The international community must take this opportunity to address an historic injustice
The 10th anniversary of the felling of New York’s Twin Towers, unrivalled till now as the twenty-first century’s Day of Infamy, passed earlier this month. Across the world, and especially in America, the passing of a decade since “9/11” occasioned much reflection on the part of leaders, in all sections of the media, and victims’ near and dear ones, upon how things have never been quite the same again since that fateful morning.
Ordinary folk see it every time they go through airport security, if they’re lucky. As if to mark the occasion , on September 11, Shoshana Hebshi- a native of Ohio with Middle Eastern roots- was handcuffed and escorted off a Frontier Airlines flight by armed police upon landing in Detroit. She was then strip-searched, and interrogated for four hours before being released. Cabin crew had sounded the alarm after a passenger alerted them of two men sitting either side of her spending unusually “long periods” in the bathroom.
Evidently you won’t do too well as a terrorist if your bomb or weapon of choice needs to be assembled over several visits to the toilet. In any case, the incident encapsulates the gradual blurring, of the line between the vigilant and the absurd, when travelling by air. It’s no surprise that the airline industry has had a particularly rough ten years, what with all the hassle and harassment passengers have faced on so many occasions in airports around the world, to go with the unforgettable image of those planes exploding into WTC 1 and 2.
In fairness, you can’t really blame people for being slightly paranoid after a decade that saw the revival of apocalyptic predictions of a “Clash of Civilisations” pitting Muslims against Western “values”. And all before even a decade had passed since Fukuyama famously, and in retrospect, foolishly, declared “the end of history”.
But despite the zealous glee with which otherwise respected scholars waded into the discourse of divisiveness, humanity’s innate appreciation of its shared struggle ensured no such clash ensued. The geopolitical implications of 9/11 reverberate to this day, and clearly won’t dissipate for some time yet. Afghanistan and Iraq, two misadventures in vengeance you could only pull off under George W. Bush have subverted the entire concept of victory in war.
The breakdown, or defeat, of illegitimate state machineries in those two countries has unleashed disparate groups working almost entirely on their own, and sharing only one thing in common: getting rid of the invading force, after which they probably can’t wait to turn their wrath on each other. Exploiting asymmetry to upset the balance of power from below has been, and continues to be a much-exploited tactic for these groups. The modern, well drilled American army, not to mention its allies- all armed with the latest in sophisticated weaponry and reconnaissance devices- have come a cropper in the arena of asymmetric warfare. There is nothing to suggest they have an answer to it yet.
Buccaneering American generals used to steamrolling the enemy before flying the stars and stripes in carefully crafted photo-ops are now reduced to inanities on “winning the peace”- a subject they clearly know nothing about. And as much as the Obama administration inspired a ray of hope- that with Mr Bush’s exit from the White House, the hegemon would awake to a new perspective in its international role- that has now been well and truly extinguished. But it doesn’t seem to matter as much anymore, as the world witnesses the dysfunction in US politics, the gaping holes in its economy, and recognises it for the superpower in decline that it is.
And yet, for all that has changed, so much still remains the same. Much of the discourse in the aftermath of 9/11, certainly within progressive circles, focused on the importance of addressing the “root causes” that were giving rise to so much animosity towards the US among Muslims. Studies exist to show that the particular brand of terrorism one had come to associate with groups such as al Qaeda by then, was not a disease, but rather a symptom, of the deeper malaise within Arab societies.
Poverty, joblessness, inequality and lack of social mobility- all of these played their due role, as any appreciation of the nexus between economics and society would recognise. But if there is one issue that overrides all others, in fuelling Arab/Muslim anger and frustration- gestating into hatred on the fringes- towards the US, it is the foreign policy of successive US governments over the last seven decades. Specifically, its unequivocal support of Israel in almost everything it does, with no regard for fairness or justice. The peace process that the Palestinian Authority is bypassing to present its bid for statehood at the UN this week, has by now lost all legitimacy, principally due to the blatantly partial role played by the US as broker.
Atoning for history
Palestine’s bid for full membership of the UN is doomed to fall short, as the US has pledged to use its veto -- a fundamental roadblock in the UN’s quest for greater relevance -- and block the bid. It is a measure of the Zionist lobby’s influence in Washington that it is ready to forego even more of its legitimacy as self-proclaimed “leader of the free world”, just to do Israel’s bidding. The Palestinians will then proceed to the General Assembly, where all the indicators are that its bid will be approved with an overwhelming majority.
What will that mean however, in terms of the situation on the ground, where their people suffer everyday under the Israeli occupation. Precious little, unfortunately, at least in the short term. Approval at the General Assembly will allow Palestine to upgrade its present “observer” status at the world body to that of an “observer state”, joining the Vatican. A lesser prize for sure- the choice phrase is “symbolic value”- but not entirely insignificant. It will at least allow them to gain membership of the vast network of UN organs. Of particular concern for Israel is that the enhanced status would allow Palestine to become a signatory to the International Criminal Court, and potentially press charges against the Israelis for their routine human rights violations. The Israeli blockade of Gaza, for example, may be declared illegal under international law- forcing it to be lifted.
But Gazans themselves have expressed grievances about their lack of involvement in the process. The Associated Press found souvenir teacups commemorating the bid being sold in some shops on the strip, but much more cynicism about its presumed benefits on the ground. Hamas, which rules over Gaza having won a 2006 election, is not expressly backing the bid, as it would mean implicit recognition of Israel as a legitimate state. Such divisions within Palestinians themselves, have long been pointed out by critics as a sign that they are fundamentally unready to have their own state.
That is a deplorable position to take, echoing an equally presumptuous view that was dispelled with such élan in the Arab Spring. The Palestinians suffered, in the words of the late, great Edward Said, “a historic injustice” in 1948. A basic flaw that pre-destined the peace process to failure was the refusal to acknowledge this simple yet profound truth as part of the framework that would guide it forward.
Now that the PA, with admirable gumption under the leadership of Mahmoud Abbas, has gathered what it takes to give the lie to that meaningless pursuit, the international community has a shot at atonement for its mute role over more than sixty years, while Palestinians suffered like prisoners in their own home. It is a chance for the family of nations to regain their moral compass -- that they lost at some point in the machinations of the US and Israeli governments, and pull up a chair to welcome one of their own to the table of states. It may only be a moral victory in the grand scheme of things. But it will allow us to start the process of cleansing. |