To each his own: The great Arab League break up (Amir Taheri)

The Jerusalem Post (via Benador Associates) ^ | 7 February 2003 | Amir Taheri

[Stultis]

This interesting article was missed earlier this month. The Arab League might have smoothed the skids for Saddam's removal, even impelled him to flee and prevented war, by convening and declaring him a war criminal who must step down. But alas it is now clear from more recent reports that the Arab League will not meet, and could not reach agreement if it did. The League is furlongs ahead even of the United Nations in the race to irrelevance. All they can seem to do any more is convene emergency meetings to denounce Israel.

Many other articles by Taheri are available from his profile page at Benador Associates. Check out the other speakers Benador represents (Woolsey, Perle, Ledeen, Kabbani, Hamza, Krauthammer, Ijaz, et al). Don't miss this recent article in which Taheri hammers the "peace" rally in London for silencing Iraqis:

Reverend Jackson, let me speak!--'Could I tell the people about my life?', Iraqi grandmother

also (re)posted here:

Rev. Jackson, let me speak

[Cicero]

Interesting article. It confirms that even the Arabs are tired of being Arab losers. Consider this cri de coeur:

"Associating with the Arabs has brought us nothing but trouble," says Colonel Mu'ammar Gaddafi, the Libyan dictator who recently decided to boycott the Arab League and emphasize his so-called "African identity."

If this article represents the real state of Arab feelings, then it confirms the belief of those of us who think that decisively defeating the terrorists, far from encouraging more martyrs to appear, will encourage the Arabs to repudiate bin Ladin and move in a new direction. It won't be easy to accomplish this, but it is at least conceivable. If we do nothing, however, the terrorism is certain to get worse.

[hellinahandcart]

This guy's good.

[VaBthang4]

Quite interesting.

However, if the hard-moderate muslim voices in all of those nations arent neutered...then their reforms are doomed.
The lowest common denominator [racism/bitterness/anger/unforgiveness towards Jews and to a lesser extent Christians] will win the day and topple changing regimes in mid stroke.
I cannot stress enough the requirement that they liquidate their islamists and educate [correctly] their populace before they begin....otherwise, it will all be vanity.
If they make those changes and reach out to us [not Europe] then we must receive them openly and without malice.

IMHO: They wont orientate themselves properly towards their own internal threats [Islamists] and as a result, wont be able to pull it off and will lose out to the exremists who will then partner with Utopian Self-Loathing Europeans to overwhelm the source of both their consternation: Jews/Israel.

[Ernest_at_the_Beach]

Thanks for posting this good read!

Forming up a ping list here for War_List.

Anyone want on or off send me a Freep mail.
I can see the volume getting high.
I want on anyones bump list for articles going on the War_List

OFFICIAL BUMP(TOPIC)LIST

[EternalVigilance]

To whatever extent these divides are real, we are winning the war.

'Peace through strength' proves its validity once again.

[DeuceTraveler]

Small countries in the Arab world, like Bahrain and Qatar, see America not as a bully, but as a political and economic protector from their more powerful neighbors such as Saudi Arabia, Iraq, and Iran. This parallels the same situation occuring in Europe.

[rightazrain]

"I cannot stress enough the requirement that they liquidate their islamists . . ."

To do that, they would have to remove practically their whole populations.

I've been reading The Haj by Leon Uris. Best book ever to understand the Arab mind.

[George W. Bush]

Now, however, even the venue of the projected summit is a matter of dispute. Some Arab leaders do not want to meet a few miles from the headquarters of the United States navy in the Persian Gulf.

Hee-hee.

Great article. I especially enjoyed the mention of Algeria and Morrocco moving to align themselves with us especially since they have been French-aligned for so long. France is losing two clients if we'll take them.

[MCH]

One thing is sure, however: The presence of a huge US army in the region has, much like the proverbial hangman's noose, helped concentrate many minds among the Arabs on the causes of what many now refer to as "our great historic failure."

Nice. Nothing like a little humility and self-examination in the face of a vastly superior force imminently poised to kick your @ss.

To heck with sending the troops back to Germany. Lets setup & keep the bases right where they are.

[sheik yerbouty]

It is my understanding that the impotentates are always "holding their own", and occasionally someone else's. Whoops! I have offended the effendis!

[WOSG]

If this article represents the real state of Arab feelings, then it confirms the belief of those of us who think that decisively defeating the terrorists, far from encouraging more martyrs to appear, will encourage the Arabs to repudiate bin Ladin and move in a new direction. It won't be easy to accomplish this, but it is at least conceivable. If we do nothing, however, the terrorism is certain to get worse.

RIGHT. I found the article very encouraging, especially the positive moves Syria and Saudi Arabia may make. they will be hastened by a democratic post-Saddam Iraq. Our own policies since 1979 have been mostly ineffective at stopping terrorism. Removing the ones who hate us from power will certainly be a better policy that what we've been doing in the past.

[Doctor Stochastic]

Taheri used to be editor of the English-Language "Teheran Times."

[Stultis]

Small countries in the Arab world, like Bahrain and Qatar, see America not as a bully, but as a political and economic protector from their more powerful neighbors such as Saudi Arabia, Iraq, and Iran. This parallels the same situation occuring in Europe. (emphasis added)

Ahhh. The parallel had not occured to me. Very insightful generalization. Some folks in The Ivory Coast have been feeling the same way lately:

Leave it to the frogs to resort to force, and then use it to impose appeasement.

[Dolphy]

Very interesting read. I have heard this situation described in degrees, but this is a great summary. If accurate, Bush's push on Iraq might make him one of the most important leaders of this century. If this region is at the crossroads described, this is truly a historic time.

[Stultis]

This guy's good.

Thank God for each and every enlightened islamic modernist. I suspect, and hope, there is a greater hunger for their leadership within the islamic world than is usually guessed. We shall see.

I'm fully with Taheri's instincts on this matter. The myth of pan-Arabism and the Arab/Islamic nation has been an unmitigated disaster, second (if so) only to Judenhas in its destructive and nihilistic fruits. Only when this myth has been utterly discredited is there any reasonable hope for genuine and energetic reform in the Arab World.

[Stultis]

Here's another article that might be good for your ping list.

[freedom44]

Iranians aren't arabs.

[VaBthang4]

"To do that, they would have to remove practically their whole populations."

I havent read the book you wrote about [The Haj by Leon Uris]. But I do know "human" nature. By and large regardless of idiology, race, forms of government etc, etc. the usual flow is 10% extreme one direction 10% extreme in the opposite direction and 80% floating in between, back and forth as particular dogmas gain/lose sway.

Yes all Arabs are tainted with racism towards Jews but only 10-15% of Arabs will not be disuaded from their radical positions concerning them. The rest can be exploited/enticed/leaned on to seriously consider other avenues in dealing with Jews.

It would take time no doubt [look how long it has taken white southerners to get their acts together corporately]. But it is possible. Like I said....first the Arab Leaders involved need to remove a sizable portion of that radical 10-15% as well as acclimate the rest as to the changes coming before they begin.

If they do these things, IMHO they have a legitimate chance of success.

[Stultis]

Read that more carefully. DeuceTraveler traveler didn't say Iran was an arab state. He referred to it among "more powerful neighbors" of "small countries in the Arab world." Granted there are no particulary "small" countries directly bordering Iran, but there are plenty within the range of its influence, including (relatively) progressive arab states like Kuwait, Bahrain, Qatar & Oman just across The Persian Gulf.