[Nasional-e] Don't blame the victim

Sat Sep 7 10:00:07 2002

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The Australian

    =20
Don't blame the victim
By Greg Sheridan

September 07, 2002 IT was the cheapest gibe after September 11, and the =
cruellest, and the most bitter, and the most untrue, that US policy =
towards the Islamic world had somehow led to the terrorist attacks on =
New York and Washington. Noam Chomsky was as usual the most offensive, =
but by no means unique, when he labelled the US a terrorist nation.

No commentator was quite prepared to say the US deserved what it got, =
but many charged that Washington's policies, especially towards the =
Middle East, had somehow caused the terrorist atrocity. This is, of =
course, completely wrong, unless you argue that a family causes a =
burglary simply by having a home, or that the victim of a mugging causes =
the mugging by walking down the street.=20
The US excites great hostility primarily because it is a great power. =
Perhaps in all of history no great power has acted with less imperial =
ambition than the US today. But the disparity in power between any =
particular nation and the US is now so great it is impossible for most =
interlocutors not to feel resentful.=20

The Arab culture is perhaps especially prone to this resentment. As =
Samuel Huntington has pointed out, it believes its culture, of which a =
vast part is its religion, is the finest the world has known, and yet =
everywhere Arabs live in poverty and without a modern political system.=20

US policy towards Muslims has had no element of religious hostility. If =
anything, Washington has been exceptionally respectful of Islamic =
religious sensibilities. The US has not had a policy towards Islam or =
the Islamic world as such. It has instead different policies towards the =
different Islamic nations and the regions of which they are part.=20

One of the most intimate, and strangest, relationships is that between =
the US and Saudi Arabia. Since the time of Franklin Roosevelt's =
presidency, the Saudis have broadly aligned themselves with the US in =
foreign policy. The deal was simple: the Saudis provided the oil, and =
the US did not press them to implement internal democracy or even human =
rights.=20

This did not stop the Saudis from bankrolling for many years the PLO or =
countless Islamic extremist organisations all over the world.=20

The greatest ostensible bone of contention between the US and the Arab =
world has been Washington's support for Israel. Nonetheless, it is the =
simple truth that it is the Arab world which has waged three wars of =
aggression against Israel, in 1948, 1967 and 1973. Each war, designed to =
annihilate Israel, has led to the expansion of Israeli territory, =
although the territory Israel took from Egypt was given back when those =
two nations reached their historic peace agreement in 1979. Israel =
expected to give back most of the other territory it won, given a =
comprehensive peace agreement, but no such agreement has been concluded. =

It is difficult to know how much the Israel issue really motivates Arab =
leaders and Arab peoples. The most bloody wars in the Middle East, such =
as the Iran-Iraq war, have not involved the Israelis. Similarly, Arab =
nations have displayed intermittent indifference or even hostility to =
Palestinian aspirations that at other times they claim as sacred.=20

In 1990, Iraq invaded Kuwait and threatened Saudi Arabia. This led to =
the US assembling an international coalition, and in 1991 leading =
Operation Desert Storm to liberate Kuwait. That operation was supported =
by almost all of the Arab world.=20

Nonetheless, if a single action of the US did have a causal link to the =
September 11 outrages it was the liberation of Kuwait. A young Osama bin =
Laden at first stridently opposed Iraq and supported the Gulf War. =
However, bin Laden later came to feel religiously outraged by the =
permanent stationing of US soldiers on Saudi soil as part of security =
arrangements to make sure Iraq did not again threaten its neighbours.=20

Like many other religious fanatics, bin Laden was attracted to the =
Muslim struggle to rid Afghanistan of Soviet occupation after the =
invasion of 1979. US financial support for anti-Soviet resistance in =
Afghanistan was mainly funnelled through Pakistan, which played a key =
role in deciding which of the groups would be funded most. However, it =
is drawing an extremely long bow to blame US aid during Soviet times for =
all the troubles that subsequently beset Afghanistan.=20

It was the Pakistani military that sponsored the Taliban regime in =
Afghanistan, which later harboured bin Laden and his al-Qa'ida terrorist =
network. When the Taliban came to power, Washington kept an open mind =
about its religious outlook until it became obvious its human rights =
violations were extreme.=20

US foreign policy has had its share of mistakes but it is within Arab =
political culture that we must look for the sources of Arab rage against =
the US.=20

Greg Sheridan is The Australian's foreign editor.=20

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<DIV><FONT size=3D2>The Australian</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=3D2></FONT>&nbsp;</DIV>
<DIV>
<TABLE cellSpacing=3D0 cellPadding=3D5 width=3D10 align=3Dright =
valign=3D"top">
  <TBODY>
  <TR>
    <TD></TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE></DIV>
<DIV><SPAN class=3Dheadline>Don't blame the victim</SPAN><BR><SPAN =
class=3Dbyline>By=20
Greg Sheridan</SPAN><BR><SPAN class=3Dpubtime></SPAN></DIV>
<DIV><SPAN class=3Dpubtime>September 07, 2002</SPAN> <SPAN =
class=3Dbodytext>IT was=20
the cheapest gibe after September 11, and the cruellest, and the most =
bitter,=20
and the most untrue, that US policy towards the Islamic world had =
somehow led to=20
the terrorist attacks on New York and Washington. Noam Chomsky was as =
usual the=20
most offensive, but by no means unique, when he labelled the US a =
terrorist=20
nation.<BR><BR></SPAN><SPAN class=3Dbodytext>No commentator was quite =
prepared to=20
say the US deserved what it got, but many charged that Washington's =
policies,=20
especially towards the Middle East, had somehow caused the terrorist =
atrocity.=20
This is, of course, completely wrong, unless you argue that a family =
causes a=20
burglary simply by having a home, or that the victim of a mugging causes =
the=20
mugging by walking down the street. </DIV>
<P>The US excites great hostility primarily because it is a great power. =
Perhaps=20
in all of history no great power has acted with less imperial ambition =
than the=20
US today. But the disparity in power between any particular nation and =
the US is=20
now so great it is impossible for most interlocutors not to feel =
resentful.=20
<P>The Arab culture is perhaps especially prone to this resentment. As =
Samuel=20
Huntington has pointed out, it believes its culture, of which a vast =
part is its=20
religion, is the finest the world has known, and yet everywhere Arabs =
live in=20
poverty and without a modern political system.=20
<P>US policy towards Muslims has had no element of religious hostility. =
If=20
anything, Washington has been exceptionally respectful of Islamic =
religious=20
sensibilities. The US has not had a policy towards Islam or the Islamic =
world as=20
such. It has instead different policies towards the different Islamic =
nations=20
and the regions of which they are part.=20
<P>One of the most intimate, and strangest, relationships is that =
between the US=20
and Saudi Arabia. Since the time of Franklin Roosevelt's presidency, the =
Saudis=20
have broadly aligned themselves with the US in foreign policy. The deal =
was=20
simple: the Saudis provided the oil, and the US did not press them to =
implement=20
internal democracy or even human rights.=20
<P>This did not stop the Saudis from bankrolling for many years the PLO =
or=20
countless Islamic extremist organisations all over the world.=20
<P>The greatest ostensible bone of contention between the US and the =
Arab world=20
has been Washington's support for Israel. Nonetheless, it is the simple =
truth=20
that it is the Arab world which has waged three wars of aggression =
against=20
Israel, in 1948, 1967 and 1973. Each war, designed to annihilate Israel, =
has led=20
to the expansion of Israeli territory, although the territory Israel =
took from=20
Egypt was given back when those two nations reached their historic peace =

agreement in 1979. Israel expected to give back most of the other =
territory it=20
won, given a comprehensive peace agreement, but no such agreement has =
been=20
concluded.=20
It is difficult to know how much the Israel issue really motivates =
Arab=20
leaders and Arab peoples. The most bloody wars in the Middle East, such =
as the=20
Iran-Iraq war, have not involved the Israelis. Similarly, Arab nations =
have=20
displayed intermittent indifference or even hostility to Palestinian =
aspirations=20
that at other times they claim as sacred.=20
In 1990, Iraq invaded Kuwait and threatened Saudi Arabia. This led to =
the US=20
assembling an international coalition, and in 1991 leading Operation =
Desert=20
Storm to liberate Kuwait. That operation was supported by almost all of =
the Arab=20
world.=20
Nonetheless, if a single action of the US did have a causal link to =
the=20
September 11 outrages it was the liberation of Kuwait. A young Osama bin =
Laden=20
at first stridently opposed Iraq and supported the Gulf War. However, =
bin Laden=20
later came to feel religiously outraged by the permanent stationing of =
US=20
soldiers on Saudi soil as part of security arrangements to make sure =
Iraq did=20
not again threaten its neighbours.=20
Like many other religious fanatics, bin Laden was attracted to the =
Muslim=20
struggle to rid Afghanistan of Soviet occupation after the invasion of =
1979. US=20
financial support for anti-Soviet resistance in Afghanistan was mainly =
funnelled=20
through Pakistan, which played a key role in deciding which of the =
groups would=20
be funded most. However, it is drawing an extremely long bow to blame US =
aid=20
during Soviet times for all the troubles that subsequently beset =
Afghanistan.=20
It was the Pakistani military that sponsored the Taliban regime in=20
Afghanistan, which later harboured bin Laden and his al-Qa'ida terrorist =

network. When the Taliban came to power, Washington kept an open mind =
about its=20
religious outlook until it became obvious its human rights violations =
were=20
extreme.=20
US foreign policy has had its share of mistakes but it is within Arab =

political culture that we must look for the sources of Arab rage against =
the US.=20

<P><B>Greg Sheridan</B> is <I>The Australian</I>'s foreign editor.=20
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