Q&A: ‘U.S. Politics Turning Communities Against Each Other’

Q&A: ‘U.S. Politics Turning Communities Against Each Other’
Interview with Gilbert Achcar

ATHENS, Nov 23 (IPS) - "As long as the U.S. troops stay in Iraq there will be violence," warns Gilbert Achcar, Professor of Development Studies and International Relations at the University of London’s School of Oriental and African Studies.

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PS: What is the extent of the failure of the George W. Bush administration’s foreign policy?

GA: It is a disaster. It is a total mess for U.S. foreign policy. Apart from Iraq - - where they also face a contradiction between their Turkish and Kurdish partners, which could cost them a lot politically -- it is becoming clear that the operation in Afghanistan is a total disaster and the Taliban are back and are quite strong. You take Pakistan, the situation is destabilising. Washington fears Musharraf and their fears are compounded by the fact that Pakistan is a nuclear power. I hope for some compromise in Lebanon but that might turn very serious there as well. And there are efforts of the Bush administration to do something about the Israel-Palestinian conflict in order to say they are achieving something. But there are no real conditions for a compromise or any concessions made by the Israelis.

When this administration leaves the scene the political and strategic capital acquired from the U.S. after the collapse of the Soviet Union will have been completely wasted and it will only be left with a very bad imperial reputation.

IPS: Is there a downplayed aspect of the U.S. foreign policy relationship with Islamic Fundamentalism throughout the last 20 years that this administration has made use of as well?

GA: People see all the time that Iran is some kind of ‘Evil’ to put in Bush’s terms . . . However, the fact is that the most fundamentalist state in the world, the Saudi kingdom, is the closest ally of the U.S. This state is much more reactionary in terms of religion, women rights, and politics. This is pure hypocrisy. One should not forget that from the 1950s the U.S. has nurtured and used Islamic fundamentalism against the Soviet Union. After the defeat of nationalism and the collapse of the Soviet Union the popular protest against corrupted despotic regimes backed by the U.S. shifted to Islamic fundamentalism.

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http://www.ipsnews.net/news.asp?idnews=40196

and I've been wondering if Pakistan is getting destabilized on purpose. If anybody has watched that book tv called Military Inc! C-span keeps playing it. She saz that the military has been taking over assets.Like factories and businesses. That would leave nothing left for the western vultures to eat. Just a thought!