The West always will seek a form, any form, of stability in the Arab world, to keep:
- Terrorism local
- The flow of oil and natural gas steady and uninterrupted.
- A solid market for armaments, goods and services.
- The Middle East region viable to all kinds of geopolitical and economic deals.
- Russia and China on the periphery.
How should the West achieve stability in the Arab world, a rather devilish and twisted strategy deploying one or a mix of below points:
- Support Islamic political organizations to rule the land a perfect vehicle for religion to be used as an opiate for the oppressed and hopeless people. Muslim extremists will be only too happy to see that.
- Foment sectarian and ethnic rivalries, likely resulting in divided countries to the liking of each sect/ethnic group each emerging content, preoccupied from within and mired in its own deeply-rooted inadequacies.
- Foment tribal and regional rivalries and differences, likely resulting in divided countries to the liking of each tribe/regional group, each emerging content, preoccupied from within and mired in its own deeply-rooted inadequacies.
- Keep that part of the world backward and thus highly dependent on support from the West, financially and with technical assistance.
This is why stability in the Arab world is an indispensable strategy to secure the interests of the US and Europe.
Below link is to September 28, 2013 New York Times article by Robin Wright "How 5 Countries could become 14."
If Wright's analysis were to bear fruit, it ultimately would metamorphose the Arab world into
stability the way the West wants - backward, pliable, religion-based societies,
Take Egypt as a case in point. If it were not for the June 30, 2013 people's revolution, Egypt would have been for the foreseeable future, which could have been 500 years according to Defense Minister General El-Sissi, enjoying a stable and dormant life as a nation under the enlightened rule and control of the Muslim Brotherhood. Well, the good news here is that Egypt emphatically rejected stability the West way.
Staying with Egypt, during the two eras of Anwar Sadat and Hosni Mubarak lasting 40+ years Egypt was stable alright and going downhill in a hurry in regards all aspects of life of its people. And yet, the West led by the US was satisfied, pouring in all sorts of aid and support, as well as lauding the stable hand and vision of both Sadat and Mubarak.
Staying with Egypt, during the two eras of Anwar Sadat and Hosni Mubarak lasting 40+ years Egypt was stable alright and going downhill in a hurry in regards all aspects of life of its people. And yet, the West led by the US was satisfied, pouring in all sorts of aid and support, as well as lauding the stable hand and vision of both Sadat and Mubarak.
Now, would the Egyptian awakening generate a domino effect, remains to be seen, we know that Syria is trying real hard to extricate itself from such destiny, i.e., stability under Muslim extremists.
I always will believe that the prevailing policies of the US and Europe are ill-advised, deficiently-constructed and short-sighted. To have the vision and the satisfaction to soak the Arab world in the dark ages, with terrorism contained within, is foolhardy to an extreme; to aim for a developed Arab world is the far-sighted and humane way, anything else will continually backfire in the faces of the West and rulers of the region alike.
I always will continue to believe like Charlotte Brontë "Better to be without logic than without feeling." I also will continue to hope with D.H. Lawrence "The essential American soul is hard, isolate, stoic, and a killer. It has never yet melted."
Call me sentimental if you like, but I thoroughly believe that there are millions, if not billions, like me in the world.
Hussein
A nation needs morals and ethics to survive and thrive. If those factors are gone, the nation is gone.
