The West seems to be in a serious dilemma in a very delicate international situation. That it is encouraging the protest movement against Arab dictators is clear and must be welcomed. But is it doing so against all Arab dictators or are there important exceptions? I am thinking of the major oil oligarchies, long time friends of the powerful western circles. Does the West leave the mass protest movements unfold naturally in each country depending on its unique condition or does it interfere to dilute and guide the upheavals so that finally no genuinely elected governments can result from any of them? Honest leaders of the protest movements need too keep eyes on local demagogues, and external saboteurs. Alternative strategies and tactics to continue the struggle for democracy indefinitely need careful thinking and rethinking.
Looking at the experiences of countries in Latin America and elsewhere it is clear that governments really elected by the people will not take orders directly from Washington, London or Paris as do many of the so-called elected African governments, for example, who came to power through clearly rigged elections. They will be obliged to look first after the interests of their peoples, the electorate, so they will be elected again, and not after the interests of foreign multi-nationals.
Let us not be naive cherishing dangerous illusions. The Arab area with its oil wealth and its unresolved Arab Israeli conflict cannot be allowed to be easily free from direct and indirect grip of Anglo-American political, economic and military influence and aggrandizement. There is also the question if the West has a really homogeneous view on the whole issue. May be there are some circles in the West who are seriously and honestly looking at some kind of a new deal for the region and are interested in resolving the Arab Israeli conflict to finally stem the anti western current among the Arabs and in the Muslim world and to forestall possible nuclear proliferation. The West has already recognised practically India as a nuclear power but is extremely disturbed with a nuclear armed Muslim Pakistan to say nothing of Iran.
But I have no doubt myself that there are other powerful circles too here in the West who are not interested in a peaceful development in the region, for example, the military industrial complex and its representatives at the highest policy making levels. Not to forget also at least part of the strong Israeli lobby. Why is it that USA has chosen this moment in time to kill Bin Laden? Why did they not catch him alive? They could get more information from the living Bin Laden than from the dead allegedly thrown into the Ocean. More Sadism and revenge tends to produce often still more sadism and revenge. The cycle of blind hate and violence can and must be broken by the examples and direct or indirect pressure of peace loving forces everywhere. The western free media should, I think, raise such a question instead of repeating the same hackneyed, tedious, rambling propaganda all over again and again. Despite freedom of press sometime I am afraid that it is not as free and as real as I would like it to be even here in the democracies even in this internet age…. Could it be that a living Bin Laden would bring to light things that are better be buried for ever because they have serious implications for people at the highest policy level including some powerful media barons?
In the meantime absolute and extremely brutal dictators in Africa particularly such as the ones in power in Addis Ababa, Asmara, Khartoum, Mogadishu and Kampala, and, generally, the ones who came to power through corruption and clearly rigged elections such as in Nigeria, Cameroon, Mali and so on are agog to know if the tide of the Arab spring reaches their shores and strongholds. Many of them are secretly weeping for Qaddafi and all tried to save him through AU. Will the West apply different standard to save some of them if the worst comes to the worst thus nullifying all the goodwill achieved so far especially in Tunisia and Egypt?
Is it possible that the Al Shabab movement in Somalia transforms itself gradually into a Somali-wide peaceful protest movement having nothing to do with the so-called terrorism, sweeping away from the entire country puppet warlords and intellectuals who, misusing tribalism and clan realities, threaten the unity of that nation? Personally I am never convinced that Al Shabaab is really an extension of Alqaida as Meles Zenawi and his Anglo-American friends would have us believe. In this case the West does not need to give Meles Zenawi carte blanche to cause yet more carnage and bloodbath in that country. I think the West should stop using again any unelected Ethiopian regime to regain influence in Somalia if it has any respect for the Somali people. and wants lasting peace in the region. Meles Zenawi himself must, like Mengistu Haile Mariam, be persuaded to dismantle his purely ethnic brutal army peacefully with the guaranty of safe passage for himself and his clique, or otherwise be forced to quit setting an example for the other African thugs to follow. Or is this a vain dream? Some dreams come true sometimes sooner or later especially if they are truly motivated by the love of mankind and just peace and are accompanied by positive collective action by the victims of repression themselves.
Anyway, it is practically high time that the young generation which is the most dynamic force of the protest movement considers different strategies and forms of struggle so that its heroic sacrifices are not in vain, easily hijacked by the powerful and mighty forces determined to dictate their will no matter how unjust.