It is difficult for an Arab journalist to conceal his anger and sadness at the scenes and news coming from capitals that he has been visiting for many years. He feels that part of the Arab world has been afflicted with diseases from which recovery seems impossible or delayed.
It’s not surprising to see a visitor falling in love with cities like Baghdad, Damascus, Sanaa and Beirut. The journalist’s fear is compounded by his feeling sometimes that these capitals are almost destined to the painful conclusion that their history may be better than their future.
Scenes and news poured the screens… A shell targeting a civilian aircraft at Baghdad airport… Jordan’s announcement of the killing of 27 smugglers from Syria, who were trying to take advantage of the snow storm to pass a shipment of drugs through Jordanian territory. The announcement came at a time when ISIS was resuming its bloody activities in some Iraqi provinces and in and around Hasakah prison on Syrian territory. That was days before the Iraqi authorities announced the killing of three Lebanese, who were fighting in the ranks of ISIS.
A third scene was the answer paper that Lebanese Foreign Minister Abdullah Abu Habib carried to the Arab ministerial meeting, after his country was accused of being an exporter of drugs...
In parallel, the Houthis’ spokesperson confirmed that the arsenal of missiles and drones was capable of expanding the circle of violation of other countries’ airspace, disregarding the consequences of such acts on the Yemenis.
The brutal attack on Baghdad airport is not the first of its kind. It was preceded by a series of plots aimed at crushing the project to restore the state. It was not simple to use the drones in the attempt to assassinate Prime Minister Mustafa Al-Kadhimi.
The attack on the airport was clearly intended to awaken fears of civil war and the re-isolation of Baghdad.
The missiles were, in fact, targeted against the achievements of the past two years in terms of restoring the idea of the state, and transforming Iraq into a bridge and a place for dialogue instead of making it an arena for strife and regional quarrels.
I recalled the statements of an Iraqi politician years ago. He said that his country was unfortunately heading towards difficult years. I asked him for a clarification, he replied: “I took part in many meetings and listened to arguments and disagreements. What I heard and witnessed leads me to conclude two things: First, the idea of the state is very weak among the forces that occupy the leading position in the political and security scene. Since the overthrow of Saddam Hussein, many forces saw an opportunity to split the state rather than build it. Forces that believe that sectarian or ethnic calculations prevail over the language of institutions and the voice of the ballot boxes... Forces that do not trust in the rule of law and the rotation of power and despise being part of the opposition…”
He continued: “The other matter is the lack of awareness of the importance of the economy and the mechanisms for its advancement. They believe that Iraq is capable of selling oil to finance the state and the people forever, without paying attention to what happened to the oil commodity and the need to rely on non-oil revenues as well. I heard words that define the economy as a servant that obeys orders, without reflecting at mechanisms, efficiency, competition and conditions for stability, and the consolidation of exchange relations with countries away from the language of tension and axes.”
The politician’s words help us understand what is happening in the countries from which the news and scenes poured, albeit in a different way. You cannot live without a state. It is not possible to achieve progress without a state. What is meant here is a modern state that accommodates all its citizens and engages them in a project of advancement to combat poverty and compensate the lost time.
The partnership between quasi-states and militias is a recipe for a terrible collapse. It is enough to see the devaluation of the citizen and the national currency. It is enough to see the amount of people living below the poverty line…
In the past, the visiting Arab journalist could sense problems resulting from states falling in the custody of men who had never acknowledged political, economic and cultural changes and the balance of power in the world. It also happened that the decision fell into the hands of cruel men, who considered residency in power a duty worth defending by shedding rivers of blood. Tyrants who saw that their mandate is sacred, and that the role of the people is only to bow to the saviors. Those policies were very costly, as the structure quickly cracked as soon as the internal winds or the outside storms blew.
Today, the journalist can worry about forces that only believe in the rule of guns, missiles and drones, and reject the state’s right to control them. Those forces also refuse to respect the results of fair elections or to recognize the right of a court to pronounce a ruling. The role of non-state forces has weakened the decision-making, and the contempt for laws was considered a normal and natural practice.
It is no longer surprising to see dark forces like ISIS re-emerging in the capitals and the world, wiping out international borders and slaughtering livelihoods.
What’s strange is seeing the violations turning into a normal scene and abandoned borders opening the way for the movement of “small armies.”
In this time of leniency, drug trafficking has become permissible. Governments are unable to confront it, and perhaps have found in it someone who reaps its revenues.
With militias keeping pace with technological advancement, drones are put at the service of drug dealers in a clear imitation of the experiences of cartels in Mexico and Latin America.
We will not head to the future except under the rule of law and institutions. The time of militias, drones and drugs promises nothing but hell.
