Walking the walk no more-The Arab world now knows that they must take the United States seriously

Jewsweek ^ | 4-15-06 | Micah D. Halpern

[SJackson]

Walking the walk no more

The Arab world now knows that they must take the United States seriously. That's a scary scenario -- especially for the Palestinians. Micah Halpern examines the U.S. success in Iraq -- what it means for the Palestinian street and for the future of the Palestinian people.

by Micah D. Halpern

April 15, 2003

		WALL OF SHAME: A resident and supporter of Iraqi President Saddam Hussein walks by a mural in Tikrit, Iraq, Sunday, April 13, 2003.

It's a whole new ball game.

Now - after the total disintegration of tyrannical Iraq, the Middle East has no alternative but to face new realities. Opportunities for the entire region are just waiting to emerge. The hard part is realizing their import and grabbing hold.

I'm not talking about "the Domino Effect" which the Bush administration has been touting for the last year where they suggest that after Iraq falls, the rest of the despotic-ruled region will fall.

I'm talking about the fear and trepidation that U.S. power now engenders.

		Now what?

It has been years since any Arab state in the Middle East took the U.S. seriously. The U.S. would flaunt its power and throw its weight around and make grandiose statements, but the U.S. was regularly ignored. Most Arab leaders thought that the United States really wasn't interested in them or in what happened in the region. They thought American diplomacy was empty bellowing. They thought that the United Sates had only one overriding interest for their region -- protecting Israel's interests.

True, the United States would provide monetary incentives, but when and if things did not go well -- then so be it. There was no penalty, no price to pay because until now the U.S. really did not get hands-on involved.

The Arab street was under an illusion. They thought that they could combat and destroy the United States and Israel. They actually believed that the Arab states had the weapons the training and the power to defeat an invading army from the United States. And not just because Allah was with them.

Across the Arab world the United States' defeat of Iraq was devastating. It was demoralizing. It burst the bubble they had been living under for generations.

Palestinians have been hit hard. Palestinians never assumed that they themselves were strong enough to crush the enemy Israel and her protector the United States. They relied on the strength of their brothers and neighbors. The defeat of Saddam's Iraq crushed their dreams and destroyed their hopes.

No other Arab ruler was as supportive of the Palestinian struggle as was Saddam Hussein. Almost everyone on the Palestinian street harbored the hope that the great military of Saddam -- the weapons and the training of the former Soviet Union -- would repulse and crush the arrogant Western Crusaders.

On the streets of Gaza there was no better defender of the Palestinian cause than Saddam. It was he who paid the families of suicide bombers. He walked the walk and talked the talk unlike any of the other heads of Arab States. Saddam would blatantly flaunt his disgust for America and their interventionism. His hatred of Israel was palpable.

For the Palestinians as for many other Arabs, Saddam was going to be the one to teach Bush a lesson. Bush, they were convinced, was to learn the lesson of humility at the hands of an Arab who knows how to teach humility.

At the start of the war, in the center of Gaza City, Palestinians began a vigil in solidarity with the Iraqis as they fought the Americans. That vigil lasted until the 21st day of the war. Only then was it dismantled and most of the posters put up in support of Saddam Hussein taken down.

The mood was grim on the streets of Gaza. They people were despondent. They had many unanswered questions: If Saddam is gone and he cannot defend us -- who can? Iraq's leader now looks like a coward in hiding, where is Saddam the great warrior? In Jenin, with only small weapons, Palestinians held out longer against the invading Israeli army, what happened to the great Iraqi army?

More than anything else, the myth of Arab military strength was destroyed.

And because that great myth has been destroyed -- quickly and with relatively little resistance -- things are different today for the Palestinians on the ground. Now, they have to take the United States -- and by extension Israel, much more seriously.

The other despots and tyrants in the region are quaking. Their regimes are afraid, even those regimes traditionally more closely aligned with the United States.

Syria is petrified that they are next in line. Saudi Arabia and Kuwait are afraid that the U.S. will insist that they break down their class system and establish a more representative system of governance. Libya knows that the U.S. has a score to settle with them. Egypt understands that the United States is displeased because they are not controlling their extremists.

After Saddam and Syria the next biggest loser in this war is Turkey. They made the biggest mistake of their modern history. It will take Turkey a long time to convince Congress that they truly are a friend and not, as they appear in the context of this war, a neater, cleaner substitute for fundamentalist Islam.

And then come the Palestinians. They are the next biggest losers. They now know that no one will come to their protection. They now know that they must, for the first time, take responsibility for their own actions and for the realization of their dreams. It is hard, but they know because they have been shown in no uncertain terms that if they do not stop perpetrating acts of terror they will get nothing.

The Palestinian Authority and all Palestinians now understand that the U.S. is not just mouthing hollow terms. The U.S. and her friend and ally Israel are insisting on two things: reform and the end of terror.

It's only a matter or time.

[185JHP]

A "sudden cessation of ignorance" for the Palies. Their crushing is a done deal - it's only a "when', not an "if."

[Savage Beast]

"the United States sustained about 100 casualties in three weeks of fighting that resulted in the capture of Baghdad and most Iraqi cities"

"Israeli defense officials and military commanders have expressed amazement over the capture of one of the largest and most powerful Arab countries by what they say amounted to fewer than three U.S. Army divisions."

"This has been a very strange and unprecedented war and it will take us awhile to learn what took place"

WorldTribune.com, April 14, 2003

[Billthedrill]

Don't you know these jackasses would like to get their hands on Osama-mama for waking the sleeping giant...?

And they'd deserve to. Osama didn't give a rodent's rump about the Palestinians until after we started chasing him cave to cave. Saddam paid these guys to kill themselves. They have consistently backed the loser du jour and now they've managed to undercut every potential bit of sympathy they might have gotten in the U.S. by dancing in the street for Osama and sending fighters to help Saddam. Morons.

There's a little problem with the latter. The dancing I could forgive as the antics of a propagandized and ill-informed mob. But they killed our people in Iraq. "And that," as Don Corleone rasped, "that, I do not forgive."

[pfflier]

It has been years since any Arab state in the Middle East took the U.S. seriously...Across the Arab world the United States' defeat of Iraq was devastating. It was demoralizing. It burst the bubble they had been living under for generations....things are different today for the Palestinians on the ground. Now, they have to take the United States -- and by extension Israel, much more seriously....The other despots and tyrants in the region are quaking. Their regimes are afraid

Last time this happened, a President by the name of Reagan called Quadiffi to the woodshed. Terrorism took a backseat until a weak leader , Clintoon reignited the trash fire of middle east terrorism through his whimpy politics.

[Let's Roll]

"In Jenin, with only small weapons, Palestinians held out longer against the invading Israeli army, what happened to the great Iraqi army?"

They held out against the Israelis because the Israelis allowed them to - i.e., pulled their punches because there were women and children in Jenin. Just as the US could have taken Iraq in 3 days instead of 3 weeks if our policy had been take no prisoners, scorched earth.

[Arizona Pard]

Excellent post; loved the quote from the book/movie.

[TheLion]

Excellent post.

[mamarainsberry]

This mural would be perfect with a 50 caliber shot right in his forhead.

[Mo1]

No other Arab ruler was as supportive of the Palestinian struggle as was Saddam Hussein. Almost everyone on the Palestinian street harbored the hope that the great military of Saddam --

Hey Palestine .. here is a hint

Saddam used you for his own purpose and never gave a crap about you ... think about it .. he paid you to blow YOURSELVES up

[Valin]

It has been years since any Arab state in the Middle East took the U.S. seriously. The U.S. would flaunt its power and throw its weight around and make grandiose statements, but the U.S. was regularly ignored. Most Arab leaders thought that the United States really wasn't interested in them or in what happened in the region. They thought American diplomacy was empty bellowing. They thought that the United Sates had only one overriding interest for their region -- protecting Israel's interests.

As the old saying goes, That was then...this is now.

[Valin]

Palestinians have been hit hard. Palestinians never assumed that they themselves were strong enough to crush the enemy Israel and her protector the United States. They relied on the strength of their brothers and neighbors.

"Ye Gad! What fools these mortals be!"

They relied on the strength of their brothers and neighbors.

Bridges for sale! Get your bridges here.

[Minty]

What I want to see is Syria coug up the thugs. To me the guy still looks defiant of Bush as if he doesn't believe he is about to be pressurized into submission. I only hope that the administration will back this up with a strong hand and let him reap what he has sown.

[Kip Lange]

Title of the article says it all. Great find.

To those that doubt the slumbering giant is fully awake -- I would suggest you stay tuned to the TV for further evidence we are most DEFINITELY awake. ;-)

[patricia]

Thanks for posting this very interesting article.
There is another article at this site about how the liberation of Iraq has lead to a realization the media serves their own agenda, rather than relaying the facts ... I do not know how to post, or I would have posted the article ... hint, hint ........

[FreeReporting]

Saddam's strength was that he believed in his own invincibility. So did the West. Everyone was prepared for a long hard war though hoped for a short one. We should have remembered that in the Arab culture lying is acceptable behaviour. Fortunately for us they deceived themselves this time.

The Palestinians use lying as ammunition and the Western media, particularly CNN and the BBC, are their patsies, eagerly believing every lying word about massacres and Israeli atrocities. Their trouble is that when they speak the truth nobody believes them and they don't know when to believe each other. This becomes a society built upon sand and is the reason that democracies can't succeed in the Arab world. Politicians in general make (shall I say) exaggerated statements and Arab politicians feel free to say anything at all, knowing that they aren't expected to follow through.

This is bad news for the future of any Arab state and I hope that Iraq has learnt its lesson and that Iraqis have learned that in the long run real armies defend their countries in fact and not by lying and exaggeration.

[Im Your Huckleberry]

On yer knees, punks.

'bout time we put the smack down on these sand maggots. Think twice before knocking down buildings in our cities and killing three thousand of our citizens, you maggot vermin, or we'll invade your countries, overthrow your governments and kill your leaders...

I'm reminded of what Dennis Miller said recently in one of his gags:

"We're simultaneously the most hated, loved, feared, and admired country on earth...in short, we're Frank Sinatra! And you know the Chairman of the Board didn't get where he was by lying down for punks in front of the Dunes!"

[Cathryn Crawford]

Exactly. But let that be said publicly!

No. The Israeli army likes to crush protestors and kill young children. (sarcasm, of course)

[geedee]

And now, this morning, I just heard the Palestinians are DEMANDING that we release Abul Abbas! DEMANDING!!!!!!!!

Were I GW, I would say . . . "Okey-doke, fine, just to show you we're a forgiving nation and I'm an understanding President . . . You fellas can pick him up at Ilsa and Lisa Klinghoffer's house."

[cynicom]

The arab world has awakened to the reality that clinton and his fellow socialists are no longer in charge.

[valkyrieanne]

Hang one, teach a hundred.