Shameful Courting: The U.S. needn't bend over backward for Arab countries.

U.S.,Arab nations ^ | May 29, 2002 | Max Singer

[xsysmgr]

If when Moses said to Pharaoh, "Let my people go," Pharaoh had replied, "Good idea; I'll do it right away," that would have served one of God's purposes: Freeing the Jews to be His people and to worship Him. But it wouldn't have served God's other purpose: to demonstrate His power.

The U.S. needs the Arab countries to stop supporting terrorist organizations, and it is trying to court them — especially Saudi Arabia — to back the U.S. fight against terrorism. But if these countries told the U.S., "good idea, we'll get right to it," it would serve only one of the U.S.'s vital interests. The other vital U.S. interest is to head off the expansion of militant Islam that ever-changing fraction of the Muslim world that believes that the U.S. must be fought.

The only way to weaken militant Islam is for the U.S. to demonstrate both its overwhelming power and its unshakeable will to use that power to do whatever is necessary to defend itself.

Last fall, the world was given a dramatic demonstration of what influences militant Islam.

The Sept. 11 attacks produced a great swelling of support for militant Islam around the world. This support was not reversed until the government of Afghanistan was defeated by the awesome power of a small part of the U.S. military, unfortunately accompanied by the collateral fatalities of many hundreds of Muslims.

In order to reduce militant Islam's swelling support, the Arab states must be seen to be compelled by the overwhelming might of American power to stop backing terrorist organizations. This objective would be defeated if the U.S. were seen as "buying" or "courting" the support of the Arab countries. In other words, the U.S. needs to demonstrate that the Arab countries have no choice but to meet American demands. The U.S. must neither believe that it needs Arab approval, nor pretend out of "politeness" to believe that it does. The Arab countries are the smallest and weakest part of the Muslim world.

It is precisely when the U.S. acts deferentially to the Arab states, that militant Islam is strengthened and the position of moderate Muslims is weakened. Moderate Muslims cannot begin to counter militant Islam until attacking the U.S. has been demonstrated to be an absolutely hopeless policy, even to the fertile imaginations and conspiracy believing inclinations of the Muslim world.

To be sure, it is important for the U.S. not to shame or humiliate any Arab government or leader. Full respect must be given to these countries and even more so to Islam.

But, from an Arab standpoint, there is no shame or humiliation involved in yielding to overwhelming power. On the contrary, this is prescribed by Arab culture and religion. The only shame is to yield to someone who is not really powerful, or to a country that could have been talked or tricked out of insisting on its demands. Paradoxically, then, the more U.S. power and implacability are demonstrated, the easier it is for Arab governments to yield without embarrassment.

Generally, God is not in the business of showing off his power. As the Bible says, "God was not in the thunder or the wind but in the still small voice." But God had to harden Pharaoh's heart to demonstrate His power to the Jewish people so that they would follow His commands.

Generally the U.S., because it is the world's superpower, must be specially deferential to other countries, demonstrating that it does not claim that its power entitles it to special privileges. But there must be exceptions. The campaign against the U.S. by militant Islam that culminated in the Sept. 11 attacks requires that the U.S. act in a different way than it normally does.

— Max Singer is a senior fellow and founder of the Hudson Institute and author of The REAL World Order: Zones of Peace/Zones of Turmoil (with Aaron Wildavsky), winner of the Grawemeyer Award for Improving World Order.

[swarthyguy]

This article makes way too much sense; apologists, appeasers and fellowtravellers of the islamicradicals will take much issue with it.