Obama's misguided Lebanon policy
| 23/01/2011 01:04:00 PM GMT |  | Comments ( 17) |
By Abbas J. Ali The events in Tunisia should be a wake-up call for the Obama administration to profoundly rethink Washington policy toward the Arab World. Only when the Tunisian people drove the dictator Zine al Abidene Ben Ali out of the country did President Obama and his Secretary of State, Hillary Clinton, reluctantly address the popular uprising against Ben Ali. In fact, Mrs. Clinton appeared to sanction the dictator's ruthless treatment of the Tunisian people for over two decades when she stated, "earlier today President Ben Ali left his country following several weeks of demonstrations and popular unrest. We condemn the violence and urge restraint on all sides." Former Secretary of Defense Robert McNamara once stated, "I am not sure at all that we have learned from experience, and I worry that we will end up making the same mistakes again and again." This statement is applicable to Washington's policies toward the Arab World. For years, Washington has feared the Arab masses and their grassroots movements and strongly supported autocratic and corrupt Arab regimes. Current events in Lebanon vividly evidence how Washington is unwilling to learn from experience. Its insistence on supporting corrupt and discredited Lebanese politicians at any expense is part of a prevailing view among decision makers that a vibrant and democratic Arab society is a threat to Israel. Lebanon has been facing serious issues related to the nature of the direction the country should embark on relative to Israel, the Syrian-Saudi initiative pertaining to the international tribunal investigating the 2005 assassination of former Prime Minister Rafik Harriri, and government economic and social priorities. Washington has been over occupied with the first two issues and has persistently sought to have a weak government in Beirut that is receptive to Israeli dictates and is willing to severely restrict the movement of Lebanese patriotic forces. Indeed, Washington has not only pushed hard to create the international tribunal but has also provided intelligence and financial support to the tribunal with the hope of indicting members of the resistance forces in the killing of Rafik Harriri after it failed to incriminate the Syrian regime. The Los Angeles Times (January 12, 2011) reported that the Syrian-Saudi initiative was a potential Arab breakthrough that offered a practical solution to Lebanon's current problems. The initiative, however, was perceived by the Obama administration as an Arab rather than a Western plan which would ultimately legitimize the role of Lebanese patriotic forces in the country's political affairs and as such would constitute a setback for Washington's plan for a fragmented Lebanon and a chaotic region. President Obama, on January 11, called King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia to inform him about his vision for Lebanon. After this conversation, the King's son, Abdulaziz, called the President of Syria to inform him that the Kingdom was no longer part of the initiative and that the Kingdom was withdrawing its support for the agreed on political compromise in Lebanon (Al-Akhbar, January 12, 2011). A day before President Obama met with Lebanon Prime Minister Saad Harriri, who was backed by Washington and is approved by Arab dictators and Israel, the White House issued a statement in support of the Prime Minister and for "Lebanon's sovereignty, independence, and stability," as if the active political participation of Lebanese grassroots movements is a threat to that country's independence. This, and a previous commitment from Secretary of State, Hillary Clinton, emboldened Saad Harriri who refused the opposition group's demand to convene an urgent Cabinet meeting to reflect on the current crisis. Consequently, the opposition resigned from the government which led to the collapse of the government, thus deepening the crisis in Lebanon. Secretary Clinton announced, while in Qatar, "We view what happened today as a transparent effort by those forces inside Lebanon, as well as interests outside Lebanon, to subvert justice and undermine Lebanon's stability and progress." In contrast, her host, Prime Minister Hamad bin Jassim al Thani, said, "We have enough problems in the region that this problem we have to take care of it, in a way to solve it, not to complicate it." This remark was dismissed by Clinton who asserted that the work of the special tribunal must go forward regardless of turmoil. Critics argue that President Obama is influenced in his policies toward Lebanon and the entire Arab World by the Israeli lobby and those who advocate Israeli interest in his administration, including Dennis Ross and Hillary Clinton. Some of these critics go further in highlighting President's Obama's commitment to the Zionist project. They refer to his statement in the Atlantic magazine, "when I think about the Middle East is this enormous emotional attachment and sympathy for Israel, mindful of its history, mindful of the hardship and pain and suffering that the Jewish people have undergone, but also mindful of the incredible opportunity that is presented when people finally return to a land and are able to try to excavate their best traditions and their best selves." Others, however, argue that the President is aware of what is going on but is under fire on different fronts and is focusing on gaining the support for his reelection bid. Therefore, strategically, he is unable to effectively confront Christian fundamentalists and the Israel lobby fearing that this will diminish his chances of being reelected. These critics conclude that President Obama has no option but to go along with prevailing sentiments in Washington--that the aspiration of the Arab people, including those in Lebanon, for liberty and prosperity is a risk to Israeli domination of the region. While in Lebanon or Tunisia, Iraq or Egypt, President Obama's policies have deepened the suffering of the people there and emboldened brutal Arab dictators. Indeed, President Obama follows the same strategy of his immediate predecessor which demands that Arab governments' primarily answer not to their people but to Washington. This policy encourages Arab dictators to be ruthless with their people and deny them political rights. The American people expect the President to promote a foreign policy that optimally serves their interests and is not an instrument of religion. For decades, such a policy has led to vast destruction and suffering in the Arab World. Supporting corrupt Lebanese politicians is illogical as it ultimately erodes American global leadership and incites resentment to the U.S. in a vital region. -- Abbas J. Ali is professor and director of School of International Management, Eberly College of Business and IT, Indiana University of Pennsylvania. Source: Middle East Online http://www.aljazeera.com/news/articles/39/Obamas-misguided-Lebanon-policy.html . REVIEWS
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