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Editorial See other Editorial Articles Title: Bush Has Little To Celebrate As 2006 draws to a close, US President George W. Bush seems to have absolutely nothing to celebrate. His "Greater Middle East Plan" has failed to materialise, his Iraq policy is in tatters, his democracy promotion, announced at the beginning of his second term, has retreated, Iran has not so far responded to his calls to halt uranium enrichment, North Korea has become a nuclear power, Osama Bin Laden is still alive and kicking, his little victory in Lebanon is still far from being secured, Russia has made a comeback and is challenging US interests in many places around the world, and finally, his party has received a severe blow in the US mid-term elections. In effect, Bush's foreign policy has completely failed to protect US interests around the world and would eventually lead to the collapse of the post-Cold War unipolar system. Bush would like us to believe that his failure to do good for his country or the world during six years of his presidency is the responsibility of the forces of "darkness, hatred and anti-democracy". He may also blame the "backward and conservative" Arab societies for not being responsive enough to his calls and plans for democracy. But, is this true? Has Bush been really as competent as not to be held responsible for anything that went wrong? The fact is that Bush's administration has for the past six years been frighteningly out of touch with Middle Eastern politics and its underlying tenets. Its policy has also been in stark contrast to the rhetoric, undermining its credibility and adding a sense of hypocrisy to its conduct. Punishing the Palestinians On Lebanon, it claimed to support the Siniora government, yet it supported Israel's devastating attack on the small Arab nation and intervened in the UN Security Council to delay a ceasefire, giving Israel the time it needed to finish off the country's infrastructure. On Palestine, it called for democracy and free elections, yet it punished the people who accepted democracy and acted on the call for fair elections. On Iraq, it called upon the insurgents to lay down their arms and participate in the political process, yet it continues to reject their demands to give assurances that US forces will leave the country as soon as stability is restored. On Iran, it calls upon the government of President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad to cease its effort to possess nuclear technology, while it turns a blind eye towards Israel's nuclear arsenal. On North Korea, Bush continues to call upon the Pyongyang regime to give up its nuclear programme, but refuses to give it any security guarantees that it would not be attacked by the US. Indeed, the Bush administration may have started to realise the catastrophic consequences of its foreign policy. Hence, it has called for internal revision. Yet, when the Baker-Hamilton committee recommended a change in policy, Bush refused to act accordingly, insisting on his "stay the course" policy. When everybody was expecting the president to reduce the number of US troops in Iraq, he decides to increase it. When he was called to open a dialogue with Syria and Iran, he enforces the US military presence in the Gulf by sending more aircraft carriers. The Bush administration has not only failed in terms of policy but has also lost the moral high ground it claims to possess. In recent opinion polls by Gallop, 70 per cent of Muslims in Jordan, Pakistan and Iran said to have a very negative view of the US and would like to see it humbled and defeated. This indicates that the US is not only risking losing its interests but also its credibility. Unless some dramatic change in policy is made, the US may have to pay dearly for the mishaps and arrogant behaviour. Post Comment Private Reply Ignore Thread Top • Page Up • Full Thread • Page Down • Bottom/Latest Begin Trace Mode for Comment # 1.
#1. To: Brian S (#0)
Well now he can have a party celebrating Saddam Hussein's death. Jorge is probably already dancing with some pretzels in that tornado bunker in Texas.
There are no replies to Comment # 1. End Trace Mode for Comment # 1.
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