US vote may change world scene

BY THE TIME these comments appear in print, Democrats, as expected, could muster sizeable strength in the US congress to force a change in current policies of the Bush Administration, which have rocked the world since Nine Eleven. The ongoing war on terror, the continuing bloodshed in Iraq and Afghanistan, US Administration’s tacit backing of Israel’s atrocities on Palestinians and Bush’s hawkish policies particularly raging controversies in Iranian and North Korean nuclear programmes have had a destabilizing impact on world of today. Overwhelming majority of people across the globe are more than convinced that Bush Administration’s policies have dragged mankind to the brink of a nuclear catastrophe.
The US midterm polls, whose results will be shortly known, are bound to bring about a change in international security scenario. The US troops are faced with an impossible task to implement Washington’s agenda in Iraq and Afghanistan. Having faced mounting opposition to his military strategy at home and abroad, George W. Bush is trying to extricate his country from the quagmire in which it has stumbled into. The changed faces of the US Senate will most likely force him or perhaps help him in rescuing his troops bogged down in a purposeless war he started on false pretexts.
The world community therefore shall surely welcome the change in US policies. Washington under Bush has committed colossal blunders in addressing the problem of international terrorism. As leader of the sole super power, George W. Bush believed he could rid the world of terror through the use of America’s armed might. However, in the process his troops have been guilty of trampling upon human rights. Horrifying incidents of abuse of prisoners at Guantanamo Bay, Abu Gharib prison in Baghdad, and in Afghanistan have brought immense shame to the Bush Administration. The US is not winning the war as it claims. On the contrary, its body count in Iraq is mounting by the day.
George W. Bush does not know how to get out of thee raging conflict. Perhaps, the new-look Congress will help him. The Americans by now have realized that force cannot solve problems. War on terror cannot be won through sophisticated weaponry. Only through dialogue can international disputes be resolved. The force can and is being met by force.
The root causes of international terrorism have to be eliminated if this earth is to saved from nuclear holocaust. Justice to Palestinians and other oppressed people can alone ensure a peaceful world. The Americans, it seems to the frightened planet, have realized that militant policies of Washington are fraught with disastrous consequences. The Americans must resolve international disputes through diplomacy. The world is heaving a sigh of relief at the upcoming change in Washington.

Clearing cobwebs

PRESIDENT Musharraf has revived his call for ‘Enlightened Moderation.’ The General has chosen the platform of World Islamic Economic Forum to urge the Muslim world to adopt the path of ‘enlightened moderation’ to take on the challenges of extremism, ignorance, economic backwardness and social problems that are breeding terrorism.
Although Musharraf has been unduly harsh on ‘semiliterate clerics’ blaming them for projecting Islam as a religion that fosters ‘militant extremism,’ it is hard not to agree with the thrust of his message. The Muslim world is indeed passing through one of the most difficult phases in its eventful history. Never before has it faced such relentless assaults on so many fronts.
Despite the fact that Islam and its 1.6 billion followers stand for peace, reason, justice and freedom, all kinds of absurd accusations continue to be hurled at them with increasing ferocity. While some ‘semiliterate clerics’ and zealots can be accused of misinterpreting Islam, it would be simplistic to blame the extremists for all of our woes.
Although this has been stated ad nauseam, we must point out that historical injustices against the Arab and Muslim world and centuries of colonisation and exploitation by imperial powers have played a seminal role in creating the current gulf between the Muslim world and the West. The historical irritants such as Palestine coupled with Afghanistan and Iraq continue to expand the divide. Unfortunately, the West still underestimates the Muslim world’s strong emotional bonding with the Palestinian people and their struggle against a brutal occupation. If leaders like Musharraf are serious about the restoration of Muslim world’s image, they should persuade their friends and allies in the West to help resolve questions such as Palestine sooner than later.
Another important area that cries for attention is the media. Despite its rich human and material resources, Muslim world has inexcusably neglected this front. Islam and Muslims are misrepresented in the world media because there is no one to represent them. It’s as simple as that. We own or control most of the world’s known energy resources, which in turn drive the global economy. Yet we have no say in the world affairs. Let alone being involved in setting the global agenda, we do not even have the voice or power to defend ourselves or speak for ourselves. Why? Because we have invested little or next to nothing in the media. While we like to blame the Western media — owned and controlled by the Jewish lobby — for distorting our image, we are yet to stir out of our collective indifference to clear the cobwebs shrouding our true visage. This has to change, if we are keen to present our real and better picture before the world.

—Khaleej Times