Meeting the Middle Eastern Crises

By

Dr. Raja Muhammad Khan

United States and European Union has issued stern warnings to Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi to end its tyrannical rule over the country. The self made leader has been ruling this oil rich country since last forty-two years. The prolonged rule would not have been a concern had there been deprivations of the masses addressed to their satisfaction. After all, Libyan people do have the right to lead a prosperous life, where their basic necessities are met. Against the popular rising in that country, Mummer Gaddafi has refused to step down. Contrary to a comparatively peaceful over-throwing of the power Hosni Mubarak of Egypt and Bin Ali of Tunisia, Mummer Gaddafi has decided to fight back the masses, demonstrating against this one man rule, against the global norms.

There have been less than 200 human losses in Tunisia and 350 deaths in Egypt during the anti regimes protests. Unfortunately, since the start of the anti-regime uprisings in Libya, nobody knows the correct figures of all those died or wounded in last four weeks. Apart from the use of ground forces and heavy Libyan forces are resorting to aerial bombardment on the demonstrators and all those fighting against the regime. In case of the revolution in Tunisia and Egypt, the armed forces of both countries have been rather friendly to the people.

What bothers the Arab world is not really the dislodging of the Gaddafi from the Libyan thorn, but the escalating threats of civil war, subsequently paving way for a likely invasion of foreign power(s). These powers may have a longer list for the subsequent expanding to rest of the Arabia. In fact, today’s Arab world is facing a situation, it confronted during World War-I. It is unclear as how many Lawrence of Arabia are covertly working in Arab world. However, this for sure that this time the group of Lawrence have been mandated to fuel the revolt against their own handpicked monarchs or the autocrats to give way to a Western style democratization. 

To put the record straight, Colonel T.E. Lawrence, a British intelligence officer, had played a very significant role in igniting the Arab revolt against the Turk’s rule in the former Muslim Empire.  Indeed, this Arab revolt against the Turks proved lost nail in the coffin of the last Muslim Empire; the Ottoman Empire. British and France provoked the Arabs to revolt against the Turks, as Ottoman Empire, had decided to side with the Germany against the United Kingdom and the Allies. And the Allies of this Great War wanted to teach them a lesson through an internal revolt.

Unfortunately, the internally weakened Ottoman Empire could not sustain the repeated overt and covert attacks and finally lost the war, resultant disintegration of this huge Muslim Empire into modern Middle East, much to wishes of Britain and France.  As agreed between Britain and France in the “Sykes-Picot agreement-1916,” Middle East was carved up into nation states, mandates and protectorates, all of which eventually became independent, following the World War II. The British Government did not honour the promises, made by Sir Henry McMahon to Sheriff Hussayan, the Governor of Hijaz in 1915. Arabs were not given most of the areas, as promised for revolting against the Turks.

 Rather, through the Balfour Declaration of November 1917, British Government paved the way for the creation a Zionist state in the heart of the Arab. Indeed, the Balfour Declaration was a formal, but a classified policy statement of the British Government for its unwavering support for Jewish national home in Palestine. The document is kept at the British Library. It was made in a letter from Arthur James Balfour (British Foreign Secretary) to Lord Rothschild; a leader of the British Community for the transmission to the Zionist Federation, a private Zionist organization. The Arabs are suffering since then, at the hands of this unnatural Zionist state.

United States and NATO has hinted a likely use of the force, if Mummer Gaddafi remains stick to the power to the dislikes of the Libyan masses. There is a rapid worsening of law and order situation in Libya. So much so, that on March 12,  Arab League, has requested the United Nations Security Council for the imposition of the a no-fly zone on Libya. The confidential sources have also revealed that, Arab League has also decided to negotiate with “Libyan rebel council based in Benghazi” representing the Libyan people. In an interview with a German magazine, Amr Moussa, the Secretary General of the Arab League, called for a no-fly zone over Libya. He said that, “I am speaking of a humanitarian action. It is about assisting the Libyan people with a no-fly zone in their struggle for freedom against an increasingly inhuman regime. The Arab League can also play a role.”

It is beyond doubt that, the current uprising in the Arab world is the result of the years of the deprivations of the people of these states at the hands of these autocratic rulers. They must respect the wishes of their masses by bringing reforms and the types of the governments, as desired by them. However, there are fears that, major powers may use these uprisings for their own benefits, if these are allowed to persist indefinitely. Such a scenario would be a disastrous one for the people, rulers and the above all the region in general. Before it is too late, Arab League and OIC; the most significant forums for the debate and discussion of the problems of the Arab world and Muslim Ummah, should take a lead role and make all out efforts to resolve the crises of the Arab world. These organizations must have institutional strength to resolve the regional issues to the satisfaction of the masses in their respective sphere, lest, the foreign forces are already lined up to make a big invasion, Arabs may not be ready to afford at this moment.

Besides, Muslim rulers must understand that, there is a widening gap between Muslim Elite and Muslim Street. The Muslim streets are now well award and have started asking for their rights. They cannot be kept in dark for a long duration. Moreover, the former blue-eyed of the major powers like; Hosni Mubarak or the Bin Ali, has lost their values in front of their former bosses. Muslim rulers must remember that in international politics, there is no permanent friendship, rather the criteria is as to who serve their interests. Major Powers always use the rulers and states for their purposes and through them, once no longer required.

 Let us be cognizant of the global politics, which is essentially a power politics. Muslim Ummah should get united and its organizations to take a lead role in resolving the crises arose in the Arab word in the best interest of the people and the region without involvement of external powers like US, EU or any other, including the UN. Any lose handling of the crises would give way for a US or NATO invasion, who issue their own order for the future shaping of the Arab world, which may not be very different from another Balfour Declaration or the Sykes-Picot Agreement.