surrounded him gave comfort. The collective wisdom of Messrs Powell, Cheney, Rumsfeld and Rice, we assumed, would see everything was well. But they are divided on the Middle East. Mr Bush stands alone, undecided, still half-trapped in an irrelevant mindset as America's lack of influence is cruelly revealed to all. This is a truly frightening crisis, not so much because of the risk it will turn into a generalised conflagration in the Middle East, but because of the extra legacy of bitterness, loathing and hopelessness it will bequeath to attempts to settle it, and also the renewed impetus it will give to terrorism in the name of Islam. But sooner or later, a climate more propitious to peacemaking will emerge. To hasten that day, America must continue the course embarked upon in Madrid last week, when the US, Russia, Europe and the UN appealed for both sides to pull back. Vast patience and commitment will be required. The disappointments will be many. Only if the great powers work together is there a chance of imposing a truce, which might allow the despatch of an international force to keep the peace, and the pursuit of a political solution. Arrogant amid its military successes in Afghanistan, the Bush administration once scorned the attention Bill Clinton devoted to the Middle East. Far, far too late, it is learning that it has no choice but to do the same. <A HREF="http://www.ctrl.org/";>www.ctrl.org</A> DECLARATION & DISCLAIMER ========== CTRL is a discussion & informational exchange list. Proselytizing propagandic screeds are unwelcomed. Substance—not soap-boxing—please! These are sordid matters and 'conspiracy theory'—with its many half-truths, mis- directions and outright frauds—is used politically by different groups with major and minor effects spread throughout the spectrum of time and thought. That being said, CTRLgives no endorsement to the validity of posts, and always suggests to readers; be wary of what you read. CTRL gives no credence to Holocaust denial and nazi's need not apply. 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