De Rode Roos
08-04-03, 00:16
Dit is een opvatting die de meesten van jullie waarschijnlijk al kennen, maar toch handig om het in een krantenartikel te lezen. Ik wil echter mijn idee geven. De neo-conservatieven hebben expres aangestuurd op een breuk tussen EU en VS, ze hebben aangestuurd op het opblazen van de VN. De VN waren namelijk een organisatie die de internationale rechtsorde in stand hield en de VS min of meer beteugelden. Dat willen de neo-conservatieven niet. Zij willen dat de VS gewoon hun gang kunnen gaan en aan niets gebonden. Dat maakt de weg vrij voor Amerikaanse hegemonie, wat hier goed kan uitpakken want wij zijn "bondgenoten", maar bij andere landen zoals in het Midden-Oosten niet. Er onstaat dan een feitelijke een nog grotere politieke tweedeling van de wereld; ongeremde Amerikaanse suprematie. Is dat niet onrechtvaardig?
Deliberate American Mayhem
Salameh Nematt Al-Hayat 2003/04/07
Contrary to common belief, the diplomatic 'failure' to address the Iraqi crisis was in fact a victory for the conservatives in the U.S. administration, which intentionally thwarted the diplomatic channels in order to split the European Union, undermine the Atlantic Alliance and raise doubts in the United Nations' credibility. In other words, what seems to be an American failure in mustering a large international coalition and conventional allies such as France and Germany, which turned the global geopolitics upside down, is actually a success for Bush's administration, especially for its conservative hawks; it serves the purpose their quasi-declared project to reshape the international system in the coming stage.
In fact, it would be impossible to restructure the international system, following WWII and the Cold War, without destroying the current one, or more precisely, the system that prevailed on the eve of the premeditated coup, which started after the 9/11 incidents, and aimed at launching a military campaign to oust the Iraqi regime after having done the same to the Talibans in Afghanistan.
It might not be an exaggeration to say that the main battle to reshape the international system is being waged today in Washington between conservatives who have finally managed to launch a movement to undermine an endeavoring international system on one hand, and those in the State Department who wish to preserve it and attempt to reform it in cooperation with the "international community." The efforts that British Prime Minister Tony Blair is making with the U.S. State Department to save the NATO alliance could be considered as an attempt to stop the collapse anticipated by the hawks in the U.S. administration.
However, the American president, who has the final say in Washington, seems to have decided to support the hawks through the possible consequences of a quick military victory in Iraq. In other words, the next step would be for Washington to make certain moves to reconsider the role of the United Nations and that of the Security Council, and keep up work to establish what we could call Pax Americana, to replace the international system that is going through substantial changes.
It might be useful to take another look at the Security Council report, which was published by the American administration in September 2002, and to focus on the ideology that invites to act quickly in order to reshape the geopolitical reality instead of waiting to interact with it. Furthermore, it is no secret that Washington perceives the threat of international terrorism as well as that of countries supporting it as a substitute to the communist threat, which was successfully managed following the collapse of the Soviet Union and the toppling of the allied regimes in Eastern Europe. Today, the hawks of the American administration ask a question of many significations: "why don't we treat the Middle East the way Eastern Europe treated us?" Those who believe so, meaning those who run the White house, think that the U.S. made truce with countries of the region as their governments cooperated with Washington to protect their oil interests. However, this truce would no longer be necessary if the Iraqi oil were to be controlled. Hence, a new Middle Eastern-American policy will see the light and aim at making some drastic changes to eliminate the threat, which is considered to emanate from the lack in democracy, as well as from the Arab-Israeli conflict.
To make a long story short: besides war in Iraq, other political wars are being waged inside Washington, not to mention between Washington and the countries opposing a change in the actual international system. It might not be wise to count on the failure of the conservatives. As a matter of fact, the mayhem caused by Washington today was deliberately provoked; it is a victory for those who wish to reshape the world, even if people view it as an American failure.
Bron: Dar Al Hayat
Deliberate American Mayhem
Salameh Nematt Al-Hayat 2003/04/07
Contrary to common belief, the diplomatic 'failure' to address the Iraqi crisis was in fact a victory for the conservatives in the U.S. administration, which intentionally thwarted the diplomatic channels in order to split the European Union, undermine the Atlantic Alliance and raise doubts in the United Nations' credibility. In other words, what seems to be an American failure in mustering a large international coalition and conventional allies such as France and Germany, which turned the global geopolitics upside down, is actually a success for Bush's administration, especially for its conservative hawks; it serves the purpose their quasi-declared project to reshape the international system in the coming stage.
In fact, it would be impossible to restructure the international system, following WWII and the Cold War, without destroying the current one, or more precisely, the system that prevailed on the eve of the premeditated coup, which started after the 9/11 incidents, and aimed at launching a military campaign to oust the Iraqi regime after having done the same to the Talibans in Afghanistan.
It might not be an exaggeration to say that the main battle to reshape the international system is being waged today in Washington between conservatives who have finally managed to launch a movement to undermine an endeavoring international system on one hand, and those in the State Department who wish to preserve it and attempt to reform it in cooperation with the "international community." The efforts that British Prime Minister Tony Blair is making with the U.S. State Department to save the NATO alliance could be considered as an attempt to stop the collapse anticipated by the hawks in the U.S. administration.
However, the American president, who has the final say in Washington, seems to have decided to support the hawks through the possible consequences of a quick military victory in Iraq. In other words, the next step would be for Washington to make certain moves to reconsider the role of the United Nations and that of the Security Council, and keep up work to establish what we could call Pax Americana, to replace the international system that is going through substantial changes.
It might be useful to take another look at the Security Council report, which was published by the American administration in September 2002, and to focus on the ideology that invites to act quickly in order to reshape the geopolitical reality instead of waiting to interact with it. Furthermore, it is no secret that Washington perceives the threat of international terrorism as well as that of countries supporting it as a substitute to the communist threat, which was successfully managed following the collapse of the Soviet Union and the toppling of the allied regimes in Eastern Europe. Today, the hawks of the American administration ask a question of many significations: "why don't we treat the Middle East the way Eastern Europe treated us?" Those who believe so, meaning those who run the White house, think that the U.S. made truce with countries of the region as their governments cooperated with Washington to protect their oil interests. However, this truce would no longer be necessary if the Iraqi oil were to be controlled. Hence, a new Middle Eastern-American policy will see the light and aim at making some drastic changes to eliminate the threat, which is considered to emanate from the lack in democracy, as well as from the Arab-Israeli conflict.
To make a long story short: besides war in Iraq, other political wars are being waged inside Washington, not to mention between Washington and the countries opposing a change in the actual international system. It might not be wise to count on the failure of the conservatives. As a matter of fact, the mayhem caused by Washington today was deliberately provoked; it is a victory for those who wish to reshape the world, even if people view it as an American failure.
Bron: Dar Al Hayat