Such a reality

SO, A prominent British think tank, the Oxford Research Group, has realised what the rest of the world has been crying hoarse about for much of the last half-decade — the terror-war is actually aiding the cause of Al Qaeda and co. And even though the British establishment has started betraying a strong comprehension of just such a reality, whether or not similar enlightenment will find its way to Washington remains seriously doubtful. It bears noting that the report points at a policy change “at every level” to ‘contain and minimise ‘Al Qaeda’, which has clearly registered the largest meaningful gains during the ‘ideological conflict’. But such calls are not new. Even heads of state critical to the terror war, like Pakistan’s President Pervez Musharraf, have called for a thorough overhaul of the approach to this endeavour. Perhaps the West’s greatest mistake was dismissing the 9/11 tragedy as simply a barbaric act of terrorism perpetrated by freedom-hating ideologues that continue to have a strong mental attachment with a by-gone era. Surely, much more effort and attention should have been invested in understanding the reasons for any adult to be pushed to such gross acts of violence. The West that is otherwise known for its exceptional R&D skills that formed the backbone of its meteoric economic/social rise, failed to look hard enough into the reasons for this particular backlash from sections of the east, and unfortunately ventured upon a very wrong path in its hasty bid to ‘nip the evil in the bud’.
It makes little sense in continuing to dwell on how the American invasions of Afghanistan and Iraq, especially the latter, are responsible for this orgy of death and destruction that the world is held witness to every place the wheels of the terror-war march into. While that argument will remain true, trying times of the present require an approach that might restore calm to war-mangled Afghanistan and Iraq before any ideological advances can be made. And the answer does not lie in more war, as pointed out by the report, especially in the part cautioning against a military adventure against Iran. The bedrock of all passions and sentiments that push Muslims, moderate and extremist alike, to develop a distaste for Western policies is the latter’s recurrent procedure of oppression against Muslims, especially in Palestine. Western powers would do all concerned a big favour by realising this reality of modern existence sooner rather than later. Short of ending the mentioned repression, any approach will amount to little save fuelling the fire of what the West dubs terrorism.
 

The Prince

PERHAPS George Bush should read Niccolo Machiavelli’s “The Prince” to learn why using mercenaries in war is a bad idea. Over 500 years ago the Italian writer described mercenaries as “disunited, ambitious, insubordinate, treacherous ... useless and dangerous”. Indeed, the official Iraqi report into the slaying of 17 innocent civilians by Blackwater mercenaries guarding a US diplomatic convey moving through the crowded streets of Baghdad seems to justify Machiavelli’s disdain for private military operatives. The Blackwater men opened fire in Nisoor Square and again at an intersection two blocks away without even a stone being thrown. The Iraqis are demanding the suspects be brought before Iraqi courts. They have also now told the Bush administration that the State Department must cease using Blackwater within six months. It has further emerged its license to operate in Iraq actually ran out last year and no renewal was sought. It is therefore arguable its men do not enjoy the controversial immunity the US unilaterally dictated. These men must be tried, the facts established and those found guilty punished. If the Americans refuse to prosecute the Blackwater operatives in America or hand them over to the Iraqi courts, the next step could be to bring a prosecution at the court of last resort, the International Criminal Court at The Hague. Unfortunately, Iraq is not one of the 104 signatories to the Rome Statue that brought the court into existence. Nor is America.
Yet the accused Blackwater mercenaries are not servicemen, even if many have military backgrounds. They are hired guns with no responsibility to anyone and have incurred the anger and scorn of many ordinary US troops serving in Iraq. The contempt with which these mercenaries have treated all Iraqis, even to the extent of gunning down innocent bystanders, must be addressed. Blackwater is not the only private military contractor to have been acting with impunity in Iraq; Custer Battles, founded a month after 9/11, has been accused of using unrestrained force. In essence, does the attitude of these goons actually represent the US view of all Iraqis whose country they invaded and occupied? This cannot be compared to the Vietnam quagmire. In Vietnam, Americans relied on soldiers, conscripted soldiers who were in many cases reluctantly drafted and sent to war. In Iraq, the US relies on tens of thousands of military contractors — many of them armed, trigger-happy soldiers of fortune choosing for themselves to speed around Baghdad in tinted, unmarked GMC Suburbans. The behavior of these people comes as no surprise to fair-minded observers who believe freedom and democracy are entirely secondary to Washington’s geopolitical goals. George Bush could attempt to reclaim some credibility by bringing justice for the murder of 17 Iraqi bystanders. However, don’t hold your breath: considering the type of man he is, he probably will not bother.

—Arab News