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SYRIAN WRITER VIEWS BRITISH PUBLIC’S “INTENSE ANGER” TOWARD US PRESIDENT’S VISIT BBC Monitoring Middle East. London: Nov 18, 2003. pg. 1 Summary The extraordinary security measures witnessed in London in preparation for the visit of US President George Bush are receiving resentful and angry reactions from the British public, who feel bitter and humiliated with their Labour government’s foreign policy that has created the impression that Britain has become more “submissive” towards the United States. The facts that have been made public revealed the Blair government’s unconditional compliance in the US administration’s war on Iraq. Those facts were considered a severe blow to the credibility of both the British and US administrations, which used fabricated pretexts to mislead the British and US public with the aim of gaining the approval of both peoples to go to this catastrophic war that brings to mind the tragedies of the Vietnam war. This article is relevant because it demonstrates how people in the countries that are supposed to be our allies feel about Bush and the war in Iraq. Article Text of report from “Point of view” column by Nadim Hatim entitled “Britain and reactions to Bush’s visit” published by Syrian newspaper Tishrin web site on 18 November The extraordinary security measures witnessed in London in preparation for the visit of US President George Bush are receiving resentful and angry reactions from the British public, who feel bitter and humiliated with their Labour government’s foreign policy that has created the impression that Britain has become more “submissive” towards the United States. The facts that have been made public revealed the Blair government’s unconditional compliance in the US administration’s war on Iraq. Those facts were considered a severe blow to the credibility of both the British and US administrations, which used fabricated pretexts to mislead the British and US public with the aim of gaining the approval of both peoples to go to this catastrophic war that brings to mind the tragedies of the Vietnam war. Perhaps President Bush, who senses the collapse of his popularity and credibility in the eyes of his people and the world, hoped that this visit would help polish his image, especially since the recent European opinion polls considered Bush as the “second most dangerous man” threatening world peace after [Israeli Prime Minister] Ariel Sharon, the head of the Israeli government of occupation. There is no doubt that the intense anger among the British public towards Bush’s visit gives observers clear indicators that the United States has lost the understanding of the people of the most important European country that supported it in its war on Iraq. This atmosphere foretells the shape of the coming showdown between British parties as the elections battle heats up between the two main parties; the governing Labour and the Conservatives, who are trying to reorganize themselves and take advantage of the mistakes of the Labour Party in the general elections next year. While both parties are experiencing internal crises, the current public anger places both political parties on trial, not only on the level of internal policy but also on the level of foreign policy. This applies to both the blind compliance in the policy of submission to the United States and the issue of paying greater attention to supporting the steps of the EU. The United States looks on with apprehension for what the EU might become in the future in terms of a parallel force to itself on the international front. Britain, which used to be an opposing force in the EU, seems now too mature to practice the policy of favoritism for the United States at the expense of its European affiliation. Any pretexts for the exercise of this policy no longer convince the British people. Credit: Tishrin web site, Damascus, in Arabic 18 Nov 03 Post a comment in response: |
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