WHY US OCCUPATION OF IRAQ IS DESTABALISING THE REGION
The exposion in the Hyatt Grand Hotel at Amman killed nearly 60 people and injured 300 more. The responsibility for the blast has been taken by Al_Qaeda in Iraq led by the illusive Abu Musab Zarqawi.The attack in Jordon itself is proof, if proof is needed, that the Al Qaeda is capable of pulling of spectacular terror attacks in the region. Jordon has been a key ally of the US in its war of occupation in Iraq. Infact the utility of Jordon is more direct as far as US war efforts are concerned:"security personel" from US and other parts of the world brought into Iraq on conttract transit through Jordon. Further, Jordon is the only country in the region, apart from Egypt, to sign a peace treaty with Israel. There is also a demographic reason for the growing unrest in Jordon:more then half the population otf the country is Palestenian and was born in refugee camps where the living conditions are appaling.
American occupation of Iraq has converted Iraq into a strong base for the Al -Qaeda. The violence has now begun to spill into Saudi Arabia, Jordon andmbelieve it or not even Iran. The American bombing of Fallujah (reported extensively on this blog) provided just the opportunity for Al Qaeda to reorganise itself and there is a steady influx of militants from the porous borders with Syria. A few years ago educated Islamic people may have scoffed at then very idea of the revival of the Caliphate. Now this concept has moved out of the sermons of mullahs in the mosques and is freely discussed in the cafes of Bagdad and Cairo which only goes to show athat the common man no longer regards the nation state as the center of his political loyalties.
Another factor that is contributing to the groqing instability in the region is the American induced and encouraged Sunni-Shia divide. Iraqi society was essentially an interweave of Sunni, Christian, Kurdish and Shiaa communtities. This bond was reinforced during the decade Iran Iraq war, in which the USA provided every kind of weapon to Saddam Husseain. This age old tradition of amity between the different ethnic and racial groups has been undermined by American occupation. Identity politics encouraged by the occupying forces has made Iraqis extremely sensitive to primordial loyalties of sect and clan to the exclsion of other attributed of modern citizenship. The newly"ratified" Iraqi constitution virtually legeslates the exclusion of Sunnis from the political arena abd the Al Qaeda has found yet another grievance to espouse.
The western media, the aptly named"embedded journalists" has not highlighted the fact that several Shiaa groups are being armed by the occupying forces as a prelude to eventual American withdrawal. The Freedom Guard is the most notorious of such groups. This group has been deployed against the Sunnis in Anbar province. American occupation has given the fuel to Islamic Terrorism