A Major Failure by Washington
A Blast From the Past: The Non-Aligned Movement
By Eric Margolis
September 03, 2012 "Information Clearing House" - This week’s Non-Aligned
Movement (NAM) conference in Tehran brought nostalgic memories of the Cold War
and world-bestriding leaders like Nehru, Nasser, Castro, Nkrumah, and Sukarno.
However, most of them were disasters for their nations, but they certainly
were colorful and interesting.
In spite of intense efforts by the US and Israel to deter
attendance at the Tehran meeting –
backed by a wave of
western media attacks on the conclave –
over 150 nations and
international bodies attended.
This big turnout marked a major failure by Washington to
further tighten its siege of Iran. Of
particular note was
the presence of India’s prime minister,
Manmohan Singh.
India refused to bow to US pressure to
boycott the event and
announced future energy, trade and
transport deals with
Tehran.
Iran plays a key role in India’s plans to expand its
influence over Afghanistan and Central
Asia. India is
building a new, strategic rail line
linking the Iranian port
of Chahbahar to western Afghanistan.
Iran supplies over 11%
of India’s fast-growing demand for
energy. Delhi
increasingly worries about the security
of its Mideast
energy imports.
As I wrote a decade ago in my first book, War at the Top of the World, the US
and India may one day become rivals for Mideast oil and gas resources – and,
indeed, for control of the Gulf. India’s refusal to go along with US policy
further underlines the gradual shift to Asia of the world’s center of
strategic and economic gravity.
To Washington’s further annoyance, Egypt’s new president, Mohammed Morsi,
shrugged off threats of a cut in US aid and flew to Tehran. Under the 30-year
Mubarak dictatorship, Egypt had been a bulwark against Iran. But no more. The
increasingly assertive, independent Morsi made clear that Egypt would follow
its own foreign policy interests rather than those of the US and Israel, as in
the past.
Morsi has surprised just about everyone. When he stumbled into power earlier
this year he was regarded as a plodding nobody, selected by the all-powerful
military to do its bidding and not make trouble. The Muslim Brotherhood
leader, a former space engineer, threw off his cloak of humility and quickly
proceeded to muzzle Egypt’s bullying US-backed military, the key to US
domination of Egypt for the past 40 years.
How Morsi pulled this off without facing a military coup remains a mystery.
But he certainly had the backing of most Egyptians. It took Turkey’s Islamist
Lite government a decade to push the swaggering generals back to their
barracks and bring real democracy.
The Egyptian leader stunned everyone by openly blasting the Syrian regime of
Bashar Assad, calling for its replacement by an elected, democratic
government. Egyptian intervention in the bloody Syrian conflict may help pave
a way to a peaceful settlement. It could also rekindle ancient
Egyptian-Syrian rivalry for leadership of the Arab world.
In spite of issuing dulcet banalities about Egypt’s turn to democracy,
Washington is extremely unhappy with Egypt’s newly elected government. Egypt
will no longer be a discreet defender and ally of Israel, as under Mubarak,
but a rival power that genuinely demands a Palestinian state and sees no
reason to confront Iran or other US foes.
The US is responding to Egypt’s newfound independence by muttering about cuts
to its annual $1.3 billion donations to Egypt’s military and millions more in
secret payments. However, the Saudis and Gulf Arabs are lending cash-strapped
Cairo $3 billion and the US-run IMF another $4.8 billion in loans.
Interestingly, President Morsi just visited China where he received pledges of
aid.
In past years, most non-aligned conferences, whose objective was to find a
middle way between the West and Soviet Empire, produced only hot air, often
quite anti-American. As America’s world power declines after the loss of two
wars and deep recession, the NAM meeting in Tehran maybe a step, albeit
small, towards moving away from today’s unipolar world towards a more
balanced, equitable international system.
Iran’s supreme leader, Grand Ayatollah Ali Khamenei loosed a Parthian Shaft
at the summit’s end. He called the United Nations Security Council outdated,
unbalanced, and an instrument of the western powers. Khamenei called for a
major reform of the world institution. Few delegates disagreed with him.
Eric S. Margolis is an award-winning, internationally syndicated columnist.
His articles have appeared in the New York Times, the International Herald
Tribune the Los Angeles Times, Times of London, the Gulf Times, the Khaleej
Times, Nation – Pakistan, Hurriyet, – Turkey, Sun Times Malaysia and other
news sites in Asia. ericmargolis.com
Copyright © 2012 Eric Margolis
http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article32345.htm
[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
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