GOD SAVE US FROM BLAIR
Wednesday, July 4, 2007
By Shireen M Mazari
If there was any doubt at all about the revival of a most threatening form of neo-imperialism emanating from the direction of the US and Europe, the appointment of Tony Blair as a Middle East ìpeaceî envoy (whatever the exact grandiose title) should put such doubts to rest. Who can forget the earlier British meddling in West Asia which led to underhand deal cutting and eternal misery for the Arab people -- especially the Palestinians. In present times we have had the murderous invasion of Iraq by the Bush-Blair combine and the strangulation of the Palestinian people for their audacious expression of their democratic rights, by this same combine in cahoots with Israel and other European states. Of course the dubious record of the Bush-Blair combine is not restricted to West Asia (the ìMiddle Eastî as the imperialists have tended to refer to that area) but since Blair is now going to continue asserting the neo imperialist agenda specifically in that unfortunate region, it is that record that is relevant. Here, of course, one should not forget the timing of the British knighthood for Salman Rushdie for there are always patterns that reveal a certain agenda and we need to be aware of them.
In any event, a crucial factor that was always present and has now been highlighted in the sordid episode of Blairís appointment as the Quartetís Middle East envoy is the US-loyal mindset of the new UN Secretary General. This is unfortunate and will certainly push the UN further into becoming a legitimiser for US global policy rather than an instrument for international peace and security. As for Blair, it is already evident what his new mandate will be since the US (loyally supported by Britain) and the EU (with Israeli approval) have already shown which direction they intend to move in on Palestine. This direction is basically to resolve the issue primarily in terms of a two-state solution but involving a truncated and deferential -- to the US-Israel-EU combine -- Palestinian state. Such a design has no room for the legitimate democratic expression of Palestinian will, or for parties such as Hamas. Instead, Hamas has been isolated in Gaza and Israel has been allowed to conduct mass killings of Palestinians in that territory while the Fatah leadership in the West Bank is now feted and given economic assistance. Israel has also now agreed to release the illegally-blocked Palestinian funds but all this will go to Mahmoud Abbasís US-loyal emergency government. So the old imperial policy of divide and rule has seemingly been successfully employed in the Middle East. Undoubtedly, Blair is meant to carry this further. What a tragedy for the Palestinians to find themselves fatally divided by external vested interests.
Of course, in the Arab World, beyond Arab officialdom, there are few takers for Blair. He lacks credibility amongst the Arab people -- in fact amongst Muslim people as a whole, since his anti-Muslim record is reflected in his Iraq adventure and hostile approach to the Palestinian cause, as opposed to the Zionist cause. Even in Britain, the Blair government has managed to increase the polarisation between its Muslim citizens and the rest of British civil society. After all, it was Jack Straw, a member of the Blair cabinet, who asked his Muslim constituents to come to him without the veil if they wanted to seek his assistance. Now Straw is the Justice Secretary of State as well as Lord Chancellor, in the Brown cabinet-- again at a time when the whole issue of religious dress is under legal debate.
Meanwhile, since the Arab World has been presented with a fait accompli in this neo imperialist appointment of Blair as the Quartetís Middle East envoy, let us at least be clear as to whoís interests and whoís agendas he intends to fulfil through this appointment and let us not accept his benefactorsí efforts to couch their designs in high-sounding but meaningless moral terms. Even the term peace has now been given a highly tainted meaning in the wake of the killings of the innocent in Iraq, Gaza and Afghanistan by the US, Israel and Britain. State terrorism is certainly offering stiff competition to the terrorism carried out by non-state actors like Al Qaeda or the LTTE.
Which brings up an interesting pattern in terms of the attacks against civilians. Is it a mere coincidence that the attempted terrorist act in central London recently was immediately followed by NATOís killing of civilians in Afghanistan? Even more terrifying were developments in Scotland after the Glasgow airport attack when wall chalkings appeared declaring ìkill all Pakisî. Such is the level of hatred Blairís Britain now harbours. Also, ìcoincidentallyî, NATO troops again went on a rampage against civilians in Afghanistan. One really begins to wonder what is the fine line that divides terrorist killings from ìcollateral damageî killings?
In October 2006, The Lancet published the findings of research undertaken by Johns Hopkins University, into the number of deaths that had taken place in Iraq since the US-UK invasion and the figure they came up with then was around 655,000. Add to that the exceptionally high ìcollateral damageî of deaths in Afghanistan at the hands of the US-NATO combine and the continuing deaths of Palestinians especially in Gaza and for a Muslim it is difficult not to conclude the inevitable: That Muslim life is considered cheap in the wake of 9/11 (which had resulted in around 3000 tragic deaths) and can all be rationalised as so much collateral damage.
But we have ourselves to blame also. We are divided and at war with ourselves and more eager to please the forces of neo imperialism than sate our own peopleís aspirations. This is why we have allowed extremists to gain ever more space in our midst and that is being exploited by the neo imperialist forces to attack us from outside. Pakistan has suffered particularly on this count, especially at the hands of the Brits who find it so convenient to label their errant Muslim citizens as British Muslims of ìPakistani originî.
This abuse of Pakistan has become so rampant that we need to take some extreme and drastic measures. For instance, we need to restrict Pakistani citizenship to those born in Pakistan rather than allowing those who have neither been born here nor lived here to lay claim to being Pakistani. This should not detract anyone from investing in Pakistan or buying property here but it will restrict those who can be called Pakistani. Let the British be responsible for their errant Muslim youth and let not those who have no ties to Pakistan --- save ancestral ones -ñ claim to be of Pakistani origin.
In fact, in these trying times, I feel those who have chosen to hold dual nationality (hedging their bets as it were) should also be asked to choose one or the other nationality. Let those who claim to be Pakistani stick by their green passport, despite the hardships it may present right now. After all, we should ensure that we move in directions where these difficulties are obliterated rather than simply discarding the green as and when it suits us as individuals. The battle lines are becoming ever more well-defined between the forces of neo imperialism and the Muslim world and difficult choices have to be made.
The writer is director general of the Institute of Strategic Studies in Islamabad. Email:
smnews80@hotmail.com
http://www.thenews.com.pk/daily_detail.asp?id=63064