Fisk blasts U.S. Mideast policy
By: Tarek M. Baydoun / The Arab American News
Arab American News, MI
Dec 23 2006
Dearborn – Renowned British journalist Robert Fisk visited Dearborn
this week as part of a U.S. tour to promote his latest book. He
was hosted at the University of Michigan-Dearborn for a reception,
speaking engagement and book signing. Fisk, who is known for his
award winning coverage of the Middle East from his post in Beirut,
currently serves as Middle East correspondent for "The Independent,"
a prominent British daily.
Fisk’s visit to Dearborn was sponsored by the Armenian Research
Center, the Armenian National Committee of Michigan and U of M’s
Center for Arab American Studies. He was greeted by a crowd of over
400 attendees from the campus and the Arab and Armenian communities
of Southeast Michigan.
Fisk’s speech focused on the hypocrisy of U.S. and British foreign
policy in the Middle East from an historical perspective. According
to him, the current policy in the Middle East is similar to previous
failed imperialist agendas. He ridiculed the claims that President
Bush and others make about a purported desire to bring democracy to the
Middle East. Fisk said that the people in the Middle East want freedom
more than democracy, primarily freedom from the unjust influences of
American foreign policy and military presence in their region.
On the Iraq war, Fisk blasted the Bush administration and so-called
experts from the Washington-based think tanks for deception and
conspiracy in invading Iraq to occupy the country. He also blasted
American media sources for relying solely on the Washington power
establishment for information when reporting the lead up to the war
and during the ensuing occupation. "We were complacent, we journalists,
in the lead up to the invasion of Iraq,"Fisk said.
On Iran, Fisk blasted the U.S. for hypocrisy on the issue of nuclear
weapons, recalling that when the Shah of Iran announced in the 70s that
Iran would be pursuing nuclear technology including nuclear weapons,
the U.S. was "supportive." When the Islamic Revolution occurred in
Iran, U.S. policy was one of isolation and disaster, arming Saddam
Hussein’s regime in Iraq and providing political support which allowed
Saddam to ravage both countries in an eight-year offensive including
the deployment of biological weapons by Saddam against Iran.
On Palestine, which Fisk said was the central conflict in
the Middle East, U.S. policy has been hypocritical at best he
claimed. As an example, he pointed to the West’s isolation of the
democratically-elected Hamas government. The U.S., he said, has shown
that it will only accept democracy when it is suitable for its own
policy objectives. He challenged the idea that the U.S. can again be
seen as an honest peace broker, because of its unwavering support of
Israel’s policies. Despite this, Fisk rejected the idea that Israel’s
power in Washington is as strong as many claim it is.
Fisk has drawn criticism from Western media figures for his balanced
coverage of events in the Middle East. He has been an eye witness to
many of the conflicts and political events in the region since 1976,
when he began his work in the region.
Fisk has authored several books about the region, the latest of which,
"The Great War for Civilization: The Conquest of the Middle East,"
was available for sale and signing. His books have garnered him
a world-wide following and has helped Fisk establish himself as an
influential and respected scholar on contemporary Middle East politics
and history.
To many in the local community and in the Arab world, Fisk’s coverage
of events in the region is considered a rare case in objectivity and
factual accuracy. Western media coverage of Middle East politics is
more often than not considered biased propaganda by Arabs and Muslims
around the world, but Fisk is widely respected for his objectivity
in covering political developments in the region.