Why Do Arabs Want American Forces to Withdraw from Iraq?

This subject almost became a main concern among Arabs and the West in general. If we look at the motives that pushed the West to demand withdrawal of U.S. troops from Iraq, we see that the West’s reasons are understood, while the Arabs demand of this withdrawal accounts for concerns only. This report of mine does not mean that I defend the occupation because occupation in general is hateful in all of its forms and must be resisted. We need to realize why it happened, what its goals are and whether we deal with it using our brains, feelings, facts or rhetoric.

When some Westerners such as Germans, the French, Russians, the U.S. Democratic Party and leftists from Europe and America demand early and rapid withdrawal of American troops from Iraq, they want to achieve these things:

1. America benefits from Iraq because the withdrawal may enable European companies to get new investments or employment contracts. Perhaps this motivated the resistance of these countries since the beginning of the invasion of Iraq; they were afraid to pay off the debts accumulated during Saddam's era. Indeed, that was what happened when the highest percentage dropped under urgent pressure of America. The promises that companies from these countries made to clear the way for the Iraqi market from which America and the Great Britain has been benefiting in the first place.

2. Europe doesn’t want America to be taken seriously in the Middle East. America exhibits military-driven economics, politics and culture, and it has controlled Arabic oil sources since the 1930s. Therefore, the early withdrawal reduces American control in the Arab world starting with Iraq.

3. There is no doubt that Europe has been hiding its antagonism towards American policy since De Gaulle was in power in the 1960s despite America’s considerable role in freeing France and Europe as a whole from the Nazis and introducing the Marshall Plan to rebuild Europe. However, Europe is aware that not everyone is able to remove dictatorial regimes and clear the way for Arab democracy except American military power. Perhaps it is the U.S and Europe’s fate.

4. Europe realizes that the American culture is more Arab than European despite the fact that the majority of educated Arabs feel hatred towards the American presence in the Arab world and the differences in religion, nationality and politics. Except that young Arabs accept American education, music, cinema, clothing and food of all kinds more so than from Europe, meaning that they will be loyal to American culture in the future. That is what concerns Europe and makes it request America to begin reducing its existence in the region with Iraq.

But why exactly did Arabs request America withdraw from Iraq? There are many reasons, for example:

1. Arabs distinguish between two kinds of occupation: the Arabic and Islamic occupation and the Western Christian occupation. Fighting and wishing for elimination of occupation only applies to the second one. In the end, occupation turns into a religious conflict like how it is now in Iraq. The Ottoman occupation lasted for four centuries in the Arab world and no one fought against it. Some Arab historians, especially those pious ones, deny calling the Ottoman occupation “colonialism.” Syria occupied Lebanon for almost thirty years until Lebanon requested Syria withdraw after the assassination of Prime Minister Rafiq al-Hariri. Syria’s withdrawal was completed in accordance with a Security Council resolution. If the domination of Iraq was Islamic, there would not be that much noise around it. This excessive sensitivity against any intervention of armed Western Christians in Arabs affairs exists only among Arabs themselves. They adopted a different religion than the religion of the armed invader. They use historic texts, and we see clear examples of this resistance now in Hezbollah, al –Qaeda, Hamas, the Islamic Jihad and al-Aqsa Martyrs' Brigades and tents of armed religious groups in Iraq other countries.

But we do not find this excessive sensitivity among Japanese Buddhists towards the continued American occupation of their country, despite the fact that America killed over than half million people in Hiroshima and Nagasaki in 1945, and despite their continued presence there today. There has been no excessive sensitivity towards the continued American occupation among Korean Buddhists in their country despite that America divided Korea into two. Nor do Germans feel the sensitivity towards the continued American occupation despite the fact that America divided German into western and eastern parts, and they are in Germany.

The coalition forces now in Iraq do not attempt to divide Iraq like others wish. Furthermore, their existence is a huge safeguard against Iraqi division, but it was religious daggers that cut the Iraqi cake into three pieces. None of the Shiites, Sunnis or Kurds dare to go away with their own piece of cake. Western Europe and America believe that the strength and stability of Iraq lies in its unity. But this belief is not associated with slogans but with fruitful work thanks to sending troops, money and sacrificing offspring, writing off Iraq’s debts, granting technical expertise and service in all matters, supporting Iraq in international circles in spite of political or financial challenges in order to rebuilt it as a new and prosperous country.

2. When Arabs look at the American presence in Iraq through the lens of the colonialism of the Ottomans, British and French, they do not see the difference between uninvited colonialism and armies that came on request of the Iraqi people to free them from a hateful political regime. It became impossible to remove it themselves by internal force. And they do not distinguish between the greedy colonialism of the elite in the occupied country and an occupation that came to make it possible for people to restore their freedom, build a democratic entity and then leave within a certain time schedule, but Arabs dealt with the American military existence in Iraq in a psychological way since they witnessed the Israeli and British occupations.

3. Arabs have excessive sensitivity towards foreign military presence as a result of the long history of colonialism in their country, while there is no sensitivity towards the foreign presence in different parts of the Arab world. Nor do Arabs have any sensitivity towards the soft foreign forces, especially American, that are represented by cultural, economic, educational or scientific techniques that have more influence on subduing people than military troops. Therefore, some of the countries demand their allies in the West, especially America, to close military bases on its territories while maintaining their soft power in its various forms.

4. Arabs are not afraid of the military presence in Iraq as much as they are afraid that this presence is a measure of success in building new Iraqi policy. They definitely realize that the prolonged presence of American troops in Iraq is intended to establish the new era of democracy. It became a typical Arab example even if troops withdraw from Iraq before it becomes strong and rebuilds its security, cause this desired form by Arab regimes to collapse, desired by religious parties and Arab nationalism in general. That is why they demand the withdrawal of foreign forces from Iraq as soon as possible with all the power of their voices and tongues as a distinctive nation (vocal phenomenon) like it was described by Saudi scholar Abdullah al-Qasimi.

The expression “as soon as possible” means finishing the general building of Iraq to prevent it from devolving into a civil war. Now only American forces keep such an outcome from occurring. Everything indicates the possibility of war by encouraging and funding Arab neighbors in order to fuel the fire, Iraq is not a pattern anymore, but it became a bad example that Arab regimes desire.

5. After petrol has been discovered in the Arab world in the 1930s of the last century, the words “petrol” or “oil” have been associated with colonialism or used in Arab political speeches. Colonialism is not mentioned except when mentioning oil because colonialism seeks any measures to control petrol wells and make up excuses to stay in Arab world and never leave. But we’ve noticed that European imperialistic countries left Arabic countries years ago after the discovery of oil. Great Britain withdrew from Iraq in 1932 after oil was discovered in 1831, France withdrew from Syria and Lebanon in 1946, from Tunisia in 1956 and from Morocco 1955, from Algeria 1962 and the Italians withdrew from Libya in 1951. But when America discovered oil in Saudi Arabia in 1938, she has been there until now. When America led the Gulf War in 1991, Arabs said: America has entered the Gulf after Saddam Hussein got involved in this war and she came to steal Arab oil and not to expel Saddam Hussein from Kuwait. However, time has shown the opposite. American forces withdrew without taking a drop of oil and the one who set Kuwait oil on fire was Saddam Hussein not the coalition forces.

6. Arabs, and among them a group of Iraqis dreaming that the previous regime return, believe and imagine that the American forces are a stumbling block in Iraq. Indeed they are
a stumbling block but standing on the way of the Baas Party coming to power, and preventing Iraq from turning into a religious country like the Mullah’s regime in Iran. Let’s imagine the situation in Iraq if the tyranny of Saddam Hussein has been abolished but there were no foreign forces to prevent division in Iraq and the outburst of a civil war.

We ask ourselves- What damages have Arabs suffered from the presence of American forces in Iraq?
In fact, they haven’t lost anything but, on the contrary, have gained quite a lot. America is the one who lost because of its eagerness and intense interest in freeing Iraqis from the tyranny of the government. For the sake of them, America has lost more than 300 billion dollars and more than 2000 soldiers while Arabs have gained those political reforms that occurred in different parts of the Arab world. They have gained a breath of terror and fear but also a breath of freedom and democracy after their lungs had been cleared out from the asthma of doubt and timidity towards the government. Yes, they have gained the discipline of the authoritarian Arabic regime strong to be overthrown what happened in Iraq in 2003, in Egypt and Libya in 2011 and the regime that is having its manicure done in Yemen and Syria. Arabs have not lost a one son nor have they lost one drop of their (victorious) soldiers’ blood staying in military barracks while eating and singing Mijana and Ataba songs.

From a book of a famous Jordan Shaker al-Nabulsi writer for whom I have respect.