Being the most important importer of oil in the world, the U.S. has always
gone after the capture of other countries' natural resources. The same
approach has always been adopted to this end: Support autocratic regimes,
and then back off when goals are achieved, stresses Salem Humaid.
First Published: 2012-05-27
The fact that Americans had supported many of the ex-dictators, before
eventually abandoning them, when no more needed, is known to everybody.
Today, Arab states have become the target of this tactic which has been
adopted by the U.S. for many decades. Protests against the dictators, who
have been formerly backed by the Americans, have erupted in different Arab
countries, unleashing instability and insecurity.
Many examples of U.S. treachery are evident in history books. Manuel
Noriega, the President of Panama, who worked originally as a spy for the
CIA, was later accused of drug trafficking by the U.S., and is now serving a
20-year jail term in Panama. Another example is that of Ferdinand Marcos
(1965 - 1986), the former President of the Philippines. Marcos was helped by
the Americans in the early years of his rule. During his presidency, he, in
collaboration with his wife, had transferred billions of dollars to the U.S.
His government was later accused of several unlawful acts. In 1986, an
indictment filed against his government in the U.S. District Court,
Manhattan forced him, his wife and their 60-member entourage into exile in
Hawaii.
The dictator of Chile, Augusto Pinochet, (1915 -2006) whose cruel regime was
supported by the Americans to serve their interests, was later found guilty
of many crimes. During his trial, he was accused of corruptly amassing a $28
million fortune.
Another example is that of executed Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein (1937
-2006), the fifth president of Iraq, who enjoyed during the first years of
his rule the financial support and the military assistance of the U.S. The
Americans provided Saddam's regime with deadly chemical weapons in exchange
for the exploitation of Iraq's natural resources. Later, the chemical
weapons that were provided to Iraq as a form of military assistance were
used against it. The U.S. plot worked perfectly and Saddam's regime was
brought down.
Other examples are those of Slobodan Milošević (1941 -2006), the
ex-president of Serbia, Nicolae Ceausescu (1918 -1989), the ex-president of
Romania, Benito Amilcare Andrea Mussolini (1883 - 1945), an Italian
politician, Haile Selassie (1892 -1975), the ex-emperor of Ethiopia, and
Adolf Hitler (1889 - 1945), head of state of Nazi Germany.
Let down by Americans, many Arab dictators, formerly backed by the U.S., had
been ousted recently. Like the many other dictators that were mentioned
above, these autocrats were removed when they had become of no benefit to
the U.S. interests. A wave of uprisings, commonly known as the Arab Spring,
swept the Arab region, bringing an end to the rule of many Arab strongmen
like Egypt's Hosni Mubarak, Tunisia's Zine Al Abidine Ben Ali, Yemen's Ali
Abdullah Saleh, and Libya's Moamer Gathafi.
Hosni Mubarak, who was thought of, during his rule, as a dictator supported
by the U.S., was forced to step down after the outbreak of the Egyptian
uprising on the 11th of February, 2011. Mubarak's personal assets were
estimated at around $40 to $70 billion.
Tunisia's Ben Ali, who was forced out by another major uprising known as the
"Tunisian Revolution", escaped his country on the 14th January, 2011. Ben
Ali enjoyed the U.S. support during his 23-year rule, yet no one came to his
rescue when the dice turned against him. He eventually fled, along with his
wife and children, to Saudi Arabia. Back home, cases of money laundering and
drug trafficking were filed against him.
Ali Abdullah Saleh, formerly supported by Americans, was also forced out.
During Yemen's uprising, he was criticized by both the U.S., and Britain.
The former allies and supporters of his regime urged him to step down,
accusing him of jeopardizing lives of civilians in Yemen. Under foreign and
national pressure, the embattled Yemeni president left power after being
granted immunity from prosecution.
The next Arab country that will be targeted by the U.S. would most probably
be one with large oil reserves. The American economy, specifically, and the
global economy, generally, are very dependent on oil. Being the most
important importer of oil in the world, the U.S. has always gone after the
capture of other countries' natural resources. The same approach has always
been adopted to this end: Support autocratic regimes, and then back off when
goals are achieved.
As Benjamin Franklin said, "Never trust a government that doesn't trust its
own citizens with guns."
Dr Salem Humaid is an Emirati writer.
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Received on Sun May 27 2012 - 19:15:47 EDT
