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Wednesday 2 February 2011

Arab marching to the beat of their own drums

DIPLOMATICALLY SPEAKING By DENNIS IGNATIUS duta.thestar@gmail.com

Arab citizens now marching to the beat of their own drums

 


THE mass demonstrations that continue to rock the Middle East are not just a threat to the region’s entrenched despots — they represent an unravelling of the American imperium no less.

Some long-held assumptions about the political inclinations of Arab citizens are also being challenged.

Over the last 60 years, the United States and its Western allies progressively advanced their dominion over much of the Middle East by deposing unfriendly or uncooperative regimes and propping up friendly governments through political and military alliances.

What evolved was a system of local satraps who were deeply unpopular with their own people but supportive of America’s broader regional objectives — control over the region’s oil wealth, protecting Israel’s security and containing radical Islam.

Lost in the midst of this grand strategy were both the interests of the people themselves and the very principles of democracy that once earned America admiration and respect in the developing world.

The grand failure of American diplomacy was that it never found a way to reconcile its own strategic interests in the region with the hopes and aspirations of Arab citizens.

Particularly after Islamists won elections first in Algeria and then in Gaza, it chose to put its faith in a few ruthless dictators instead of genuinely working to empower civil society and developing strong national institutions.

It was a case of security and stability trumping democracy and development. Many, both local and foreign, warned that such a strategy was unsustainable but hubris overwhelmed wisdom, especially during the Bush years.

Now that the day of reckoning has arrived, Western governments are rushing to find common cause with the Arab street.

France, Switzerland and Italy, for example, quickly closed their doors to deposed Tunisian dictator Ben Ali and his family and froze their assets. Canada is presently seeking to evict Ben Ali’s family members though it was happy to give them permanent residence when they ruled Tunisia.

As the shouts for “hurriyya” or liberty grew louder on the streets of Egypt, Western capitals gushed with sudden admiration for its citizens. US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton unabashedly said that America had been on the side of Egyptians for the past 30 years!

How hollow and shallow all this must sound to Arab citizens.

They may be poor and oppressed but they are not stupid. They know who stood with their oppressors all these years. They know it’s easy to kick a despot when he’s down but it takes real conviction to stand up to one when he’s at the height of his power.

Despite this, there has been a remarkable absence of anti-American or anti-Western rancour on the streets of Arab cities. Thus far at least, there are no chants of “death to America.”

On the contrary, Arab citizens appear to be generally looking to the West for support and sympathy. What they want is not more pious platitudes but unequivocal support, pressure on the security forces not to resort to violence and a firm commitment to real and meaningful democratic change.

Of course, there is always the possibility that Islamic radicals might come out of the shadows and seize power as they did in Iran after the Shah was toppled. Iran’s mullahs are certainly wishing for this, forgetting that there is a restlessness for change on their own streets, as witnessed last year following flawed presidential elections there.

The last thing the Arab world needs, after decades of oppression by secular despots, is yet more oppression by religious zealots. They need to move forward into modernity, not backward into past mirages. But this is something that Arab citizens themselves will have to grapple with.

The sooner strong democratic institutions — a free press, an impartial judiciary, a transparent, accountable and responsive governance system — are established, the better they will be able to resist both forms of tyranny.

For now, it must certainly speak volumes about their politics that the cry for what the American Declaration of Independence so eloquently called “life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness” united, galvanised and energised the Arab street to a degree that Osama bin Laden and his ilk can only envy.

Change has come not in response to Obama or Osama but in response to their own yearning for freedom and dignity.

America and the West must now support an orderly transition by taking a clear stand. Once Arab citizens are convinced that the West is committed to genuine change, they are more likely to be trusting, for example, of an interim administration in Egypt, pending free and fair elections.

What is also urgently needed is a bold and visionary development agenda, a new Marshall Plan even, that will help transform the Middle East into a dynamic region of growth and prosperity. It is the only way to ensure lasting stability in this important region. It will be a lot cheaper than another war.

Whatever happens, Arab citizens now see themselves differently. They are sending a clear message that they will not allow Western priorities to take precedence over their own hopes and aspirations for a better future. They are marching to the beat of their own drums and there is no going back to the days of the American imperium.

Tuesday 1 February 2011

Malaysian mind change



In the short run, the old policy of  "divide and rule" may succeed but the future lies with the new forces.

TO the social observer, subtle changes are taking place in society. I refer to the opening of the Malaysian mind.

This is a relatively new phenomenon, but an important one with significant ramifications for the socio-economic-political future of the country.

On one hand, there is the closing of the Malaysian mind that is oblivious to the changing world and its consequences for the country.

These are the reactionary forces who are unable to understand the global forces at work. They continue to live in the past, buttressed by archaic structures and outmoded forces.

They believe they can retain the past and enjoy their privileges. These forces are still strong and wield much power, taking advantage of ignorance and divisions within society.

They seemingly champion changes but in reality, manipulate the system to maintain the status quo. It is important to recognise this group for what they are, lest we are taken in by their rhetorics.

The exciting development is not the closing of the Malaysian mind but its opening, which offers tremendous potential for the future growth and direction of the country.

We see a new thinking taking shape among Malaysians that cuts across race, religion and rural-urban divide. This is a growing group, mostly young but not solely.

They have an open mind to religious freedom, transparency, equal opportunity, competition, authority and personal freedom. They represent a breath of fresh air. Admittedly, their number is small but growing.

Paradoxically, it is the past policies and initiatives of the Barisan government that have laid the foundation for the emergence of this new social change.

The change is led not by the elite that is heavily beholden to vested interests and have lost the capacity to provide objective leadership.

Neither is the change coming from the academic corridors. Sadly, academics have become partisan and have compromised their independence to lead change.

The public bureaucracy, too, has lost its neutrality to initiate meaningful changes. Many of the civil society organisations have also become aligned to interest groups.

Interestingly, the change is coming from ordinary people in the streets and coffeeshops with common sense, decency and innocence. Because they have not been spoilt by power, money and position, they are able to see the changes necessary to shape the future of Malaysia.

These are the people, for example, who see the importance of an English education for their children and the broader issues in religion, culture, race and public accountability.

They are politically streetwise and see the trees for the forest. They are becoming hard to be manipulated by the elite through promises of goodies. This is not people power but street wisdom.

As this group grows in size and reaches a critical mass, we will see a gradual change in the politics of the country for the better.

The old and the new emerging forces are at loggerheads. One stands for real change and the other for pseudo change.

The new forces are genuine, cut across race and are global.

They see a Malaysia losing out to the region and the world unless there is real economic, social and political change.

Irrespective of who wants to govern Malaysia, the secret to success lies in how one manages the new social forces.

In the short run, the old policy of divide and rule may succeed but the future lies with the new forces.

The political leaders of both camps seem to be unable to understand the implications of the new emerging forces.

One thing is clear though, the opening of the Malaysian mind is a welcome change and augurs well for the country. Also, it is a force that cannot be contained or suppressed for too long. It can only grow with time.

Will our leaders rise to the occasion and harvest the forces of change for the sake of the country or will they continue to indulge in manipulation and rhetoric for political interest?

Dr I. LOURDESAMY,
Petaling Jaya.

US at a loss to deal with new Middle East intifada

By Eric S. Margolis





ARE we looking at a Middle East version of the 1989 uprisings across Eastern Europe that brought down its Communist regimes and the Soviet Union?  

There are certainly strong similarities between the old Soviet East Bloc and the spreading intifada across America’s Middle East Raj. Corrupt, repressive governments; rapacious oligarchies; high youth unemployment and stagnation; widespread feelings of frustration, hopelessness and fury.

But there is also a big difference. The principled Soviet leader, Mikhail Gorbachev, and the Communist rulers of Eastern Europe, refused to turn their army’s guns against the rebelling people.

In Tunisia, where the Arab uprising began, the army has so far stayed admirably neutral. But in other Arab states now seething with rebellion – Egypt, Algeria, Yemen, Morocco, Libya – there may be no such reservations. Their ruthless security forces and military could quickly crush the uprisings unless the soldiers refuse to shoot down their own people – as happened in Moscow in 1991.

Washington is watching this growing intifada in its Middle East Raj with alarm and confusion. Ignore the Obama administration’s hypocritical platitudes about Middle East "democracy". All of the authoritarian Arab rulers now under siege by their people have been armed, financed and supported for decades by the US. Only in the Arab Gulf oil states is there real stability and genuine government concern for citizens’ welfare.

Secretary of State Hillary Clinton urges "restraint" on both sides. One supposes she means those being beaten by clubs, or tortured by electric drills must show proper restraint. Egypt, as this column has long said, is a ticking bomb. Half of 85 million Egyptians subsist below the UN’s US$2 daily poverty level.

Hosni Mubarak has ruled Egypt with an iron fist since 1981. All opposition to his regime has been crushed. But now Mubarak’s time may be running out. Nobel-prize laureate Mohammed al-Baradei has returned to Egypt to challenge Mubarak and his designated successor, son, Gamal. Arab league chief Amr Moussa may also move against Mubarak.

Washington has previously lauded Mubarak for "wise leadership" and "stability". The US pays Egypt over US$2 billion annually not to confront Israel, to jail Islamists, and to keep Hamas in the open air prison of Gaza. The US Congress provides half of Egypt’s food. Since Israel effectively controls the US Congress, Israel exercises extraordinary influence over Egypt.

So far, none of the intifadas across the Arab world have produced effective leadership. But this could soon change.

Now, thanks to the bombshell "Palestinian Papers" leaked to Al-Jazeera, Mahmoud Abbas’s Palestinian Authority has been exposed as an eager collaborator with Israel and its West Bank occupation. The endless Israeli-Palestinian "peace talks" are shown to be a total fraud. Israel’s Mossad and its Palestinian Quislings have worked closely to destroy the democratically elected Hamas government in Gaza.

We also learn from these papers that in 2008, US Secretary of State Condoleeza Rice proposed shipping millions of Palestinian refugees to Latin America. This after Israel, financed by the US, imported one million Russian settlers, many of them not even Jewish. One is reminded of British proposals in the 1930’s to move Germany’s endangered Jews to Kenya.

This was Washington’s modern version of US-taxpayer financed ethnic cleansing of Muslims and Christians.
The "Palestinian Papers" and Wikileaks show the US government often indistinguishable from Israel, and at all times taking Israel’s side. So much for being an honest-broker.

The US-Israeli backed Palestinian Authority has lost its last shreds of credibility. This news will surely fan the flames spreading across the Arab and greater Muslim world as their peoples realise the full extent of the betrayal of the Palestinians.

These dramatic events are poorly understood by most North Americans. The US and Canadian media frame news of the regional intifada in terms of the so-called war on terror, and a false choice between dictatorial "stability" and Islamic political extremism. Much of what’s happening is seen through Israel’s eyes, and is badly distorted.

Platitudes aside, there is little concern in the US about bringing real democracy and modern society in the Arab world. Washington wants obedience, not pluralism, in its Middle East Raj. As with the British Empire, democracy at home is fine but it’s not right for the nations of the Arab world.

Eric S. Margolis is an award-winning, internationally syndicated columnist, writing mainly about the Middle East and South Asia. Comments: letters@thesundaily.com