Fear Extreme Islamists in the Arab World? Blame Washington

Saturday 29 January 2011

by: Jeff Cohen, t r u t h o u t | Op-Ed

Fear Extreme Islamists in the Arab World? Blame Washington
Protesters in the streets of Cairo, Egypt. (Photo: Ed Ou/The New York Times)

In the last year of his life, Martin Luther King Jr. questioned US military interventions against progressive movements in the Third World by invoking a JFK quote: "Those who make peaceful revolution impossible will make violent revolution inevitable."

Were he alive to witness the last three decades of US foreign policy, King might update that quote by noting: "Those who make secular revolution impossible will make extreme Islamist revolution inevitable."

For decades beginning during the Cold War, US policy in the Islamic world has been aimed at suppressing secular reformist and leftist movements. Beginning with the CIA-engineered coup against a secular democratic reform government in Iran in 1953 (it was about oil), Washington has propped up dictators, coaching these regimes in the black arts of torture and mayhem against secular liberals and the left.

In these dictatorships, often the only places where people had freedom to meet and organize were mosques - and out of these mosques sometimes grew extreme Islamist movements. The Shah's torture state in Iran was brilliant at cleansing and murdering the left - a process that helped the rise of the Khomeini movement and ultimately Iran's Islamic Republic.

In a pattern growing out of what King called Washington's "irrational, obsessive anti-communism," US foreign policy also backed extreme Islamists over secular movements or government that were either Soviet-allied or feared to be.

In Afghanistan, beginning BEFORE the Soviet invasion and evolving into the biggest CIA covert operation of the 1980s, the US armed and trained native mujahedeen fighters - some of whom went on to form the Taliban. To aid the mujahedeen, the US recruited and brought to Afghanistan religious fanatics from the Arab world - some of whom went on to form Al Qaeda. (Like these Washington geniuses, Israeli intelligence - in a divide-and-conquer scheme aimed at combating secular leftist Palestinians - covertly funded Islamist militants in the occupied territories who we now know as Hamas.)

This is hardly obscure history.

Except in US mainstream media.

One of the mantras on US television news all day Friday was: Be fearful of the democratic uprisings against US allies in Egypt (and Tunisia and elsewhere). After all, we were told by Fox News and CNN and Chris Matthews on MSNBC, it could end up as bad as when "our ally" in Iran was overthrown and the extremists came to power in 1979.

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Such talk comes easy in US media where Egyptian victims of rape and torture in Mubarak's jails are never seen. Where it's rarely emphasized that weapons of repression used against Egyptian demonstrators are paid for by US taxpayers. Where Mubarak is almost always called "president" and almost never "dictator" (unlike the elected president of Venezuela).

When US media glibly talk about the Egyptian and Tunisian "presidents" being valued "allies in the war on terror," it's no surprise that they offer no details about the prisoners the US has renditioned to these "pro-Western" countries for torture.

The truth is that no one knows how these uprisings will end.

But revolution of some kind, as King said, seems inevitable. Washington's corrupt Arab dictators will come down as surely (yet more organically) as that statue of Saddam, another former US ally.

If Washington took its heel off the Arab people and ended its embrace of the dictators, that could help secularists and democrats win hearts and minds against extreme Islamists.

Democracy is a great idea. Too bad it plays almost no role in US foreign policy.

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Comments

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->#1$% is why this has

Sat, 01/29/2011 - 14:00 — Anonarcmous (not verified)

->#1$% is why this has happened.What they did not foresee UNEXPECTED of the "things we donot know" routine.The fact is all the weaponry, ammunitions, down to uniforms, etc, used against the egyptian people is furnished/profited by US. In the end, the effects of what we do always returns; it is not by divine intervention from one sides god or the other, but simple physics' rules as gravity--no escape.Even if you did not foresee.

_ _ _ _ ? [Fill in the

Sat, 01/29/2011 - 15:25 — rock (not verified)

_ _ _ _ ? [Fill in the blank]

Blame Washington.

As GW Chimp blabs... "Fool

Sat, 01/29/2011 - 16:00 — hollywoodnc (not verified)

As GW Chimp blabs...
"Fool me once...shame..on...you...........
Fool me twice and never get fooled again!"

We now live in a country run by stupid fools.

We have agencies conducting 'Back Room" deals eg: Iran pre 1979 w/Shaw of Iran until he was ousted.

We kissed Mubarak ass for a long time...Now this.

We placed a puppet regime in both Iraq and Afghanistan. I wonder how that will turn out in a few years?

This Gov't is a JOKE, BAR NONE! It doesn't learn from it's prior mistakes and always POLICES other countries that don't want anything to do with FREE'DUMB'!

When will the nimrods in DC LEARN?

The adage that an action

Sat, 01/29/2011 - 16:53 — Anonymous (not verified)

The adage that an action will create a reaction is true not only in physics but also in history. The bad things a society does for a short term gain, may, in the long run, come back to haunt that society. We in the west have a relatively short history, and have short-term memories. Older cultures have much longer term memories, and patience. It seems "pay-back time" for past wrong doings is rapidly approaching.
When will we ever learn?

Years and years our gov. has

Sat, 01/29/2011 - 17:18 — anonymous (not verified)

Years and years our gov. has been preaching and preaching about bringing democracy into other countries and at the same time they cozy up to dictators---thats HYPOCRISY at its best!! They send in the CIA to infiltrate and to cause mayhem in other parts of the world. As one Iraqi put it 'Death and destruction all over--if this is what you call democracy, then I want no part of it! It also is happening in South America.Why is it that our Government has to interfere into other countries?--oh! thats right,they have resources that we want!!! Do you believe that our country has been made safer???How can it be safer after making too many enemies?

yes...the truth can be

Sat, 01/29/2011 - 18:05 — chard (not verified)

yes...the truth can be painful, but like some things - you will hurt whilst cleaning & dressing the wound - a republican cut...puncut?!

"If Washington took its heel

Sat, 01/29/2011 - 18:50 — Andrei Vyshinsky (not verified)

"If Washington took its heel off the Arab people and ended its embrace of the dictators, that could help secularists and democrats win hearts and minds against extreme Islamists."

That Washington has its heel on the Arab people at all can only be laid at the feet of the Israel Lobby and the stranglehold it exerts on American politicians and Middle East policy, certainly you know that. And this stranglehold - every bit as perverse as that of the investment banks on the same persons and institutions - will only be broken by mass public demonstrations and strikes, as our elections are a travesty and as well engineered as any in the Arab world at the moment. Would that the courage of today's Egyptians inspire the American people to bring about a restoration of our own democracy.

"Where Mubarak is almost

Sat, 01/29/2011 - 19:21 — RayofMaine (not verified)

"Where Mubarak is almost always called "president" and almost never "dictator" (unlike the elected president of Venezuela)."

This pretty much sums it up. We, i.e., the U.S. government – regardless of party – is guilty of moral corruptness & hypocrisy in its dealings throughout the world. We embrace those who serves us best. I cry for Tibet. I ache for Hawaii. I am pained by our history in South America, etc. etc. etc.

Dangerous as the Cold War no

Sat, 01/29/2011 - 22:25 — HerbR (not verified)

Dangerous as the Cold War no doubt was, it is more than silly - it's downright ignorant -to lay the blame for it solely on the U.S and the Allies in the West. Evidence to the contrary abounds in many places and many countries; Joe Stalin and his associates everywhere were not idealistic pioneers for a universal and peaceful future for mankind. Just look at what they did to their own people over the decades and disabuse yourself of such notions. Also: read "Bloodlands". It may open your eyes more widely.

Anonarcmous above is too

Sat, 01/29/2011 - 22:36 — Edgar Nelson (not verified)

Anonarcmous above is too sanguine.
I only wish these #@%&^*$ WERE stupid.
If I were religious I'd call them intelligently diabolical...
(or diabolically intelligent) they keep creating enemies so as to never run out of them.

Ed/Nelson=agreed. Nolimit to

Sat, 01/29/2011 - 23:25 — Anonarcmous (not verified)

Ed/Nelson=agreed. Nolimit to man's intelligence or how he uses it. Think this is also HerbR point--just is NOT us. Whyfor 'well-regulated militia', to be able to protect and defend us. This havinga finger[so much more] in everyone's pie is out-of-control. The one thing about the Russians is they finally looked at the situation and packed their pride b4 it totally did them in.And all this does not help Israel in ANY way, b/c it simply fortifies her enemies. The fact that we cannot arrive at a comprehensive energy policy to have us driving Smart-er cars, all government buildings powered by solar,etc, is OUR problem and does NOT give us the right to invade, kill, steal, destroy and leave waste -- a la "largest purveyor of death"-mode in any way.Beyond shameful. Americans had better learn to give up 'by choice' b4 it becomes imposed upon them.

excellent

Sun, 01/30/2011 - 05:45 — Anonymous (not verified)

"Democracy is a great idea.

Sun, 01/30/2011 - 06:14 — aacme (not verified)

"Democracy is a great idea. Too bad it plays almost no role in US foreign policy."

Or in US domestic politics.

To quote Yogi Berra, "it's

Sun, 01/30/2011 - 09:56 — Anonymous (not verified)

To quote Yogi Berra, "it's deja vu all over again."

Sow the wind. Reap the

Sun, 01/30/2011 - 11:05 — wch (not verified)

Sow the wind. Reap the whirlwind. "Mind you own business." Get the hell out of other countries' affairs. Not a bad foreign policy. Our politicians used to advocate this.

Is it not an irony that the politician who most exemplifies the traits admired on this most liberal of websites (at least as to military, foreign policy, government transparency and civil rights) is a Republican? Ron Paul. For his trouble, he has been vilified or ridiculed.

The divide is not left and right but up an down, as in the Power Elite vs the rest of us. When we wake up, not only will our civil rights be restored but so will our proper foreign policy. Sadly, history suggests this will likely also require that we adopt actions something akin to what the Egyptians are engaged in.

I predicted Bushies and

Sun, 01/30/2011 - 14:42 — Anonymous (not verified)

I predicted Bushies and neocons would be yowling when this started happening.

Yes, thirty plus years of playing the double game of fearing and fighting terror while ensuring that it smoldered on and allowed popular rage that might have been directed against the autocracies in power to be instead misdirected against us (with the supreme self-assurance, at least till 9/11) that they couldn't really touch us; that it was all a kind of big PR game.

I love seeing the Republicans and neocons racing, almost literally falling over each other to support the dictators over there.

Fear Extreme Islamists in

Wed, 02/02/2011 - 21:57 — Thierno Diallo (not verified)

Fear Extreme Islamists in the Arab World?
``````````````````````````````````````````
I wonder if there's any such thing as "Islamist" within Muslims or in Islam.

How about Fear of Extreme Christianists or Jewishist in America or European world?
The negative image of Islam and Muslims need to stop in the media and around the world.

Who or which religion produced men Like: Hitler, Moseleni, Stalin, Chritopher Columbus, Napoleon, Pete Botha of Apartheid S.Africa, H. Truman, Ariel Sharon, T.Blair and G.W. Bush to name a very few. Not for getting the pioneers of the trans Atlantic Slavery, Apartheid System and the Colonization of non European Peoples of the earth.

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