By Bouthaina Shaaban, Syrian expatriates minister, The Daily Star, Lebanon
After weeks of media preparation, some leaks, and staging the event in a theatrical way and using very vague and manipulative language that hides the important facts instead of revealing them, the reports of Petraeus-Crocker came to embody a simple and certain fact which is the United States is in Iraq to stay so long as the oil reserves in Iraq are expected to last – 100 years – and that the United States will use Iraq to try and reshape the entire region in a way that serves an expansionist Israel and the interests of oil and arms companies in the United States.
This conclusion was very clear in the address delivered by President Bush to the nation on “the way forward in Iraq” on September 12, where he said:
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“This vision for a reduced American presence also has the support of Iraqi leaders from all communities. At the same time they understand that their success will require US political, economic and security engagement that extends beyond my presidency. These Iraqi leaders have asked for an enduring relationship with America. And we are ready to begin building that relationship- in a way that protects our interests in the region and requires many fewer American troops.”
Bush later warns that if the US were to withdraw its troops it may leave Iran to dominate the region and would leave extremists to “control a key part of the global energy supply.” Obviously, extremists here means nationalists who want to control their national resources. Thus, it has become clear that the American occupation of Iraq aims at controlling a “key part of the global energy supply” and at dominating the region. It was noteworthy that Bush did not mention WMDs, Saddam or democracy, which were the initial pretexts for launching this war!
In order to achieve these objectives the US Army destroyed the social, cultural and historical matrix of Iraq, causing the death of 1 million Iraqis, the maiming of another million and the displacement of over 4 million Iraqis both inside and outside Iraq. But how could Petraeus-Crocker or Bush see that, as none of their families is sick with the smell of blood on the streets, and none of their children is killed or maimed, and none of them is threatened with cholera, or cancer or diseases which are sweeping Iraqi society?
Furthermore Iraq is used as a card for members of Congress to score more political points in their election campaigns as no one truly knows what is going on in Iraq, because it is too dangerous for any American to stroll on the streets, but not dangerous for Iraqis to live there! It was baffling that the Petraeus-Crocker reports and the address of President Bush made no mention of the human catastrophe which has befallen the Iraqis due to this terrible war on them. It is a holocaust against innocent people who did nothing to deserve it.
The future strategy of Petraeus-Bush is to make of Iraq an advanced base to threaten neighboring countries and to liquidate the Palestinian national rights and prevent the Lebanese from reaching an agreement and reshape Belad al-Sham as Israeli-American occupation wants it to be, void of all creativity and excellence, and a poor puppet to Israeli-American hegemony.
This new stage is characterized by identical stands between Israel and the US governments toward the region. As Haaretz is ranking American presidential candidates according to the Israeli factor (Haaretz, September 13, 2007), Livni, the foreign minister of Israel, is never tired of inciting countries against Iran and any national movement which works for independence and real sovereignty. The war on terror is used to terrorize anyone who doesn’t join these forces of hegemony over the region and its resources.
What Petraeus and Bush did not say is that our region is heading to a long struggle between forces of occupation (Israel and the US) and national liberation movements which are fermenting in the region. The Middle East now is where South America was 30 years ago. In less than 30 years the Middle East will be where most countries in South America are today, led by nationalists who use their national wealth solely for the welfare and prosperity of their own people. On the path to get to that point there will be plenty of pain for everyone, especially for the indigenous people of this region, the Arabs, but what can people do if occupying powers refuse to learn from history?
Salomon
I think you miss the point here in this report and therefore fail to answer the obvious antisemitism in the Syrian report, but you also miss the great danger to Israel from the Bush War in Iraq.
Whatever happens in Iraq Israel is going to be in a much worse position at the end of it than before. The Bush war has left Israel in a very much worse position and this will be seen in the American position in this November conference, which is what Jews should be concentrating on not on how many stripes this Petraeus guy has got.
I ask Bill Levinson in particular why he does not concentrate on what Bush is preparing in this Nov Conference re the imposition of the Palestinian state.
Also Solomon you miss the truth in the Arabs statement above.
The Bush statement did say nothing about those weapons of mass destruction. So seen by the world as a liar. Israel cannot afford to be tied in with that and it was not, because the Israelis in Israel did not support the Iraq war.
I would say Solomon that the Islamofascists are a danger yes, but the biggest danger at the moment (this conference in Nov just 7 weeks off now) is the US Government.
I ask Bill Levinson in particular, will Petraeus be leading the NATO troops in to impose Palestine state on the Israelis?
Arabs never cease to amaze me, with their shameless rejection of any responsibility whatsoever.
Whatever atrocity and mass murder Muslims commit on other Muslims, it is always the Americans’ fault, Israel’s fault or any unfavourable position of the stars!