Fierce resistance causes shock and awe
The Guardian newspaper published an article on March 27 by the managing editor of the Egyptian newspaper Al Ahram, under the title «We are all Iraqis now.» The writer of the article claimed it’s the first time since the 1967 disaster the Arab nations have felt pride, in the strong resistance of the Iraqis. It is an important element in determining the process of the war, the way the war is going. It was not expected by the Americans. And it seems that it caused a lot of shock… And awe! Yes, and awe. So suddenly the shock and awe was in the Arab direction. This resistance was saluted very warmly by the Arab world. Few people in the West expected such fierce resistance, given the image they had of the oppressive nature of the Iraqi regime. How do you explain it? Judging by past wars – of course there is a lack of information about the situation in Iraq itself; it was closed for the past 12 years – but the fact is that attacking a country gives rise to nationalist feelings, regardless of the form of the government or whatever is going on. After the recent statements by Donald Rumsfeld and Colin Powell against Syria, do you believe that country will be the next target of American aggression after Iraq? I hope not. But it seems that some circles in the US believe that after Baghdad there are other stations where they have to stop. But now, after what they have seen in Iraq, they can see that anywhere else, wherever they move. So the best thing is to reconsider any war plans and keep within the political framework. And I believe within this political framework we can achieve a lot. Because we in the Arab world are not really prepared to hate the US. Its’s not a question of hating the US. We want to have the best of relations with the US. But it takes two to tango, and if the US tangos with us, on this political platform, I believe we can reach a good policy that protects our interests and their interests. But war will definitely bring the whole Middle East into serious, major confrontation and unleash bad feelings of hatred and rancor. So I hope that we roll back this policy of war options and use of force.
