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Excerpts from Egyptian and Saudi Arabian english language newspapers.
Ed Weick From Al Ahram, published in Cairo. by Hassan Nafaa (professor of political science at Cairo University.) Fate destined -- or perhaps it was not all that coincidental -- that the horror of 11 September occurred only months after the most conservative administration in US history reached power and within months of the "election" of a war criminal as Israeli prime minister. The coincidence of these two leaderships helped eliminate any obstacles that had prevented the US and Israel from reaching full conformity in their vision for a "new" Middle East. Of course, the US has always been unreservedly pro-Israeli. However, US-Israeli relations underwent a profound and unprecedented transformation with the arrival of Bush junior to the White House at the head of a team consisting of a number of fundamentalist Christians who subscribe to the belief that the realisation of Greater Israel is a prerequisite for the return of Christ. For the first time in the history of US-Israeli relations, the US administration's attitudes toward Israel were governed by creed rather than pragmatism. Given the presence of an ultra-right Israeli government that believes absolutely in creating Greater Israel, it was natural that the visions of Washington and Tel Aviv would converge and that the policies of the former would be subordinated to those of the latter. From Arab News, published in Saudi Arabia. by Haani Nowailaty (a Saudi writer based in Jeddah. He grew up in America and wants someday return there.)… all of it aside despite its relevance to the subject, but know, realize and focus on this: That long before Sept. 11, 2001 — in 1996 to be precise — a study was undertaken by the Rand Corporation, a highly important and effective policy designing US conservative "think tank" that included among its major policy development outlines specific recommendations on how to change the geopolitical map of the Middle East in order to combat the perceived rising threat of politically militant Islam, to guarantee an uninterrupted long-term oil supply to the US at reasonable costs based on projected future consumption levels, and — I admit I am not sure about this one — to examine an "alternative" possible long-term solution to the nagging and ever-present Arab-Israeli conflict, which was beginning to escalate out of control, thereby threatening to destabilize the entire region by plunging it into another full-scale war, with highly undesirable effects for the US economy and the US’ world position. And while considering this, please keep in mind, first and foremost, that this was a "selfish" study aimed at the formulation of future world policy for the direct benefit of the US and the US alone. … The attacks of 9/11, as abominable, hellish, and murderous as they were, nevertheless gave the powers-that-be an unprecedented window of opportunity to implement the recommendations of the study, beginning with the invasion of Iraq. However, another account had to be settled first and rightfully so. The little excursion into Afghanistan was the initial retaliatory step in the rightful campaign against terror. The world stood by the US during the tragedy of 9/11 and during the Afghan campaign and continued to support the US-led effort to combat and nullify the threat of terrorism. There is no quibble here and to use the words of the president, the war against terrorism is full of "moral clarity", which no sane person can argue with including most Arabs. … And speaking of Arabs, it is important to note that other than the actual victims of 9/11, their communities, families and loved ones, no group in the world was hurt as much as the Arabs. To world opinion, all Arabs, regardless of where they are from, regardless of their occupations or personal convictions, regardless of their societies being the most sedate and law-abiding cultures on the face of the earth, overnight became terrorists and heinous, villainous murderers. … Then during his State of the Union address, the man for "moral clarity" uttered the unforgettable and now infamous phrase "Axis of Evil" and the other ultimatum about choosing sides — both of which were delivered in what the world at large considered the most offensive, pompous, self- righteous and undiplomatic language possible. … No one likes an ultimatum; individuals and nations with a long history of mutual dependence and supposedly shared aims and values do not respond well to being so cornered and forced, even accused. The US administration was stating in no uncertain terms that it and it alone was capable of distinguishing good from evil, legal from illegal and right from wrong. The wave of resentment grew in direct proportion to the belligerence of the US administration in voicing this stance and opinion by the tactless Rumsfeld or the heartless tag-team of Cheney & Ashcroft and last but not least, the infinitely sophomoric Ms. Rice. These faces and what they represent were keys in fostering an atmosphere of distrust and fear of the US. … it must be firmly noted that the world outside America was, and remains, of the firm opinion and conviction that the war against terror has very little, if anything to do with the Iraqi invasion, and that the two should never, ever be confused, despite the administration’s insistence and the manipulation by the media to suggest that Iraq and 9/11 are part and parcel of the same endeavor. What "moral clarity" is this? The whole world outside the US therefore opposes this war for a good reason and that reason is that with respect to its foreign policy, American morality and justice has become what America, and America alone, deems moral and just, regardless of fact and contrary to what our eyes witness, our ears hear and our hearts and minds tell us. The world, rightly or wrongly, fears that this war is only the beginning of a much larger adventure, that the reasons given are not genuine, that the American version of the truth simply will not persuade, and that the whole endeavor is an arrogant exercise in world supremacy to the ruin of us all.
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