Thursday, February 7, 1991
Diplomatic war a high stakes game in Gulf
Dr. Hahn says plan needed to answer Middle East questions
Mark Owens
The Collegian
After the war.
It's a phrase that many
families and friends -- indeed
nations -- use when talking about
the eventual end to war in the
Gulf when making plans for the
future.
But many political analysts --
including nationally-recognized
expert Dr. Peter Hahn, associate
professor of history at Behrend, --
talk of a war after the war; a war
of words and wills.
"A U.S. occupation of Iraq
would be a big mistake," said
Hahn. "The presence of U.S.
troops will stimulate resentment,
terrorism and hatred towards
America and other western
countries. We'd be worse off than
we started."
Hahn believes something
similar to the Marshall Plan of
the late 1940's is needed to
address the problems of the
Middle East.
"Political solutions and
money are needed to resolve the
heart of the conflict, not extra
troops to create another Belfast."
He added that "it is essential
for the U.S. and U.N. to propose
a regional political settlement.
The Israeli question needs to be
addressed and resolved, as well as
what to do with the Palestinian
refugees and the civilian
survivors of the war."
Many observers of the Middle
East believe the Israeli question --
radical Moslem's belief that Israel
doesn't have the right to exist --
has been the source of conflict in
the region. Hahn offered this
explanation:
"The people of the Arab world
have lived for centuries under
imperial dominance, first under
the rule of the Ottoman Empire,
which dominated most of the
"They look across the sea and they see wealthy, prosperous,
industrially-developed countries that got rich and powerful by
exploiting them -- and they resent it."
Arab portions of the Middle East
from the 16th century until
World War One. When the
Ottomans collapsed the British
and French came in and added
most of the Arab lands to their
empires, officially as mandates of
the League of Nations but
unofficially as conquered
provinces -- parts of their
overseas empires.
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started to dismantle their empires
in the late 1940'5, continuing
into the early 1960'5. From the
Arab perspective, they have lived
under the thumb of Western
imperialism for a long time and
have only recently escaped that
dominance. Thus they still hold a
lot of bitterness toward the West.
They look across the sea and they
see wealthy, prosperous,
industrially-developed countries
that got rich and powerful by '
exploiting them -- and they resent
While that may account for
the bitterness of many Arabs, the
Israeli question still requires more
explanation.
"As for Israel, many Arabs
view Israel as the invention of
the West -- something placed on
their land against their will."
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For the Israli's though, their
country was a long-awaited
homecoming.
"Over 2,000 years ago, the
Jews lived in Palestine -- an area
that covered what is now Israel
and Jordan. During an uprising
against the Romans, Palestine
was destroyed and the Jewish
people scattered around the world.
"It wasn't until after World
-Dr. Peter Hahn
Associate professor of History
War II that they had their
homeland returned to them, over
the protest of many Arab states.
Since then several states have
tried both economic and military
means to rid themselves of Israel,
all of which have failed."
While more moderate Arab
leaders have, it seems, decided to
tolerate Israel's presence, there are
still radical countries who have
vowed to destroy Israel the first
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Page 7
chance they get, Iraq and Syria
being notable examples.
As one of Israel's chief allies
though, Hahn said, the United
States is often called "the Great
Satan, the most evil of the
West."
"In myth, if not reality, many
Arabs believe that the United
States created Israel and is its
chief protector and provider. They
have tried to destroy Israel and
failed. They hate Israel for that
and for the fact that every time it
grows bigger and stronger -- all
with the help of the U.S., which
makes them hate us as much."
While Hahn believes the Israel
question must be answered before
a lasting "peace" can be achieved
in the Gulf, he also said Iraq
cannot be emasculated either.
"An Iraq laid to waste by war
won't help the situation either.
An utterly defeated Iraq may cause
a power vacuum in the area,
especially with Syria on one side
and Iran on the other."
In fact, many experts claim it
is Iraq that has kept Syria and
Iran from dominating the area.
"Whatever the outcome of the
war," Hahn said," a plan is needed
to take care of the larger battle
afterwards."
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