SPECIAL MEDIA REACTION: U.S. NATIONAL SECURITY

UNCLAS ABU DHABI 001044

SIPDIS

STATE FOR NEA/ARP; NEA/PPD; NEA/RA; INR/R/MR; PA; INR/NESA;
INR/B; RRU-NEA IIP/G/NEA-SA
WHITE HOUSE FOR PRESS OFFICE; NSC
SECDEF FOR OASD/PA
USCINCCENT FOR POLAD
LONDON FOR MCKUNE

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: OIIP KMDR AE KPAO TC
SUBJECT: SPECIAL MEDIA REACTION: U.S. NATIONAL SECURITY
STRATEGIES REPORT



1. SUMMARY: A COLUMNIST IN "AL-KHALEEJ" DESCRIBED THE NATIONAL
SECURITY STRATEGIES REPORT AS A REPORT THAT CONSISTS OF
EVERYTHING EXCEPT A STRATEGY. AN "AL-KHALEEJ" EDITORIAL NOTED
THE U.S. NATIONAL SECURITY STRATEGIES REPORT FOLLOWS THE NEW
CONSERVATIVES' DISASTROUS IDEOLOGIES AND WONDERED WHY ISRAEL WAS
NOT INCLUDED AS ONE OF THE COUNTRIES POSING A DANGER TO THE
REGION, AS IT IS THE ONLY COUNTRY PROVEN TO POSSESS NUCLEAR
WEAPONS. END SUMMARY.


2. Under the headline "National Security Strategies report:
Acrobatics", a columnist, Saad Mehio, wrote on Sharjah-based Pan-
Arab daily "Al-Khaleej," (circulation 85,000) 3/18:

"The National Security Force Strategies report for year 2006
which was released few days ago included everything except a
Strategy. The 48-page document looked closer to the State
Department`s statements President Eisenhower once described as
`do not say anything'. ...With its year 2006 release, almost
everything has changed. It is true that preemptive wars and the
war on terror has not stopped, yet they are no longer deemed to
be the guiding principles of American policy. It is also true
that the war on terror and Islamic extremism is still important,
yet it has now moved from the first priority on the list. Now
the main concentration is directed towards Iran, as it represents
USA's biggest challenge in the world. Russia has turned from a
strategic ally into a non-democratic country which needs to be
warned of the consequences of its domestic and foreign policies.
Moreover, China has become a power threatening America's control
over energy and its resources in the world. Next is Syria, which
was removed from the list of problem countries in the 2002
document, only to stand out as a major problem in this year's
report. Syria is still Syria. No one knows why the picture has
changed during so much in this short period of time..."


3. Under the headline "Propagating the new conservatives'
disasters", Sharjah-based Pan-Arab daily "Al-Khaleej,"
(circulation 85,000) editorialized 3/18:

"In compiling the U.S. National Security Strategy we assumed the
United States would have learned something from its failures over
the past 4 years. That it would have learned from its blatant
use of force and preemptive wars on other countries under the
pretext of a war on terrorism. These failure projects themselves
very clearly throughout Iraq and Afghanistan. However, it seems
that this administration adheres to its approach of war and
confrontation. It assumes that its incomparable force, in the
absence of any parallel power, enables it to build its imperial
dream of becoming the only force that is capable of establishing
an international system subject to its authority. This report
described some countries as posing a threat to international
security, but did not include Israel, naturally, as it is the
only country in this region that possesses nuclear weapons,
executes terrorism and violates human rights on a daily basis.
It is not expected that Israel would be one of the countries
mentioned in the report, as it is a country that is implementing
U.S. strategies in the region and is the first benefit from
them... The United States is hijacking international law and
uses it in accordance with its own interests, without
international legitimacy, keeping in mind the principle "The
right is created in the exercise of power." This means that the
Bush Administration is following the new conservative ideology of
extremism and is determined to embrace its policy of expansion
and disaster similar to what has happened in Iraq and
Afghanistan."


SISON