I have a globe on my desk. One of the tell-tale signs on
such maps of the world is not the pink colour of colonies of the British
Empire. That is so passé, and these maps are no longer published. Instead, the
significant feature is the number of lengthy straight lines on the parts of the
global map covering Africa and the Middle East. While there are straight lines
elsewhere, these are the ones that stand out, the ones relating most clearly to
the division of colonies in this region by the main European imperial
powers.[1]
The straight lines are the product of colonial power that
divided areas of influence, irrespective of the different ethnic and social
groups that lived in them. The ruling groups in Arab countries were then
determined by their relationship with the influential imperialist powers;
Israel was, in a more complex way, established as a tool of imperialism to
overlook the potentially less obedient Arabs. This means that political issues
in these regions cannot be solved within the ‘countries’ concerned. A stable
political deal between the different groups has not been established by
agreement between them; rather the ascendancy of a particular group has been
supported by imperialist influence. This is the basis for civil war, especially
when the interests of imperialism change and the formerly leading group no
longer has its previous power and support. Then a fragile peace, or a
just-acceptable degree of terror or oppression, is no longer sustainable.
In this context, I recommend that you read the linked
article/interview that gives an excellent account of the current situation in
Syria. This shows, although implicitly, how solutions to the problems in a
particular country cannot be resolved within that country, especially when these
affect the balance of forces in the region and the interests of the imperialist
powers.
Tony Norfield, 13 June 2012
[1] Just look on
Wikipedia for the histories of the formation of African and Middle Eastern
states. Britain and France are the main players, with a small role played by
Italy, though many decisions on the continent were taken to limit German
influence before World War 1. A topic not covered in these otherwise useful
details is the way in which Britain’s colonial policy exacerbated ethnic and
religious tensions, often with the classic policy of backing the minority
faction in a country because they would be more dependent on the external power
for support. One would not expect Wikipedia to be able to give a decent account
of the role of Israel as a tool of imperialism.
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