POWELL TO THE MIDDLE EAST - SHARON TO THE USA

Former General and Joint Chief Chairman Colin Powell is racing to the Middle East to buttress the Arab "client regimes" and position the U.S. for the military skirmishes, and possibly regional war, that lie ahead. He will stop in Kuwait before returning home to celebrate the "10th anniversary" of putting the Emir and family back in charge coupled with a more visible American occupation of the region.

Former General and proposed War Criminal Ariel Sharon will race to the U.S. soon to buttress the American-Israeli alliance and position Israel for the military skirmishes, and possibly regional war, that lie ahead. He will present himself to Congress and Jewish audiences claiming an overwhelming mandate from the Israeli electorate and the need to enhance "Israeli security".

The "Arab Street" is pretty repressed and demoralized these days. And the "American Street" is pretty co-opted and mislead. But if ever street protests, heckling, and general popular harrassment were symbolically in order, now is surely the time -- before it is once again too late.

Powell tries to present himself with dignity and stature -- and clearly does a better job of that than Madeleine Albright before him. But he is very much partly responsible for the genocidal policies toward Iraq, and very much part of the American establishment which makes possible what Israel has been doing to the Palestinians and what the American-sponsored Arab regimes do to their own people. He deserves at least to be met with loud and sustained street protests.

Sharon presents himself these days as a grandfather interested in "peace" trying to bring about a "national unity government". But he even more than others personifies the "break their bones" and "make them kneel" policies the Israelis pursue ever more vigorously against the Palestinians, as well as the preparations for regional war using the backdrop of Israeli nuclear weapons and overwhelming military power. He deserves at least to be met with loud and sustained street protests coupled with civil disobedience designed to make him pay a price for visiting and speaking; and it should be coming from American Jews, not just those of Arab background and sympathies.

Until the good people of the Arab world are able and willing to seriously protest against the U.S., not just against Israel, and to raise the stakes for the American Empire, not just for the Israelis, their predicament will not improve.

Until the good people of the U.S. are able and willing to seriously protest against the military-industrial conglomerate that runs their lives and attacks those countries who will not succumb and obey, their own predicament of powerlessness and moral hypocrisy will not improve.

This brief editorial about the contemporary situation and where we may be heading is from The Times of India:

[Editorial - The Times of India - 21 Feb]: The recent bombing of Baghdad by the US and UK has evoked condemnation across the world and has raised serious questions about the direction of the Bush Administration's foreign policy. The election of hardliner Ariel Sharon as Israeli prime minister and the continuing violence in West bank have already brought the Arab world closer. The bombing of Baghdad can only serve to further ignite Arab anger. Russia, China, France and India have expressed their disapproval of this patently aggressive act. For the Iraqi people, already under the strain of inhuman sanctions, there is now no option except to unite behind Saddam Hussein. During the Gulf War, it took a lot of effort on the part of President George Bush Sr to bring the Arab nations into a single alliance under its leadership to fight for the liberation of Kuwait. General Colin Powell explained then that the allied advance was cut short and the war not pressed to conclusion to remove Saddam Hussein, mainly to sustain the unity of the alliance of Arab states. Given that background, it is now puzzling to see the US government going out of the way to alienate the Arab states, especially given that the same Mr Powell holds the all-important post of US secretary of state. There are other disquieting developments. The US has started applying pressure on Russia by citing it as a proliferator. This would seem like a selective attack, considering President Clinton, in his the last days in office, waived sanctions against China after a long-delayed finding on China's sale of missiles to Pakistan. However, singling out Russia might have the effect of bringing the two major nuclear weapon powers together, and indeed, the flow of sophisticated technology from Moscow to Beijing could increase.

All this comes at a time when anti-US feelings are rising in Japan as a result of a US nuclear submarine sinking a Japanese research trawler in an accident and causing casualties. Europe is also worried about the provocative policies of the US vis-a-vis Russia and China raising tensions. Clearly, the US is rushing to court unpopularity across the world, contrary to expectations that the Bush national security establishment would conduct itself with a degree of sophistication. There is little sign of the maturity, balance and sobriety expected of the `reluctant warrior' Colin Powell. Instead, these developments bear the stamp of defence secretary Rumsfeld's earlier avatar as the cold warrior who outmanoeuvred Henry Kissinger and killed the SALT II negotiations. Raising tension in West Asia and pushing up the oil prices may suit the interests of Texan George Bush. But higher oil prices are unlikely to help the US economy, which is slowing down very rapidly, not to mention their effect on the rest of the world. The US policy in the first month of President George Bush is suggestive at once of a lack of coherence and hegemonic arrogance. Only time will tell whether this is disorientation caused by the GOP's eight years out of office or this is the US as the new cowboy on the rampage. The Bush administration has possibly set a record for alienating so many nations in such a short period.