Castro Posted June 24, 2007 When it meddles in the Muslim world, the United States can be counted upon to blow it June 24, 2007 By ERIC MARGOLIS America has done many great things around the globe, like rebuilding post-war Europe and driving international economic growth. But when it comes to the Muslim world, almost everything the U.S. touches turns to ashes. Washington's record of picking compliant foreign leaders has been particularly awful. In 1969, the CIA put a young officer, Muammar Kadaffi, into power in Libya. Next, the Langley boys helped a promising young Iraqi "asset" named Saddam Hussein, seize power. They courted Osama bin Laden and Taliban to use against Iran. In Lebanon, CIA put a bunch of corrupt, anti-Syrian Lebanese businessmen and warlords into power who woefully neglected their people's needs. As a result, the anti-U.S. Hezbullah, which ably runs hospitals, schools, pensions, and civil society, become Lebanon's real government. In Iraq and Afghanistan, the U.S.-installed Maliki and Karzai regimes have zero public support. Both face civil wars and national resistance, and are branded "U.S. stooges." Ditto the new U.S. and Ethiopian-installed puppet regime in Somalia. Washington's political alchemists are now working their latest magic in the Palestinian Territories, a giant, open-air prison camp surrounded by Israeli security forces. Having gotten rid of Fatah founder Yasser Arafat, who refused to condone U.S.-Israeli plans to parcel up his nation, Washington installed Mahmoud Abbas as Palestinian leader. The compliant Abbas is lauded in the west as a "moderate" -- our code word for obedient Arab leaders. U.S.-ISRAELI STOOGE But once Abbas was in office, Israel simply ignored him and his feeble pleas to halt their colonizing the West Bank. Palestinians called him a U.S.-Israeli stooge. Having undermined Abbas, the Americans and Israeli then built up his tough security chief, Mohammed Dahlan, into a mini-Saddam and heir apparent. They sent $80 million US worth of arms to Dahlan's Fatah gangs and told them to crush the staunchly anti-Israel Hamas. Seeing an attack imminent, the Islamist movement Hamas struck first, running the U.S. proxy Fatah out of Gaza. CRACKDOWN Next, the U.S. got Abbas to appoint a new prime minister, Salam Fayyad, a nobody who won only 2% of the vote in the last elections. He proclaimed a crackdown on Hamas. After President George Bush commanded democracy to flower in the Arab World, to his shock and awe, Hamas won a major democratic electoral victory in the region's second free election. The first, in Algeria in 1991, produced a landslide for the Islamist reformist movement, FIS. Algeria's French and U.S.-backed army quickly annulled the election and jailed FIS leaders. The "moderate" Palestinians Washington has put into power, backed by $83 million in cash,lack political legitimacy or popular support. Abbas' Fatah has degenerated into a thuggish movement devoted to enriching itself while ignoring the plight of its own people. Hamas won power in good part because of the refusal of Israel's rightwing governments and the Bush administration to halt West Bank settlement even though it violated international law, the 1993 Oslo Accords, and UN Resolution 242. West Bank Jewish settlers grew from 111,000 in 1993 to nearly 500,000 today. Israeli rights groups estimate 40% of the West Bank has been taken over by Israeli settlements, military bases, the new Berlin-style "security" wall, and Jewish-only road networks that chop up the territory into tiny, isolated Bantustans. Hamas and Fatah kill Israeli civilians. Israel kills Palestinians in an endless of cycle of retaliation. As 1.3 million increasingly enraged Palestinians saw their lands being taken away, Fatah offered only more corruption and collaboration with the occupiers. Hamas offered able, honest government, resistance and defiance, however hopeless, often criminal, and self-defeating. MORE VIOLENCE Building up Fatah to fight Hamas, splitting Palestinians, and getting them to accept Israeli land claims will only bring more West Bank violence. America can always buy local yes-men, but it can't buy popular support, respect, or peace in the Arab World. Rumours Bush may name Tony Blair, who is discredited in Britain and despised by Arabs, as his chief Mideast negotiator, is Washington's latest Mideast folly. Toronto Sun Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Castro Posted June 24, 2007 How many stooges, puppets, CIA assets, collaborators, warlords and yes-men are mentioned directly or indirectly in this article? Pay close attention to how the Somali and Ethiopian puppets and stooges are not even worth mentioning by name. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Jacaylbaro Posted June 24, 2007 Castro, why you always talk about something we all know ? Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Castro Posted June 24, 2007 ^^^^ You sure don't sound like you know. But if you do, then may be you could concentrate on your Hindi movie library. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
