(New York Times) Thomas A. Friedman - Shortly after the 25-member Governing Council was appointed in Iraq, the head of the Arab League, Amr Moussa, questioned the U.S.-appointed Council's legitimacy. "If this Council was elected," complained Moussa, "it would have gained much power and credibility." I love that quote, first of all, for its bold, gutsy, shameless, world-class hypocrisy. Moussa presides over an Arab League in which not one of the 22 member states has a leader elected in a free and fair election. What has been the Arab reaction to Iraq? Shock that comes from how easily the U.S.-British force smashed Saddam's regime. And denial that is manifest in the absence of virtually any public discussion among Arab elites as to why Baghdad fell so easily and why such a terrible regime was indulged by the Arab world for so long.
2003-08-07 00:00:00Full ArticleBACK Visit the Daily Alert Archive