US losing power game in Middle East

The popular uprising in the Middle East which set off from Tunisia and Egypt is steadily encompassing the whole Arab world.

This indicates the fact that the United States and its European cronies are losing their last hopes in the region and approaching a dead-end which brings them nothing but disappointment and regret.

Following the dissolution of Zine El Abidine Ben Ali's government which was an unexpected shock for the White House, the awakened people of Egypt ousted the unflappable dictator Hosni Mubarak who had long served as a stooge of the United States in the Middle East, implemented the plans and policies of Washington and Tel Aviv and suppressed the Palestinian nation in a brutal way.

The victory of Tunisian and Egyptian people provoked the other Arab nations in the region to rise against the dictators that have been irresponsibly ruling them for so long and confiscating their inalienable rights tyrannically. This was what made the White House fearful and flabbergasted, because in less than one month, it lost two of its most strategic allies in Northern Africa and what could have been more tragic and catastrophic than this unanticipated loss?

The United States and Tunisia have had bilateral relations for more than 200 years and the White House has maintained an official representation in Tunis since 1795. The American Friendship Treaty with Tunisia was signed in 1799 and since that date, the two states cooperated closely on several joint financial, economic and diplomatic projects. So, it's clear that Tunisia has been an important and pivotal friend of the US in Northern Africa and the ouster of Ben Ali following the pro-democracy revolution of Tunisian people seriously jeopardized the interests of Washington in the region.

The relationship of the White House with Hosni Mubarak's regime, however, is almost known to everyone. Through this flagrant and blatant relationship, the US has continuously used Egypt's authority to hold up the flimsy and trembling security of Israel in the region and isolate the Palestinian nation from the outside world. Over the past years, the regime of Hosni Mubarak kept close the Rafah Crossing and cooperated with Israel in imposing an inhumane, unilateral and unjustifiable siege on more than 1.5 million citizens of the Gaza Strip, one of the most densely populated areas in the world.

So, is the United State losing the match in the Middle East? Of course yes. In Libya, the ostentatious dictator Muammar Gaddafi is surrendering to the revolutionary protesters whom he has called "a bunch of addicts and hooligans." Despite the fact that the unusual dictator has given bizarre interviews and told the media that all the people of Libya love him and should pour into the streets to "dance and sing" to pay homage to him, he doesn't have any control over the tumultuous situation in his country anymore. It's apparently told to us that Gaddafi has been an arch foe of the United States and its European friends. But the reality is somewhat different. Over the past decades, Libya was able to stand on its feet with the help of the White House and European nations, especially the government of Italy and the United Kingdom.

We have already heard that the US is seeking a UNSC permission to stage a military expedition in Libya. Similarly, we know that the US and its European friends have imposed a new set of sanctions against Libya and froze the assets of Muammar Gaddafi in European banks. But, is it the reality behind the scenes? Of course no! A number of American and European oil companies operate in Libya and are stakeholders of Tripoli's industry. British Petroleum, Italy's Eni, Austria's OMV, Spain's Repsol, Norway's Statoil and the United States' ConocoPhillips, Marathon Oil Corp, Hess Corp and Occidental Petroleum Corp are only some of the numerous European and American oil companies which operate in Libya, despite the so-called sanctions which had been imposed on Libya. That's why the United States and its European allies are losing the game in Libya as well as Egypt and Tunisia.

The same goes with Jordan, Bahrain, Yemen and Saudi Arabia. The autocracies have been long supported and strengthened by the United States and even Israel. It has been a longstanding American tradition to foster dictatorial regimes and take action against them as soon as they gained enough power to boast of being regional powers. We clearly remember the United States' unconditional support for Saddam Hussein's regime in the eight-year war with Iran. The same Saddam Hussein was incarcerated, impeached and executed by the United States 20 years later.

Robert Jensen, the professor of journalism at the University of Texas at Austin, has astutely pointed out this American tradition: "There is nothing unusual about the US government backing nations that engage in crimes and abuses of power; the United States has long supported corrupt and brutal regimes around the world."

Lo and behold, the United States is losing the power game in the Middle East to the will of awakened people who with the inspiration of Iran's Islamic Revolution are trying to bring down the dictators which have been ruling them for so long. The Arab nations of the Middle East have come to the conclusion that inequality and felony should not be tolerated anymore. That's why it's quite easy to assert that "Uncle Sam" is again failing in the Middle East.

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