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    22-Jul-2017

Looking after our interests - By Ahmad Y. Majdoubeh, The Jordan Times

 

 

There are those who never tire from reminding us that there are forces external to the Arab region, from the neighbourhood itself and beyond, who want to keep the Arabs in a state of conflict or war. 
These forces, the argument goes, are said to benefit from creating, promoting and meddling in conflicts: politically,economically, militarily and whatever other means available to them.
The proponents of such theory cite a lot of evidence to support it: statements by current or former politicians, strategic "experts," historical documents or clandestine reports.
The interest in this article is not to prove or disprove such theory, even though many of us like to think that peace — not war — is in the interest of all states, Arab or non-Arab. 
Conflicts and wars — events past and present have taught us — affect all, those who create and promote them, and those who are subject to them. 
Nevertheless, we in this part of the world have first-hand experiences with external powers meddling in our affairs and "conspiring" against us. 
Colonisation of our region, which formally ended as late as the 1960s, is a real thing, and until now we are still under its shadow.  
Worse, a new form of colonisation (neo-colonisation, to be exact), seems to have emerged and is affecting our region both directly and disastrously. 
The point to stress here is that yes we grant that forces external to us, from the region itself and beyond, would foolishly want to scheme and conspire against us, for whatever ill intentions or perverse schemes and interests they have. 
One would even go as far as to say that some of these hegemonic, evil forces perhaps see it in their interest to scheme and conspire against our part of the world, and to fool and manipulate us.  Why wouldn't they? 
Two questions, however, need to be asked by us. 
The first is: if people scheme and conspire against us, is it in our interest to scheme and conspire with them against ourselves? 
 The answer is an absolute no. No good comes from siding with selfish, manipulative and neo-colonial powers. Such powers have no friends and no allies, and one never knows when they change allegiance and stab one in the back. 
Healthy diplomatic relations among nations and states are one thing, and deviant alliances are another. We should be fully open to the former and dead against the latter. 
The second, more important, question to ask is: if others scheme and conspire against us can they succeed without our acquiescence? 
The answer is, again, absolutely no. 
No power in the world can impose its own will on others easily. A heavy price will have to be paid by marauding powers when there is genuine rejection of their schemes, and when those resisting  are united in the resistance. 
 There are many compelling examples, from our region and from human history, to illustrate that the will of peoples and the will of nations cannot be easily coerced and subjected to manipulation, occupation or colonisation — as long as those involved resist. 
So, to those who keep hammering us on the head with conspiracy theories, we say: let others conspire as much as they like. If we do not acquiesce, there is no way they can succeed. 
 And it should also be crystal clear that we serve ourselves best not in allying ourselves with this or that manipulative force, but in pursuing our own genuine interests through expert diplomacy and healthy relations. 
It is time for our region to look after its own interests, and not to dance to the tune of others. 
And it is time we realise that our interest lies in stability and peace, not in conflict or war. 
 

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