IL CORRIERE DELLA COLLERA

Anticipandomi rispetto all’ intenzione di trattare le ripercussioni della situazione Egiziana ( e araba in generale)  rispetto a Israele – sarebbe irrealistico non farlo – Nachik Navot invia al “CORRIERE DELLA COLLERA ” un articolo che pubblichiamo molto  volentieri.  Con una breve premessa.

Il sig Navot è in pensione dopo essere stato vice direttore del Mossad, quindi ha una visione  vasta del problema . L’ho conosciuto a Roma nel quadro della  conferenza sul terrorismo organizzata dalla Regione Lazio – Storace consule –  cui si è riferito Armando Sportelli nel suo intervento della scorsa settimana  e siamo rimasti in corrispondenza.

 Si tratta di un articolo  molto importante da valutare attentamente e rispecchia la mentalità israeliana di allarme semipermanente  che non va sottovalutata negli effetti che potrebbe produrre.

L’allarme nasce dal fatto che i paesi arabi non possono fare  fare la guerra senza l’Egitto e – e quindi ogni cambiamento in Egitto suscita allarme perché rende possibile nuovamente la guerra –  ma che non si può fare la pace senza la Siria e questo è più difficile da capire per gli israeliani, ma  con gli amici l’imperativo è parlare  chiaramente.

Navot dice che è tempo per l’Europa di prendere in mano il suo destino perché gli americani, presi da fervore democratico  missionario, hanno commesso gli stessi errori di cui lui fu testimone attivo  quando, in Iran, Komeini prese il sopravvento con le conseguenze che sono sotto gli occhi di tutti.

 Temo proprio che abbia ragione. 

 L’errore di prospettiva che, a mio modo di vedere, commette, è di trascurare la Siria e la sua lenta marcia verso il nuovo, dando per scontato che stia nel campo avverso.  Non ne sarei così sicuro, considerando che Assad padre partecipò alla guerra del golfo dalla parte dell’occidente.

 Questa autolimitazione verso la Siria,  rischia di aprire  la prospettiva di un’opzione militare, anche a breve,  altrimenti evitabile.  Quel che è certo è che urge un’azione europea e il paese più interessato a questa iniziativa è l’Italia. AdM 

“From Carter to Obama

The USA does not understand other political cultures

Nachik Navoth

The political culture in the Middle East feeds off the foundations of Islam.  The pace in which regimes in the Muslim countries develop is different from that of western culture – as east is far from west. 

Ever since the détente agreement was signed in 1972, the United States, drawing on its conceptual worldview, keeps trying to influence the countries of the Middle East. 

 Since the 16 of January 1979, the date the Shah left Iran, a struggle is taking place between radical Islam and western culture, while taking advantage of the weakness of the Arab regimes.  The American lack of understanding of the difference between how Muslim countries and western democracies operate – only accelerates the processes.

This is what actually happened with the fall of the Shah of Iran.  The way the west, and the USA in particular, handled the affair only caused the acceleration of the crisis.  Now, the phenomenon repeats itself in light of the erupting of volcanoes of the Middle East. 

Indeed, the crisis in Egypt only seems to be social and not religious, but from the standpoint of the manner in which the USA is handling the situation, and the repercussions for Israel – there is no significant difference.

During the second half of 1978, I was engaged in evacuating the large Israeli community in Iran.  On January 24 1979, I went to visit our people there.  Two days prior I wrote a document dealing with the necessity to change our strategic thinking, in light of the fact that Khomeini’s rise meant an attempt to transform the Palestinian issue into an Iranian asset in the Middle East.  Thus, I noted, it is necessary to strengthen, and fast, our relations with Egypt, Jordan, and Saudi Arabia – our partners against the Iranian threat.

President Obama – the man who spoke of a new relationship with the Islamic world while mentioning the Muslim blood flowing in his veins – made his first visit to Turkey.  You can witness the results. 

 Obama and his Secretary of State, Hillary Clinton, advise Mubarak on how to act.  This reminds me of the dramatic events of 32 years ago.

On January 16, the Shah of Iran retired due to his illness, and appointed Shapour Bakhtiar as Prime Minister.  The members of our embassy staff still stayed in Tehran.  On the 24^th, I left for Iran on El Al’s last flight.  I was stuck there for 10 days, until Khomeini returned and until I was evacuated by the American Air Force.  This was a week full of great experiences – I met with Jews friends, , and Iranian friends, who felt the winds and sounds of the revolution ..

The critical questions were: will Bakhtiar endure, who will support him, and how the return of Khomeini, who was waiting in Paris, should be regarded?  The commander of the Iranian Special Forces and the Minister of Finance asked me, through a local friend, to understand what the Americans wanted, since they heard different tunes from the American ambassador in Tehran.  Should the Special Forces prevent Khomeini from arriving?  That was certainly possible.

I succeeded in making contact, my friend Max K..  I implored him to meet the vice president of the United States, Walter Mondale, who was very close to M.K., and present him with these very critical questions.  What was the American policy?  Should Khomeini’s arrival be prevented?  The answer was actually given by the Democratic president Jimmy Carter – “advancement of human rights and democracy”.  The result are  facing us to this day.

Iran, under the banner of radical Islam, attained great achievements in the Middle East.  Her “playground” is Lebanon, which was, and still is, a reflection of the power struggles in the region.  Iran’s “arms” are Hezbollah and Hamas.

Until the fall of the Shah, Israel was at the point of a regional strategic triangle, which was composed of Israel, Iran, and Turkey.  Today, this triangle is Iran, Turkey, and Syria.  Obama’s USA began its series of moves in the region with Turkey, while the attempt is to neutralize Syria’s activities in Iraq, with Turkey’s help, as well as to probe for a possible collaboration with Iran against the Taliban.  The results are known.

Today, the USA is a power which lost its strength and impact in the region.  The standstill, in fact the failure of the attempt to promote an arrangement with the Palestinians, only served to weaken its power and standing, and thus also the strength and status of Israel.

As we thought, in the days following the fall of the Shah, that a new strategy is required (strengthening our relations with Egypt, Jordan, and Saudi Arabia, our partners in the struggle against radical Islam), so today an agreement with the Palestinians, with the help of the USA, is a strategic necessity for Israel, the USA, and the Palestinians under the leadership of Mahmoud Abbas.  Things are interdependent.  This is one of the ways to stop radical Islam.

Massive American economic assistance can help Mubarak, or the prime minister he appointed, to preserve the regime and succeed in carrying out reforms.  Simultaneously, the USA and the European countries should encourage the Gulf Emirates to join in the same mission, in the framework of an agreed upon and coordinated policy.  We can assist in this.  It is essential that the Obama administration not make the same mistake made by the Carter administration – the fall of a regime such as Mubarak’s will not bring about a rise of a western-style democratic regime.

DURING THE LAST FEW DAYS THE PRESSURE OF THE USA GOVERNMENT FOLOWED BY the EUROPEAN LEADERS amounted TO A KIND OF ORDER-BEHAVE AS WE INSTRUCT YOU.

THIS IS WHAT created Bin laden—”|you in the West are not superior to us the Muslims.”

  Let’s be constructive and helpful as friends not as superiors.

6^th February 2011