The Hindu : The new colours of imperialism

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Saturday, Apr 19, 2003

Opinion

Opinion - Leader Page Articles

The new colours of imperialism

By Mushirul Hasan

War has become a fundamental element of America's foreign policy and one of the basic preludes for establishing its political and economic hegemony.

WARS, CONQUEST, the overthrowing of others, and their exploitation have constituted one of the supreme ends pursued by the United States establishment. But the pillage, plunder and murder in Iraq, concluded under the benign aegis of the so-called coalition, introduce an altogether new dimension to American unilateralism and belligerence. What is fearful is that George W. Bush & Co. seeks to legitimise war as the universally just course of conduct. Physical force, overpowering, or war has become a fundamental element of America's foreign policy and one of the basic preludes for establishing its political and economic hegemony.

It was not so earlier. In the past, the great American thinkers and creative writers argued that the natural state of man is universal peace and not war, and peaceful coexistence is therefore the only just course of conduct. Today, peace is not one of the ends to be pursued but a means to other ends — political and economic dominance.

`Old' Europe matters little; it is the `new' Europe that needs to be rallied round to bolster America's imperialist designs. With its revolutionary vitality totally dissipated, it can be bought over by throwing a few crumbs here and there. The United Nations, the sole guarantor of our independence and sovereignty, has lost its raison d'etre. The U.S. has cleared its arrears to that body, so declared Colin Powell at a recent press conference, and it was time for its functionaries to press on with their humanitarian work and not meddle in American affairs. His arrogant and patronising tone must have added to Kofi Annan's sleepless nights.

What about the rest of the world? Islamists divide the world into dar al-Islam (land of Islam) and dar al-harb (land of war). This is an unacceptable distinction that springs from the imagination of dated theologians. The U.S. State Department has, on the other hand, discovered two types of regimes in West Asia: `tyrannies' and `peace-loving regimes'. Now that Saddam Hussein's regime has been brutally destroyed, the message to the Syrians and the Iraqis is that the method of persuasion or consent has run its full course. So the use of force and compulsion is necessary with those who, out of nature or habit, cannot be educated or persuaded to obey the Pentagon's or the State Department's norms. Consequently, the lazy, the wicked, and the incorrigible would be compelled to obey their laws.

This golden rule does not, of course, apply to Israel. The U.N. must prescribe general beliefs and practices for all the nations. No, says Mr. Bush. That is because the perpetrators of crimes against the Palestinians represent, in Washington's blurred vision, a virtuous regime.

The `peace-loving regimes' in West Asia occupy the privileged position of supplying the most solid and the best starting point for bringing to an end the `tyrannies' in the region. Look how virtuous their rulers are: the President of Egypt who seized power after a coup, and the innumerable kings and sultans who bear honorific titles that must embarrass the most diehard right Republican in Texas.

They are not corrupted by the love of money or honour, by indulgence in pleasures, or by the desire for glory. Moreover, they have, following Plato's description, set down the first principle of democracy (i.e., of pure democracy, or of extreme democracy, as Aristotle calls it). They rule only by the will of the citizens, who honour them, because they would some day lead them to freedom.

What is more, they are unmoved by the pan-Islamic claptrap. So, they let the U.N. sanctions run their course despite the plight of millions of innocent Iraqi women and children. That is because they, having come to power through a democratic process, are repelled by Saddam Hussein's authoritarian rule. Given their strong identification with America's democratic traditions, it is no surprise that they allow the American and the British troops to use their territories to kill millions . The Iraqi army capitulated within three weeks. Otherwise, the Arab regimes would have aided the murder of more fellow-Muslims and the levelling down of more Iraqi cities.

Do the custodians of Mecca and Medina know the location of Najaf? It is Sir, the site of Hazrat Ali shrine. Do they know his antecedents? No, they do not: he is the cousin and son-in-law of the Prophet of Islam. Do the Sultans know what is so sacred about Karbala? It is your Excellencies, the battleground on the Euphrates River where the grandson of the Prophet and his 72 companions sacrificed their lives to defend the Koranic precepts. They know all about the casinos in Europe, but do they know what Baghdad symbolises in human history?

Hulagu, the ferocious Mongol, ransacked Baghdad in the 13th century. The Arab countries and Turkey (with the exception of Syria and Iran) have allowed it to happen again. So what if the Americans bombed the city, killed thousands of recalcitrant Iraqis and destroyed their great heritage?

The city will recover with American assistance. The Americans will bring pizzas and hot-dogs to the starving population. They will quench their thirst with Coca-Cola.

Look at Afghanistan. They killed many people before flying in food and medicines to that country. They will do the same in Iraq. Destruction is followed with reconstruction. The Americans will build the bridges they have destroyed and rebuild homes and hospitals they have so recklessly wrecked. That is called the healing touch.

As for the lost civilisational heritage, rest assured the artefacts would pour into the crowded but `safe' museums in Washington, New York and the British or the Victoria and Albert Museum in London. That is where the `loot' will stay preserved, and symbolise, as the American anthropologist, Bernard Cohn, wrote, the sense of triumph. Syria should learn its lesson and send its artefacts to the European capitals before the U.S. Marines ransack its museums. The `Thieves of Baghdad' will soon reach Damascus, another cradle of civilisation.

Millions salute the Iraqi people for their courage and fortitude. They are victorious in `defeat', as was Imam Husain, the `Lord of Martyrs', who set an example at Karbala for all those who fight evil and tyranny. Even after years of suffering, the Iraqis have not capitulated. But let me, at the same time, sound a warning to all those who desire peace in our world.

Admittedly Mr. Bush and Tony Blair are the enemies of millions who have taken to the streets to register their protest against this naked aggression on a sovereign nation. But so are Turkey, a country prepared to sell itself for a billion dollars, and the Arab countries which back the U.S.

The roadmap is clear: the overthrow of the feudal and dictatorial regimes and their replacement with secular and democratic governments is the only antidote to American imperialism. This is what the Urdu poet, Faiz Ahmad Faiz, dreamt of in the lines: "When will the crown be removed; when will the thrones be destroyed"? Not now, but it must happen.

Pan-Islamism is nothing but quaint romanticism. Thanks to the clever and manipulative redrawing of boundaries by the colonial powers, it has no takers in today's world of nation-states.

Boundaries are defined and demarcated and cannot be redrawn in order to pool in the resources to face the military might of the U.S. But the ideas of freedom and sovereignty are alive and kicking the world over. Those ideas, rather than any form of terrorism, must inspire us to defend ourselves from the "liberators".

The Muslim communities must build bridges with the followers of other faiths, and not isolate themselves from those committed to defending freedom and democracy. Reform, regeneration and reconstruction are the weapons with which they can defend themselves.

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