Special Dispatch | No. 2668 | November 25, 2009 | |
Saudi Arabia/U.S. & the Middle East | |
Saudi Columnist: Obama Will Be President of the 'United Collapse of America' |
November 16, 2009 op-ed in the London-based Saudi daily Al-Sharq Al-Awsat, Hamad Al-Majed, founder of the Saudi National Human Rights Association and a lecturer in education, mourns the U.S.'s military, political, and economic collapse. He pointed out that the U.S.'s failures are affecting many countries, and that the countries fighting terror should be particularly concerned.
Al-Majed writes that Barack Obama is the first black president of the United States of America, but may also soon be president of the “United Collapse of America.”
Following are excerpts from Al-Majed's op-ed:
"The acknowledgement, in a survey [by] the U.S. military, that the morale of its troops fighting on the Afghanistan front is plummeting does not surprise me. It would be surprising if morale were not plummeting. The hardest thing for any army in the world is to convince its soldiers and brigade commanders of the benefit of the war.
"Such a survey is a good indication that these troops are not sufficiently convinced [of the justice] of the war. This is why the Taliban's morale is higher and its fighting is better than those of the alliance led by the U.S. The number of volunteer fighters in the Taliban's ranks has doubled... as has the number of their attacks...
"As the morale of the American troops [in Afghanistan] falls, the morale of the American troops in Iraq rises – not because their fighting situation is any better, but because the U.S. government has informed the troops in Iraq of the beginning of a gradual withdrawal from [that country].
"Another symptom of the U.S.' political collapse, [also linked] to our burning region, is the announcement by [Palestinian Authority] President Mahmoud 'Abbas, the ally of the U.S., that he does not intend to run in the PA presidential election. Regardless of whether [his statement] is sincere or [mere] acrobatics... his statements... smack of admonition and vexation vis-à-vis his ally the U.S., to the point of anger. In truth, Abu Mazen [i.e. 'Abbas] should not be condemned, since he sees his bitter rival Hamas in control, and highly popular even in the West Bank...
"Abu Mazen counted on his friendship with the U.S. when he [tried to] persuade its leaders to pressure Israel to at least freeze the Zionist settlements in the occupied Palestinian territories. But the U.S. disregarded Abu Mazen and the embarrassment it was causing him, while the Israeli government continued to extend its settlements. This [situation] benefitted two rival sides – Israel and Hamas: Israel [could continue] plundering, and Hamas gained greater popularity when it waved the slogan 'We told you so!'
"Another collapse was in Somalia... The Somali president, whom the U.S. considers [politically] desirable, promised that he would regain control of the capital Mogadishu from the armed Islamic movements. This is a news item that should be noticed, because it is a man-bites-dog situation. It makes sense to see the end of the attacks by these groups as an achievement. But if a president's attempt to regain control of his capital is considered an achievement, then this is the mother of all collapses.
"On the economic level, several American banks collapsed recently and declared bankruptcy. These banks join several more respectable American banks that went bankrupt as Obama began his term in office. Also, the unemployment rate [is evidence of] collapse – so much so that it looks to the observer like a car with no brakes going [down a slope].
"If the U.S. sneezes, the entire world catches a cold. Its political collapse in its war on terror, together with its economic collapse, have made the entire world sink into a political and economic quagmire. No one knows how our star will emerge from the maelstrom.
"The failures of the U.S. in Afghanistan, Iraq, and Somalia will have an impact on the countries that are fighting terrorism and extremism. These countries must prepare for the stage that follows these collapses and retreats – because there is no critical American/Western victory on the horizon in the fight against [extremism and terrorism].
"Obama fought tooth and nail to be the first black president of the U.S., and he was successful at it. But in the future he may also gain the title of 'President of the United Collapse of America.'"
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