MEDIA REACTION: WAR ON IRAQ, DEMOCRACY IN THE ARAB

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 ABU DHABI 000193

SIPDIS

STATE FOR NEA/ARP, NEA/RA, NEA/PPD, INR
SECDEF FOR OASD/PA
USCINCCENT FOR POLAD
LONDON FOR GOLDRICH; PARIS FOR O'FRIEL

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: OIIP KMDR TC
SUBJECT: MEDIA REACTION: WAR ON IRAQ, DEMOCRACY IN THE ARAB
WORLD, MEPI, AND ISRAEL


1. SUMMARY: DEMOCRACY IN THE ARAB WORLD, THE MIDDLE EAST
PARTNERSHIP INITIATIVE (MEPI),AND THE ANTICIPATED WAR ON IRAQ
WERE THE PRIMARY FOCUS OF UAE AND REGIONAL MEDIA. UNDER THE PEN
NAME OF "IBN AL DEIRA," A COLUMNIST IN "AL KHALEEJ" HOPES THAT
THE U.S. DIPLOMACY WILL RECOVER ITS 'SPIRIT,' AND THE VOICE OF
WISDOM WILL BE HEARD AGAIN. IN "AL ITTIHAD," COLUMNIST DR.
SHAMLAN AL EISA DEMANDS THAT GCC STATES ADOPT A CLEAR AND PUBLIC
POLICY TOWARDS THE U.S. "AL BAYAN" URGES ARABS TO UTILIZE THE
INCREASING AMERICAN OPPOSITION TO THE WAR ON IRAQ, AND SAY 'NO'
TO WHAT HE DESCRIBES AS ANOTHER STUPID WAR. AT THE SAME TIME, IN
"AL ITTIHAD," UAE INTELLECTUAL DR. ANWAR GHARGHASH BELIEVES MEPI
WILL BE LOST AMONG THE HATRED FOR UNLIMITED AMERICAN SUPPORT TO
ISRAEL, WASHINGTON'S IMPATIENCE WITH THE REGION, AND THE CULTURAL
CHALLENGES OF THE ARAB WORLD. ALSO IN "AL ITTIHAD," UAE
COLUMNIST ABDULLAH RASHEED MOCKS THE REACTION OF ARABS TO
ISRAEL'S BAN OF TWO ARAB KNESSET MEMBERS FROM PARTICIPATING IN
THE UPCOMING ELECTIONS (NOTE: OBVIOUSLY WRITTEN PRIOR TO THE
ISRAELI COURT'S OVERTURNING OF THIS DECISION, END NOTE.). END
SUMMARY.


2. COMMENTING ON THE MEETING OF ASSISTANT SECRETARY OF STATE
RICHARD HAASS WITH THE CROWN PRINCE OF DUBAI, A COLUMNIST USING
THE NAME "IBN AL DEIRA" WROTE IN SHARJAH-BASED PAN-ARAB "AL
KHALEEJ ON 1/12:

"... THE MAJOR PROBLEM WITH AMERICAN DIPLOMACY PRESENTLY IS THAT
IT PERMITS MILITARY AND SECURITY SOLUTIONS THAT DO NOT UNDERSTAND
THE PSYCHOLOGY OF THE REGION AND THAT TREAT ARABS AS AN USELESS
QUANTITY LACKING CIVILIZATION. WE HOPE THAT U.S. DIPLOMACY WILL
RECOVER ITS 'SPIRIT', THE ONE WHICH INSPIRES US AND TO WHICH WE
WANT TO LISTEN. WE HOPE THAT THE VOICE OF WISDOM WILL RISE
BEFORE IT IS LOST TO IMPERIALISM AND A NEW MCCARTHYISM."


3. CRITICIZING WHAT HE DESCRIBES AS THE DOUBLE STANDARDS OF GCC
COUNTRIES, COLUMNIST DR. SHAMLAN YOUSUF AL EISA WROTE IN ABU
DHABI-BASED SEMI-OFFICIAL "AL ITTIHAD" ON 1/12:

"... THE PUBLIC POSITIONS OF THE GCC STATES DEMONSTRATE THAT THEY
ARE AGAINST THE WAR ON IRAQ AND ANY REGIME CHANCE BY FORCE. SOME
GCC OFFICIALS EVEN DECLARED A WEEK AGO OPPOSITION TO THE USE OF
THEIR BASES TO ATTACK IRAQ. CONVERSELY, IN PRACTICE, GCC STATES
HAVE AMERICAN BASES AND FACILITIES USED BY THE U.S. WHENEVER IT
WANTS ... THIS UNCLEAR AND VAGUE STANCE TOWARDS THE WEST IS NOT
NEW AND HAS BEEN THE PRACTICE FOR DECADES. IT IS ACCEPTED BY THE
U.S., THE WEST, AND GCC STATES ALIKE. THEREFORE, WE DEMAND THAT
THE GCC STATES ADOPT A CLEAR, FRANK, AND PUBLIC POLICY TOWARDS
THE U.S. MOREOVER, THEY MUST ANNOUNCE THEIR CLEAR SUPPORT TO THE
U.S. BECAUSE THEIR INTERESTS REQUIRE IT. THE INTERNAL PROBLEMS
ARE MERELY THE RESPONSIBILITY OF THE GOVERNMENTS, SINCE THEY
CREATE THEM THROUGH THEIR OWN ACTIONS."


4. UNDER THE HEADLINE "NO -- TO ANOTHER STUPID WAR", DUBAI-BASED
BUSINESS-ORIENTED "AL BAYAN" EDITORIALIZED ON 1/13:

"... ARABS SHOULD UTILIZE THE FLOW OF PEACE ADVOCATES AND
VOLUNTEERS COMING FROM EUROPE AND THE U.S. TO FORM A HUMAN SHIELD
PROTECTING IRAQI CITIES FROM ANY AMERICAN ATTACK. ARABS MUST
TAKE A COURAGEOUS, UNITED, AND UNANIMOUS STANCE THAT SAYS 'NO' TO
ANOTHER STUPID WAR, THE PRICE OF WHICH, IN THE END, WILL BE PAID
BY THE IRAQI PEOPLE ALONE. THE IRAQI PEOPLE HAVE BEEN SUFFERING
FOR THE LAST 12 YEARS UNDER UNFAIR INTERNATIONAL SANCTIONS."


5. UNDER THE HEADLINE "WASHINGTON CAN NOT LEAD THE CHANGE TO
DEMOCRACY", UAE COLUMNIST DR. ANWAR MOHAMMED GHARGASH COMMENTED
ON MEPI IN ABU DHABI-BASED SEMI-OFFICIAL "AL ITTIHAD" ON 1/13:

"THE U.S. CAN NOT LEAD THE CHANGE TO DEMOCRACY IN THE REGION.
MOREOVER, SECRETARY OF STATE COLIN POWELL'S INITIATIVE WILL NOT
SUCCEED IN CHANGING THE MIDDLE EAST TO AN OASIS OF DIVERSITY RUN
BY ELECTIONS TO PEACEFUL TRANSITION OF POWER ... IN THIS CONTEXT,
I MUST MENTION THE THREE MAJOR REASONS THAT PREVENT WASHINGTON
FROM LEADING THIS PROCESS. THE FIRST ONE IS ITS INFINITE SUPPORT
TO SHARON AND HIS SUPPRESSION (OF THE PALESTINIANS),WHICH
RESULTS IN THE LOSS OF ITS CREDIBILITY AND ANY (PERCEPTION OF)
NEUTRALITY IN THE REGION ..."

"SECOND, ON THE OTHER HAND, WE FIND THAT THE DEMOCRATIC CHANGE IS
A COMPLETE PROCESS, WHICH REQUIRES MANY YEARS AND SIGNIFICANT
EFFORT. WASHINGTON IS NOT PATIENT ENOUGH TO LEAD THE CHANGE
TALKED ABOUT BY U.S. THEORISTS ... OBSERVERS OF U.S. FOREIGN
POLICY BASICALLY REALIZE THAT THIS POLICY IS CRISIS MANAGEMENT.
THUS, WASHINGTON HASTILY LOSES CONCENTRATION AND ENTHUSIASM. THE
U.S. WILL DISCOVER THAT THE PRIORITIES OF ITS ACTIVITIES ARE
DISORGANIZED TO DEAL WITH THIS NEW URGENT CRISIS ..."

"THE THIRD REASON IS ... WASHINGTON'S PROJECTS WILL FACE THE
SITUATION ON THE GROUND THAT WARNS US OF OUR HISTORICAL
EXPERIENCE, WHICH WILL MAKE A CHANGE TO DEMOCRACY DIFFICULT AND
FULL OF INTERNAL PROBLEMS. OUR CULTURE IS PARAMOUNT (BUT HAS) A
LONG HISTORY OF SUPPRESSION AND ORGANIZED VIOLENCE ... HOWEVER,
THIS DOES NOT WIPE OUT THE IMPORTANCE OF SUCH A CHANGE AND THE
NECESSITY FOR ITS IMMEDIATE START IN THE REGION, AND THROUGH A
CLEAR BELIEF THAT WITHOUT THIS CHANGE, THE FUTURE WILL BE
BLURRED."


6. COMMENTING ON ARAB REACTION TO ISRAEL'S BAN OF ARAB KNESSET
MEMBERS AZMI BISHARA AND AHMED AL TIBI FROM PARTICIPATION IN THE
UPCOMING ELECTIONS (PRIOR TO THE COURT DECISION OVERTURNING THIS
MOVE),UAE COLUMNIST ABDULLAH RASHEED WROTE IN "AL ITTIHAD" ON
1/13:

"300 MILLION ARABS EXPRESS ANGER BECAUSE ISRAEL BANNED AL TIBI
AND BISHARA FROM PARTICIPATING IN THE KNESSET ELECTIONS ON
JANUARY 28 ... SOME ARABS DO NOT KNOW THE MEANING OF DEMOCRACY,
SOME HAVE NEVER EVER HEARD OF THIS WORD .... AND THE MAJORITY IS
CERTAIN THAT ANY ANIMAL IN THE WEST HAS MORE HUMAN RIGHTS THAN
300 MILLION ARABS EVEN DARE SEEK. SOME ARABS EVEN CONSIDER TALK
OF DEMOCRACY AS A SUMMARY OF ALL THE HORRIFYING THINGS PROHIBITED
IN THEIR WORLD. IN SOME ARAB COUNTRIES TALKING ABOUT DEMOCRACY
IS SIMILAR TO POSSESSING OPIUM OR OTHER TYPES OF DRUGS, WHERE AS
IN OTHER SOCIETIES THE PENALTY FOR TALKING ABOUT DEMOCRACY IS
MORE THAN PROSTITUTION OR POSSESSING HASHISH OR ANY KIND OF DRUGS
AND HALLUCINATION PILLS. NEVERTHELESS, WE BLAME ISRAEL FOR NOT
GIVING DEMOCRACY TO AL TIBI AND BISHARA. WE SHOULD BE ASHAMED."

WAHBA