In the Name of Allah, the Beneficent, the Merciful
PRESIDENT BUSH – THE “IDEOLOGUE”?
[Shamim A Siddiqi, New York]
Capitalism accompanied with secularism, nationalism and liberalism as
its off-shoots, gradually reached to its zenith in the United States of America
in the aftermath of the conquest of Allied forces at the end of the Second
Great War of 1938-45. The USA
completely established itself as the mega-superpower in the annals of history
with the evaporation of Cold War and the collapse of Communist Russia as its
challenging contemporary power. In its wake, American liberal culture with its
military might, human values and flourishing democratic system of life became
the call of the time. These concepts were welcomed every where, especially in
the underdeveloped countries and the newly emerging independent nations in Asia, Europe, Africa and Latin America.
Had the leadership of the USA
been wise enough, it should not have disturbed this process of natural
“adaptation.” Had America
promoted its predominant values with love for justice, concern for human rights
and care for suffering humanity, the majority of human race would have
“grabbed” it willingly and America
would have been recognized by the time as the savior of mankind. But the flow
of history was not allowed to proceed in its natural course and the vested
interests in this country and abroad robbed the “bloom and glow” by diverting
its flow to wrong channels that human
nature always abhors.
The leadership of the USA behaved
“closed” mindedly, became “blind” to its “shortsighted” foreign policies that
serve only some of its national interests abroad and greatly “protect” the
State of Israel. Unfortunately, President Bush, with the help of his Neo-Cons
conservative aides both in the Whitehouse and the Pentagon has symbolized
himself in twisting the natural flow of history to coercive process of
diverting the world to “follow his lines
or face the consequences” of preemptive attack. He “spoiled” his first term
as the President of the USA in “conquering” Afghanistan and then “occupying”
Iraq on flimsy grounds, concocted stories about WMD and a “fake” war against
the so-called “terrorism” that neither could he define so far as what “terror”
constitutes nor could he defeat it anywhere in the world. Rather, in compliance
to his vision, he has “filled” the earth with increased terror activities,
bloodiest insurgencies both in Iraq and Afghanistan, hate against the Uncle Sam
everywhere and brought the “home-land-security” unguarded at the enormous cost of danger and damages to
our personal freedom and liberties. Americans constitutional guarantees are at
stake. So, his philosophy of “preemptive attack” and “war against terrorism”
has back fired and he has put the future of America in doldrums and distrust.
However, President Bush got
elected for the second term not on account of his declared “war philosophy” and
projections both at home and abroad but due to religious affinities and his
conservative agenda against gay-marriages. Since his Inauguration Day, he is
now presenting himself as an “ideologue” who is bent upon to promote “freedom”,
democratic process, involving the people of Muslim lands in power sharing
process of their respective countries. He is citing the “successful” elections of
Afghanistan,
Palestine and
January 30th elections of Iraq as “milestones” in that
direction. Here he forgets that these elections were held under direct
“occupancy” either of the USA
or that of Israel.
Posterity will never accept them as fair and unfettered verdict of the people.
It all tantamount to imposition of the “wishes” of the occupying forces to
“install” some kind of “puppet” regimes who will harp on their master’s voice
even when they are not there.
In Afghanistan people’s resistance is
in progress against the elected regime of Hamid Karzai. There is no peace in the country beyond the
outskirts of Kabul.
The resurrection of Taliban is “visible” everywhere. In Iraq Shiia and Kurdish who have their meaningful vested
interests, participated in Elections briskly but the Sunnis who were scared of
the majority rule, mostly kept away from this process. The details that are now
coming forward are alarming from American point of view. Both Saudi Arabia
and Iran
invested in millions and millions of dollars in support of their party or
candidates. But even in this situation people of Iraq have given their verdict
in favor of religious alliances that are likely to hold power against the
wishes of the USA which is extremely allergic to Islamic concept of life and
the code of Shariah that is likely to emerge as the
paramount foundation of the future constitution of Iraq and its government
afterwards. The Congressmen in the Capital have already started raising their
voices against the emergence of Islam in Iraq one way or the other.
If President Bush is really
sincere and I can “believe” him for sometime, he should then accept the verdict
of these elections with open heart and mind. It would bring confidence to the
people of the region that he is sincere and there is no game plan behind his
advocacy of promoting democracy in the Middle Eastern countries. The matter
does not end here. Simultaneously, he has to make his attitude totally
democratic in dealing with the dictators and undemocratic regimes of Egypt, Libya, Ali
Tunisia, Hassan of Morocco, little Sheikhdoms of
Persian Gulf including Saudi
Arabia and the most undemocratic regime of Pervaiz Musharraf of Pakistan. The
sincerity of President Bush is at test as how far he is willing to bring these
countries under the fair game of democracy and how far he is willing to desert
the despotic rulers behind with a clear warning: “restore democracy and human rights in full and get out of the people
march towards completing the democratic process, I am with them.”
Only then he will be acknowledged
as a truthful “ideologue.” Otherwise, his patronage of Hassni
Mubarak, appeasement policy to SA and other Sheikhs
of ME and the despotic rulers of North Africa
will contradict his claim and sincerity that he is advancing towards spreading
democracy “to the darkest corner of the
world”. President Bush’s contradictions are enormous, if we take his double
ended behavior with European countries especially with Putin
of Russia, Sharon of Israel, Rulers of India, China, Korea and elsewhere in the world.
If he is to be recognized as the “ideologue” of twenty-first century, he has to
correct his position before it becomes too late and history brackets him as
hypocrite of the first water. I wish him all success to let him emerge as a truthful
“ideologue”. The good of the world lies in his success.
Shamim A Siddiqi
February 6, 2005