The International Writers Magazine:Comment

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A MIDDLE EASTERN DINNER PARTY • James Skinner puts indigestion on the menu I just can’t help it. I decided to return to my pet subject of the Middle East that I know so well, having lived and worked with all of them; Arabs, Iranians and Israelis.

It is a great subject. There is so much going on out there that as a hack journalist it’s hard to turn your back on it. But let’s start from the beginning. When George Bush first arrived at the White House, his immediate international rhetoric began with a finger pointing session at China, Iran and North Korea. ‘Axis of Evil,’ he called them. He accused these countries of being a threat to world peace and that as President of the United States he was going to do something about it. Without being unkind, within weeks, or months he had mud slung in his face with the downing of a US Air force plane on Chinese soil which ended peacefully thanks to diplomatic palavering rather than insults or military threats. Then came September 11th 2001. The hijacking of four commercial aircraft and the subsequent murder of thousands of civilians in New York and Washington changed everything. George received a rapid indoctrination of what the ‘Real World’ was all about and soon pulled out the map of the Middle East to see where all the players were. He brought the 7th cavalry out of retirement.

First target on the list were the Taliban in Afghanistan that had set up a sort of Terror Inc. organisation with CEO Bin Laden directing his own international Al Qaeda cavalry across the Western plains of our democratic world. Having knocked Bin’s company off the Islamic stock exchange, George set his sights on Iraq because the West, lead by the USA had had enough of Saddam Hussein and his menacing form of government. Saddam had been warned before, by George’s father, but despite being hammered constantly with trade sanctions imposed indirectly by the US and Royal Air Forces, the ‘Winchester 75’ totting Arab Dictator would not give in to pressure. So George and a few other European buddies went all the way and threw the guy out. Since then, Iraq has been nothing but a ‘pain-in-the-neck’, to put it mildly, despite so called democratic niceties such as the consolidation of a Constitution and the setting up of an all included ‘singing and dancing’ parliament to appease the Western world.

In the meantime, Bin Laden (or his apostles) continued with his rotten campaign and blew up a few trains in Madrid followed by another set of bombs in the London underground. Did the European Union rally round in unison to condemn him? On the face of it, yes. In practice, bugger all! The Spaniards changed their government, the British did not. Italy sat on the fence and Germany was too busy trying to sort out their economy and forthcoming elections. The French had their fair share of violence with rampaging ‘unknowns’ burning cars and causing havoc within the country. Meanwhile, Ariel Sharon, Israel’s leader who a few years ago upset the Palestinians by walking around ‘forbidden territory’ in Jerusalem had sent his Arab neighbours into a frenzy starting a new wave of ‘Intifada’ violence. The whole map of the Middle East looked like a stained tablecloth after a feast of witch’s cauldron. One would have to revert to Macbeth’s cook book to identify the ingredients. Let’s continue.

Lebanon has thrown out the Syrians after a series of strange assassinations. Saudi Arabia clamped down on Bin Laden's company operations in Riyadh and elsewhere whilst Pakistan, the haven for Islamic fundamentalist indoctrination (interpret this how you wish) was handed a catastrophic calling card. A violent earthquake suddenly brought their Indian partners to the negotiating table for some sort of peace talks over Kashmir. This later event has nothing to do with what I am writing about but it’s a sort of aperitif to go with the meal.

Eat on! Yasar Arafat dies; Ariel Sharon has a serious stroke and is put out of action. The West goes back to the drawing board to re-arrange the game plan for the so called ‘Peace Plan’, ‘Road Map’ or whatever you wish to call the Israel-Palestine conflict. Thought you had enough to get on with at the dinner table? How about the Iranian elections that brought in a new Islamic president? This new ‘kid-on-the-block’ is not only hell bent in the eventual destruction of Israel but has decided to build an atomic bomb to carry out his threat. His atomic program is allegedly for domestic use only, to hand out free electricity to the poor, you might argue. Well, George and his heavies, France, Britain and Germany don’t believe Tehran and the ‘Magnificent four’ are prepared to knock the UN’s main heads together to dig out the truth. The Russians, who are trading like hell with Iran, are not too sure. China isn’t happy either, but I’m not quite sure why.

Then along come the Palestinians with their democratic elections, supervised by all and sundry to make sure there is no hanky panky, and throw a dollop of acid on the whole meal. Lo and behold, the very essence of democracy and freedom the world over is put to the test! The so-called ‘Islamic freedom fighters’ otherwise known as the terrorist organisation Hamas win the elections and take over the government. Similar to Iran, they continue to chant their hatred towards Israel and vow to remove them off the map. Every Western government, political organisation, international institution, ‘Uncle Tom Cobley’s Help Society’ has rushed back to the drawing board to reassess the situation.

So what next? You tell me! The Middle East and whatever democracy there is, is now in a complete turmoil. Israel, the US and the EU just don’t know what to do. The whole concept of democracy in the form of freedom of expression, the will of the people, not to mention human rights, interpreted in the text books as ballot box results, has flown out of the window.

The table is now set for a new meal. Would you like to place your orders, or are you still reviewing the menu?’

© James Skinner. February 2006.
jamesskinner@cemiga.es
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