Home>>World
Last updated at: (Beijing Time) Thursday, September 05, 2002

Analysis: Why Arab Countries Say 'No' to US

Recently, the leaders of many Arab countries have voiced their opposition or giving no support to US launch of military attack on Iraq. During the Iran-Iraq War and the Gulf War, many Arab countries stood on the side of opposition to Iraq, why is it that now the US gets no support from them when it vows to launch military attacks on Iraq?


PRINT DISCUSSION CHINESE SEND TO FRIEND


Recently, the leaders of many Arab countries have voiced their opposition or giving no support to US launch of military attack on Iraq. Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak said that none of the Arab countries, including Kuwait once invaded by Iraq, favor armed attack on Iraq. During the Iran-Iraq War and the Gulf War, many Arab countries stood on the side of opposition to Iraq, why is it that now the United States gets no support from the Arab countries when it vows to launch military attacks on Iraq?

Proceeding from their vital interests, the first thing the Arab countries take into consideration is a quickest end to the region's turbulence, and maintenance of a stable situation in the region, and proceed to preserve peace in the Middle East region. In the eyes of Arab countries, currently the biggest unstable factor of the Middle East region, as well as the problem requiring a most urgent solution is violent conflict between Palestine and Israel.

As early as US Vice-President Dick Cheney visited the Middle East, the Arab countries uttered the voice that the Middle East region could not simultaneously sustain war in two battlefields, hoping that the Palestine-Israel issue would be settled first. Arab countries expressed the view that solving Arab-Israeli and Palestinian-Israeli struggles is closely related to them, whereas the Iraq issue, after all, is only a question of an Arab country, moreover, the saying that Iraq "constitutes threat to the world" is untenable at least for the moment.

Arab countries generally hold that Israel, which is neighboring them and is militarily and economically stronger, poses the greatest threat to the Middle East region, they disagree on Bush's conclusion that the Saddam Hussein regime brings disaster to peace in the region and the world at large. Before the settlement of Palestine-Israel conflicts, it is very hard for the United States to get extensive support from the Arab world over the question of military attack on Iraq.

The Arab countries advocate that Iraq should immediately cooperate with the United Nations and agree on UN weapon inspectors' return to Baghdad, their aim is to avoid the outbreak of a new war in the Middle East region. According to President Mubarak, under the circumstance of the unsettled Palestine-Israel issue, the US act of starting attacks on Iraq may put the Middle East in a clutter.

Analysts in Egypt say that war against Iraq may cause serious consequences: it may result in the division of Iraq and may even give birth to a Kurdish state; Iraq's neighbors, such as Turkey and Iran, may come to interfere, entailing confrontation or new fights between Arab and non-Arab countries; other Arab countries, such as Saudi Arabia, are worried that after change of political powers in Baghdad, similar troubles may arise in their own countries and thus causing political instability.

Arab countries have worries and misgivings about US motive to oust President Saddam. In the words of the United States, if weapons of mass destruction fall into the hands of international terrorists, it would be extremely dangerous, and therefore weapon inspection must be carried out, otherwise it would start a preemptive strike to resolutely topple the Saddam regime.

When interviewed recently by American media, the director of the Politics and Strategy Research Center of Egypt's Ahram Al (The Pyramids) indicated that Arab countries find it hard to understand why Washington is dead set on launching a war to overthrow President Saddam at this time in the Middle East. Now that Iraq has been subjected to economic sanctions for over a decade, it is impossible for it to constitute political, economic and military threats to the world, especially to the United States. Many people believe that so-called weapon inspection is no more than a highfalutin excuse, and that the United States must have something else which it "feels it embarrassed to mention".

There are many analyses and speculations in international opinion on the American use of force against Iraq. One view holds that the real target of US launch of war against Iraq is the rich petroleum resource of the Middle East region. A strike at the anti-US forces in this region can both protect Israel and guarantee US strategic materials and interests in this region.

Another view maintains that the US use of force against Iraq aims to attack Iran. Iran has a large population, rich oil resources and grips the throat of the Gulf, it is also an "anti-American vanguard", the United States regards it as a mortal malady. If Iran were got rid of, the United States not only could get abundant petroleum, but also could deprive the extreme organizations in Palestine and Lebanon of anything to rely upon, and this is beneficial to US pursuit of its global strategy.

The third view holds that the American use of force against Iraq aims to introduce US-styled "democracy", remodel Arabia and thoroughly change the outlook of the Middle East region. In short, the United States wants thereby to create a new pattern with which to dominate today's world.

By People's Daily Online


Questions?Comments? Click here
    Advanced






AIPU Opposes US War Threats on Iraq

Why Arab World Refuse to Launch Attack on Iraq?



>> Full Coverage

 


Japanese Court Dismisses Germ Warfare Victims' Damages Claim ( 94 Messages)

China Plans to Stop the Overeas Flight of Corrupt Officials ( 69 Messages)

China Blocks the Way of Corrupt Officials Fleeing Overseas ( 5 Messages)

Survey Discloses Bad Service of Domestic Banks ( 4 Messages)

Quantitative Study Uncovers US Media Blackout: China Youth Daily ( 25 Messages)



Copyright by People's Daily Online, all rights reserved