Needed: A New Middle East Policy

The United States itself has sown the seeds of global terrorism by its past actions in the Middle East. Current US policy is only throwing fuel on the fire. Dousing these flames will require a new US Middle East policy that addresses the root causes of Al Quaeda terrorism.

First we must admit that the US led 'war on terrorism' has failed. Not only has widespread international support for the US evaporated within a year of the 9/11 attacks, but the recent terrorist actions in Bali and Kenya show that Al Quaeda is back in full force.

To see why, consider the principle justifications cited by Osama bin Laden for his attack on the world trade center. These three reasons resonate strongly throughout the Middle East, even among well-educated, pro-western elites: (1) The devastating effects of US-led economic sanctions on the people of Iraq; (2) The US-enabled escalation of the Israeli / Palestinian conflict; (3) US economic and military backing of autocratic regimes like those of Egypt and Saudi Arabia.

Let's outline a new policy that addresses these issues at a deep level, a policy rooted in our highest values of freedom, democracy, and justice.

1. Maintain military sanctions on Saddam Hussein while lifting economic sanctions against the people of Iraq. This will empower the Iraqi population toward democratic regime change and create regional good will toward the United States, while alleviating fears of Iraqi expansionism.

2. Support a viable Palestinian state alongside a secure Israeli state. Enforce UN Security Council resolutions consistently, including those involving US allies. This will eliminate a principle source of the Arab antipathy that motivates terrorist actions against the US and Israel.

3. Support a comprehensive moratorium of arms exports to the Middle East, alongside a program to remove weapons of mass destruction. This will be a first step toward stopping the regional arms race and the threat of war.

4. Support a security arrangement in the Persian Gulf that includes a non-aggression pact, arms control, reliance on UN peacekeeping or rapid deployment forces to prevent armed conflict, and other measures to be negotiated by a regional assembly representing governments and civil society. This will be a second step toward building peaceful relations, including regional economic and social cooperation.

5. End support for autocratic regimes in the Middle East and remove US military bases. This will enable those countries to evolve towards more open and democratic societies, eliminating the last motivation for the terrorist actions of Al Quaeda.

6. Support the International Criminal Court, impartial protection of human rights, and protocols restricting arms trafficking, money laundering, and proliferation of weapons of mass destruction. This will help to reduce the threats of war, civil conflict, and terrorism globally.

7. Convert all military aid to the Middle East to social and economic development, based on need and equity and channeled primarily through NGOs, UN agencies, and other multilateral institutions. This will build the foundations for regional democracy and stability much more quickly and effectively.

8. Support renewable energy and conservation world wide, removing hidden subsidies for fossil fuels and ensuring that market prices for resources and goods reflect their true ecological costs. This will lesson global dependence on, and competition for, Middle East oil.

9. Support sustainable development in accordance with the Earth Charter, changing the IMF / WTO regime to require that trade and development be based on ecological integrity and social and economic justice. This will make the US the champion of prosperity and justice world wide, creating the kind of stability that came from US generosity toward Japan and Germany after World War II.

The path to global security outlined in this proposal promises to be both less costly and far more effective than militaristic responses which actually aggravate legitimate grievances that are at the root of Middle East terrorism. Let us proclaim our most basic values of freedom, democracy, and justice, not only for us, but for all.

We have drawn on discussions with Dr. Stephen Zunes, author of Tinderbox: US Middle East Policy and the Roots of Terrorism, and Middle East Editor for Foreign Policy in Focus (www.fpif.org).

- Dick Burkhart, Task Force on Iraq of the Seattle Local Peoples Assembly (dickburkhart@attbi.com, http://globalpeoples.cjb.net/)