[If haaretz can publish this, so can I.]
Washington wants the region engulfed in flames; it just wants to control their height.
By Salman Masalha, HAARETZ
It should be said explicitly: The United States is not interested in attaining peace in the Middle East. Peace in the region is not its top priority, and it has never corresponded with its interests. These things might sound strange to anyone who is not sensitive to the mood in the region. Whoever believes the Arabic television station Al Jazeera is a mouthpiece of radical Islam, which endangers American interests, is invited to refresh his memory and update his imagination, because this radical Islam has actually been fostered by various American administrations.
A simple question should be answered: How did the populist channel find a home in the small emirate of Qatar, of all places? It is well known that the largest U.S. air base in the Middle East is located in Qatar. The WikiLeaks documents revealed that Qatar was a base from which American bombers took off for missions in Iraq and Afghanistan, and that it is now offering itself to the United States as a base for an attack on Iran – and even expressed its wish to take part in a war against Iran and bear most of the costs of maintaining the base.
Emir Hamad bin Khalifa al-Thani and Peres – Reuters
Qatar’s Emir Hamad bin Khalifa al-Thani, right, welcoming Shimon Peres (then vice prime minister) to Doha in 2007.
Photo by: Reuters
What’s more, the ruler of Qatar, in a meeting with U.S. Senator John Kerry in early 2010, even expressed understanding for the Israeli position and the feelings of the Israelis – saying the people of Israel cannot be blamed for not trusting the Arabs, as their country has lived under threat for a long time. This is the same Qatar that gave a royal welcome to President Shimon Peres, opposition leader Tzipi Livni and other Israeli officials.
These stories, along with the emir’s ties with Israel, are not reported by Al Jazeera. But at the same time, this populist channel continues to smear other Arab regimes for their ties with Israel. Sound fantastic? Not necessarily.
All the Bin Laden videos somehow find their way to Al Jazeera. This is because this station has another designated role: undermining the Arab regimes and creating a state of chaos. The chaos is what corresponds with American policy, because Washington wants the region engulfed in flames; it just wants to control their height.
The flames in the Middle East serve the American economy. In this context, it is enough to mention the $60 billion arms deal signed with Saudi Arabia last year – the largest in U.S. history. The deal will provide tens of thousands of jobs within American industries.
Given this background, it is easy to understand Washington’s interest in continued tension in the Middle East. The tension pushes countries to sign large arms deals, which produce tens of thousands of jobs in the United States. As such, the American interest lies in its continued policy of inflaming passions – through Al Jazeera as well – to perpetuate concern within the Arab regimes, whose existence depends on American support. Thus the United States can continue claiming that promoting arms deals with the wealthy countries of the Mideast stems from concern for the region.
That is why the White House is not making any effort to press Israel or promote Israeli-Palestinian peace, because this could advance peace throughout the region. Such a peace, from the perspective of the arms dealers, could leave industries idle and cause the layoffs of tens of thousands of American workers. This is how Al Jazeera actually serves as a tool in the service of the American pyromaniacs.
That is the entire U.S. doctrine in a nutshell. The problem with the doctrine is that the American golem may again turn on its maker. There is already evidence of this on the ground.
He wants to bring the US down to everyone else’s level, which includes weakening it domestically and internationally.
In the US, he and the Democrats have increased the national debt by $6 trillion since they took control of both houses of the legislature in January 2007, and wasting it on growing local, state and federal employment and bailing out the Big Banks, Insurance companies and auto companies with big labor unions, while raising concerns among the small and medium sized businesses where over 80% of US jobs come from with threats to raise taxes and by imposing unnecessary government regulations. This has caused them to retract and retrench and caused the unemployment rate to double since January 2007.
In foreign affairs, he began by sending his first envoy after being elected to Hamas, and then following it up with his apology speeches and ostentatious bending and bowing before King Abdullah and the Japanese Emperor, and then pressuring Israel to make concessions to the Palestinians without acknowledging that the Palestinians have never accepted Israel’s right to exist as a Jewish state or demanding any concessions from the Palestinians.
He has done so much damage overall that it will take a decade to unravel, and he will continue to try for the next two years before he is hopefully booted out of power.
The author claims that the current American administration wants to avoid layoffs of tens of thousands of American workers.
This is a total mis-reading of the situation. Obama wants unemployment, lots of unemployment. That way more and more Americans are dependent on the government. He wants control of America, he doesn’t care if people there are unemployed. He is in over his head on foreign policy and knows it. His priority is to gain more complete control of America. And losing the House of Representatives was a big loss of face for him. Although he hates the Jews and Israel it is not his main concern. His main concern is domestic issues.
Laura, EVERYONE blames the US when it suits them. On this forum I regularly see comments blaming the US for the chaos in Gaza for example, as if Israel is not a sovereign country which has often declined what the US wanted it to do.
What an idiotic comment – as if the US stopping arms sales results in arms not being sold by someone else. By filling the vacuum, the US at least buys some influence, which is now being used with the Egyptian Army.
addendum to#3. I forget maybe the most important point. America needs Arms sales to recycle petrodollars. That need could be the overriding force behind Americas military aid and sales policies.
There is a lot of truth behind these statements. W/out American interference and maintaining the ME Arms race a solution might have resulted from any of our previous hot conflicts. Israel is in a better position were there a total embargo of weapons by everyone in our region.
As usual, Arabs are not responsible for their own behavior. It’s always America and Israel’s fault.
It has a 1400 year history.
That’s what it is all about. The author is attacking the USA because he wants Obama to push Israel harder so that
Israel will offer up more consessions for peace.