Arab Leaders Forgot About Palestine, Now Busy with Qatar and Iran
10 July 2017By Mahboob A Khawaja
More Wisdom Needed, Not More Weapons
Arab Leadership Quagmire: Do They Need More Weapons or More Wisdom?
GCC Arab Leadership Puzzle
Western political dinner tables spare not a day without hallow laughters about
what the Arab leaders say and do underpinning obsessed human follies. For too
long, the oil exporting Arab leaders ignored the new educated generation calls
for critical thinking on their social, economic and political affairs. The
core concern underlying the phenomenon of political change has inextricable
relationship to new thinking and reconstruction of systems of political
governance away from the dormant neo-colonialism prevalent across the Arab
Middle East.
No Arab leaders will entertain any critical or positive thinking for
futuristic change. The people’s “want” perception embodies “fear” of the
unknown that Arab authoritarianism will diminish and kingdoms of clans will no
longer be feasible to ensure petro-dollar Western security establishments
operated governance of the few. They could displace and kill millions of the
fellow citizens but not listen to voices of reason. The issue is where you
draw the line between a logical discourse of political change and one track
monstrous scheme of things to undo the people’s aspirations for freedom from
“want” and “fear.” The whole of the Arab region reflects the absence of moral
and intellectual imagination for the future. Human development is ignored and
obstructed, materialistic development is adored. Was the GCC a holistic
attempt to deny the colonial geography and history and make the Arabs One
Nation- “Ummah” again? Its leaders should do serious soul searching if they
are on a right track of thinking and actions.
The emerging clash of tribal clans victimizes the interest of the Arab masses.
Ignorance and arrogance overwhelm to buy the US lobbyists interest with petro-dollar
and try to instigate monkey games for political favors against one another.
But Arab leaders have no sense of time and history how such backdoor intrigues
are managed. The latest GCC individualistic leadership skirmishes pinpoint how
Arab leaders are disconnected to the reality of the contemporary geo-political
world. GCC was formulated to bring the unity of minds and actions of the Arab
region. The unthinkable judgment to accuse Qatar of “supporting terrorism”
comes out of the nowhere. A good deal of foreign propaganda asserts blames for
supporting the 2011 Egyptian people’s revolution and electing the leadership
of Muslim Brotherhood for a change. The envisaged change could not materialize
as the Muslim Brotherhood did not realize the imperatives and sensitivities of
political governance, once they were in power. Egyptian Generals are
explicitly involved in businesses and major industries with certain Western
economic and political interests and backing.
This interest lobby could not be changed by the Muslim Brotherhood and General
Sissi was encouraged to oust the elected President Morsy and imprison him
under a false pretext. The military coup was supported by then Saudi King
Abdullah, The US, Israel and other affluent gulf member states. Arab
authoritarianism lacks imagination for peaceful change and transfer of power
to elected institutions. For the GCC affiliates, it is a policy issue, not a
situation of warmongering treats to entrap Qatar, Kuwait or others indifferent
to foreign dictates. The US strategy is enlarged in its scope by most recent
sales of $110. Billions worth of weapons to Saudi Arabia. Weapons are not
needed to the Arab Gulf Region, wisdom for logical pursuit is. Peace is not
being pursued by the Arab leaders, and unity is absent in all rational
thoughts for actions. If the Arab leaders cannot focus to resolve the central
issue of the Middle East – the freedom of Palestine and peaceful relationships
with Israel, other issues are superficia
l and misleading. Most Arab people and culture contribute for charities to
help the less fortunate in social and economic disparities. This is the core
value of the Arab-Muslim culture as is in many Western nations. If Qatari
charity organizations are doing it, why it has become a belligerent issue now?
There is a hidden political agenda and clash of the clans in the current
hostilities. May be the Arab leadership of the GCC should rethink what it
means to be serving the interest of the masses? If so, they will find workable
solution rather than becoming a laughing stock all over the globe.
Towards Rethinking – Palestine is the only Issue, all others are Absurd
If the Arab leaders think buying more weapons will solve the security problems
of the region, they are damn wrong and disconnected to the reality. They
desperately need to have critical analysis of their current situation- their
strength and weaknesses. They are operating from a position of weakness, not
strength in global affairs. Otherwise, why would instigate internal disruptive
behaviors and foreign strategies to engulf the culture with political
cynicism, militarization and greater uncertainties for the future. Absolute
authoritarian leaders have many enemies all around them. The worst and most
dangerous is the animosity against their own self.
The Arabs, once pioneer of knowledge-based advanced civilization lasting for
eight centuries - the longest period in human history, are the victims of a
delusional oil-pumping economic prosperity imported as marriage of convenience
forged between the tribal Arab rulers and the Western industrialized world -
more so, the USA and Britain. Throughout the 20th century and well into the
21st century, the oil richness failed to deal with emerging social, moral,
intellectual and political problems. Instead with militarization of the
region, increasing bloodbaths depicts a havoc political spectrum. Living
without roots and reason. Islam enriched the Arabs to become global leaders of
a progressive civilization, but the oil enhanced prosperity transformed them
into ‘camel jockeys’ and object of hallow laughters after dinner jokes across
the Western culture.
Money cannot buy wisdom, honor and human integrity. The bogus “war on
terrorism” could not have happened if the Arab leaders - the frontline bogyman
of the US Empire had rational mind, intellectual capacity and integrity to
challenge the most irrational and cruel act in human history. Throughout the
oil exporting Arab world, the contemporary rulers have turned out to be
complacent in the US –Israeli strategic plans for the future of the Middle
East. Most rulers appear to be missing the essential human conscience – the
hub of Islamic characteristics of human beings to see the unfolding political
and economic realities on the ground. None of the leaders have ever come out
to represent the public conscience on the issue of Palestine and the
establishment of an independent homeland for the people of Palestine. If the
Arab leaders had any knowledge, understanding and sense of responsibility of
the future and of the devastating short and long terms impacts of this bogus
war, they should have challenged the American policy or sought advice from
Muslim intellectuals and scholars to assess the crisis situation for
reasonable alternatives.
Towards Remaking a Future with Knowledge and Unity of Purpose
Are the contemporary Arab dictators the reason for decadence of the Muslim
people and culture? Surely, when common folks live in hues and cries, they
fail to think positively of any vital spectrum of life. Was the petrodollar a
conspiracy (“fitna”) to disconnect the Arab people with the Islamic
civilization? Ironically, how the few tribal leaders could have managed the
time and history on their own unless large segments of the masses were
complacent in making the tragedy? The contemporary global affairs warrant
intelligent and competent leadership not kings, not military dictators or
fatty and dull prince occupying splendid palaces away from the people. Leaders
manage the crisis when facts of life warrant change and adaptability to the
future. Often crisis unite people of reason but not the Arab rulers.
Notwithstanding the requisites of reason and honesty, many Arab rulers are
collaborating with the US-Israel warmongering strategy in the Arab Middle
East. Unless political power is peacefully transferred to the able succeeding
generations, Arab authoritarianism is a dead-ended phenomenon. There are no
Arab public institutions of critical thinking and no leaders to lead. One
wonders, why the earth never felt any weight of the oil pumping Arab leaders.
In view of the unstoppable cycle of political killings and daily bloodbaths in
so many Arab states - Syria, Iraq, Libya, Yemen and spill-over to other oil
producing Arab nations – deliberate dismantling of the socio-economic and
political infrastructures - is the Arab world coming to its own end because of
the sadistic authoritarian rulers? The Arab leaders and the masses live and
breathe in conflicting time zones being unable to see the rationality of
people-oriented systems of governance, the worst is yet to come, surrender to
foreign forces as there are no leaders to think of the future or the Arab
armies to defend the people. Once in history, Arabs had moral superiority with
the relations of Islam, not any more. When difficult problems erupt,
intelligent and competent leaders are always conscious and open to listening
to voices of reason for change and reformation. If Saudi, Qatari, UAE and
Kuwaiti leaders could sit together and face the mirror, it will substantiate a
rational metaphor for peace and harmony. This will help all concerned to
manage a navigational change and to solve the man-made problems. Most of the
oil pumping Arab countries is merely satellite of the US Military Empire and
this need to be changed.
In his thoughtful analysis of the Western empire-building, Professor James
Petras (“Networks of Empire and Realignments of World Power”, Dissident
Voice), noted the following observations:
….In either private or state economic and/or military led penetration, in
furtherance of empire-building, the strategic purpose is to exploit the
special economic and geopolitical features of the targeted country to create
empire-centered networks. …..In the genocidal wars in the Middle East,
anti-terrorism and anti-Islamic ideology is central…….The unity of purpose of
European and US imperial regimes allowed for the peaceful joint takeover of
the wealth of the new regions by private monopolies……Imperial Sequences: From
War for Exploitation to Exploitation for War….”
(Dr. Mahboob A. Khawaja specializes in global security, peace and conflict
resolution with keen interests in Islamic-Western comparative cultures and
civilizations, and author of several publications including Global Peace and
Conflict Management: Man and Humanity in Search of New Thinking. Lambert
Publishing Germany-May, 2012. His forthcoming book is entitled: One Humanity
and the Remaking of Global Peace, Security and Conflict Resolution.)
©
EsinIslam.Com
Add Comments