Voices from the Arab Press: Israeli threats created moderate Iraq gov't
There is no doubt that what led to this Iraqi determination to come together against Iran...is none other than Israel's threats.
Voices from the Arab Press: The right of return shall prevail
HOW ISRAELI THREATS GENERATED A MODERATE IRAQI GOVERNMENT
Al-Sharq al-Awsat, London, September 5
The mullahs in Tehran experienced yet another blow this week, when the
Iraqi parliament succeeded in forming a coalition consisting of moderate
political forces led by Moqtada al-Sadr. This political coalition,
numbering over 170 members, is far larger than the opposition bloc
backed by Iran.This is a watershed moment. The Iranians considered Iraq
their home turf. It had not even crossed the mind of Qassem Soleimani,
the commander of the Revolutionary Guards Corps, that Iran might lose
its foothold in Baghdad, where it has been controlling politics for
years. There is no doubt in my mind that what led to this Iraqi
determination to come together against Iran and form a stable coalition
is none other than Israel’s threats. Israel has made it very clear in
recent weeks that any Iranian presence in Iraq, particularly the
deployment of Iranian weapon systems, would force Tel Aviv to
“eradicate” the threat on Iraqi territory.
Israeli Defense Minister Avigdor Liberman conducted several interviews
in which he threatened that the Israel Air Force would act in Iraq just
like it acts in Syria. The Iraqi members of parliament heard and
understood these threats loud and clear. Despite facing heavy pressure
from various Iranian stakeholders, who pushed them to reject a political
partnership with moderate forces, they were forced to heed the Israeli
warning.
Had this coalition-building process taken place a year ago, it is very
likely that the Iraqi parliament would have been a puppet government
that takes orders from Tehran.
Thankfully, this wasn’t the case. The decision to protect Iraq’s
sovereignty is the first step in a long journey to turn Iraq into a
stable and vital democratic country. The people of Iraq have suffered so
much in recent decades and the time has finally come for them to enjoy
peace and security.
While Iran hoped to use Baghdad as a tool – to launder its money,
smuggle its weapons, and override the sanctions imposed upon it by the
West – the Iraqi parliament made a clear decision to dissociate itself
from Tehran and stand by the people of Iraq.
– Abd al-Rahman al-Rashed
CREATING A CULTURE OF DILIGENCE AND ACCOUNTABILITY
Al-Shorouq, Egypt, September 4 Hector Cuper, the former manager of the
Egyptian national soccer team, is a mirror-image of our society. His
approach to soccer lacked creativity, lacked inspiration, lacked
adventure and even lacked the basic fundamental principles of the sport.
Cuper cared about his own success; not that of his team.
He cared about how he might be perceived in public; not how his players viewed him.
Indeed, our national team paid a heavy price for hiring him, and his
departure from Egypt is a blessing to us all. When Cuper led the
Egyptian national team to a second place finish at the 2017 Africa Cup,
all of us celebrated his achievement. Yet no one looked at our
performance and analyzed what led to our defeat in the final. We were
victims of excessive self-confidence.
Not a single person – not even Cuper himself – learned from the team’s
mistakes in preparation for the 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia.
Here, too, we were overjoyed when our team qualified for the prestigious
international tournament for the first time since 1990. We let our
excitement get the best of us. We became conceited and smug. This time
our hubris came back to bite us, as we suffered three consecutive
defeats in Moscow, finished bottom in our group, and were sent home in
humiliation. Cuper’s contract was subsequently terminated.
So what is the problem, you might ask? The problem is that in order to
achieve greatness, we must all be willing to acknowledge our
shortcomings. We must be willing to invest the time and effort in
improving ourselves, instead of making up excuses and dismissing our
errors as accidental mishaps.
This is true of sports and society. Unfortunately, ours is a culture of
cover-ups and excuses, not one of diligence and accountability. Until we
change our mind-set, we will experience losses – in sports and beyond.
– Hassan al-Mustaqawi
HAS POLITICAL ISLAM COMPLETELY DIMINISHED?
Al-Jazirah, Saudi Arabia, September 4
I was always certain that the “Islamic Awakening” and its expression in
politics would eventually fade away, but I am genuinely surprised at how
quickly this has occurred. Across the world, people who subscribe to
political Islam as a system of governance have become disillusioned. The
question is, why? To begin with, it is important to understand that
there are several reasons that Arab societies experienced an Islamic
resurgence.
The first, and most important one, has to do with the Shi’ite Khameneist
movement in Iran, which quickly and overwhelmingly succeeded in
overthrowing the shah. Hoping to replicate this elsewhere in the region,
many Sunni Muslims adopted similar tactics within their own societies.
However, the Iranian revolution clearly failed. Today, we know that the
Iranian regime’s inability to build a contemporary state that meets the
aspirations of the people is a red flag for adherents of political Islam
everywhere. The idea that a modern and functional state can exist on the
foundation of a political priesthood seems implausible to any rational
person.
Granted, Islamic rule hasn’t completely passed from our world. It still
enjoys pockets of support in places such as Qatar and Turkey. The former
is a state paralyzed by the Arab boycott, while the latter is currently
witnessing its currency plummet to a record-low level.
Thus, proponents of political Islam now understand, even if they don’t
admit so publicly, that the movement is doomed to fail. The political
crises in both of these countries evidence how unstable this doctrine
is. It might be compelling on paper, but not in real life, as
theocracies are simply incompatible with the demands of modern
societies.
Young Muslims want freedom of speech, political representation and the
right to practice their own beliefs. I am sure that with time, we will
witness political Islam completely fade away from our world.
– Muhammad Al al-Sheikh
ON CONSPIRACY THEORIES AND ACCOUNTABILITY
Al-Khaleej, UAE, September 3
Arabs and Muslims have long had an inexplicable obsession with
conspiracy theories, myths and folklore. Many of us in the Arab world
truly believe that greater forces, which are out of our control, shape
the courses of our lives. This comes as no surprise to anyone living
among us.
Yet I was shocked to read a recent study conducted in France, which
shows that nearly 80% of the French people believe in conspiracy
theories, including the idea that what is happening in our world today
is somehow controlled by invisible governments. What are the
similarities between our societies that might be causing these beliefs?
In my humble opinion, the French might feel inferior to the
Anglo-Saxons, just like we, in the Arab world, often feel inferior to
our counterparts in the West. Historically speaking, the French culture
has been outweighed by the Anglo-Saxon one. So, in order to justify this
inferiority complex, the French people resort to doing what many
self-doubting civilizations do: developing beliefs about how forces
beyond their control conspired in dark rooms to diminish their cultural,
financial or political strength.
Unfortunately, adhering to these kinds of beliefs, even subconsciously,
is extremely dangerous. As the Arab experience has taught us, this
pushes societies to ignore their own failures, while absolving
individuals of responsibility for their actions.
At this point you might be asking yourself how this applies to real
life. Consider, for example, that politicians often use conspiracy
theories to justify their failures. Turkish President Recep Tayyip
Erdogan, who created Turkey’s currency crisis with his own two hands,
insisted that his country was subjected to some foreign “crusade.” Like
many other politicians, Erdogan simply didn’t want to admit his own
failings, so he resorted to spreading false claims.
Instead of ascribing every failure to a conspiracy, we would be much
better served if we demanded our leaders provide real, rational and
logical explanations for their actions.
Surely, there are sinister forces in the world trying to exert covert
influence over economies and political systems, but they unquestionably
aren’t behind each and every success or failure we experience on a
day-to-day basis.
– Yasser Zatara
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