US embassy cable - 04AMMAN3717

UNCLAS AMMAN 003717 
 
SIPDIS 
 
STATE FOR NEA/ARN, NEA/PA, NEA/AIA, INR/NESA, R/MR, 
I/GNEA, B/BXN, B/BRN, NEA/PPD, NEA/IPA FOR ALTERMAN 
USAID/ANE/MEA 
LONDON FOR GOLDRICH 
PARIS FOR O'FRIEL 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
 
TAGS: KMDR JO 
SUBJECT: MEDIA REACTION ON IRAQ 
 
                        Summary 
 
-- Lead story in all papers today, May 11, focuses on 
the conclusion of the Arab Foreign Ministers meeting 
in Cairo in preparation for the Arab summit meeting in 
Tunis, reportedly scheduled for May 22.  Another lead 
story highlights the comments of the Jordanian 
government spokesperson regarding a possible cabinet 
reshuffle before the end of May.  Other stories 
continue to highlight developments in the Iraqi 
prisoners abuse story, focusing in particular on calls 
for Secretary Rumsfeld to resign. 
 
                 Editorial Commentary 
 
-- "America as it sees itself in Abu Ghraib" 
 
Chief Editor Usama Al-Sharif writes on the back-page 
of center-left, influential Arabic daily Al-Dustour 
(05/11):  "What is the really strange thing about the 
story of Abu Ghraib?  Is it the reality that 
uncovering the scandal took this long time?  Or is it 
the scale of the disgusting crime that was perpetrated 
by regular Americans who supposedly are the product of 
a society of justice, equality and freedom?  Abu 
Ghraib has become a representation of America's 
estrangement from itself and probably constitutes a 
blow to a civilization that had thought, for a second, 
that it had achieved everything and had won 
everything.  America's war in Iraq has turned into a 
psychological struggle for Americans that has revealed 
to the world and to America itself that there are 
limits to American superiority that even Apache 
helicopters cannot surpass.  Technology, money and 
cultural heritage that millions of Americans take 
pride in cannot nullify the reality of what happened 
in the prison.  America is not only fighting the 
Iraqis, but also it is struggling against itself and 
is yielding to all its contradictions.  Today, it is 
living the utmost irony: liberation did not happen, 
freedom did not come about, values did not hold, and 
promises were not kept..  America has come face to 
face with itself in Abu Ghraib prison.  Its war has 
become a joke of the Don Quixote style.  America's 
moral bankruptcy in Iraq surpasses its military defeat 
and may even be the knockout that forces some form of 
humility and humbleness on this giant..  The image of 
the naked Iraqi man on top of the pile of other naked 
Iraqi men has come to symbolize America's civilization 
and mission to the world.  America's merchandise is 
not fit for anyone but America.  It is a commodity 
that cannot be exported, because it soon goes rotten 
when taken out of its geographic, political and 
ideological framework." 
 
-- "The occupation that lost all its justifications" 
 
Columnist Yaqoub Jaber writes on the op-ed page of 
center-left, influential Arabic daily Al-Dustour 
(05/11):  "After exposing the conduct of its men and 
women soldiers in Abu Ghraib prison, the American 
occupation of Iraq lost all its moral and human 
foundations.  It has become evident beyond the shadow 
of a doubt that the `liberating' Americans have come 
to Iraq to plant the seeds of crime, to promote 
corruption and to set free all their eccentric 
instincts that are rampant in their sick society. 
When we view their leadership's blind support for the 
Israeli occupation's measures in Palestine, which are 
no less horrifying, we realize the depth to which 
America has sunk, and our faith of the demise of this 
unjust superpower is strengthened, for the downfall of 
empires throughout history had always been the result 
of their people's disintegration and their abandonment 
of the values of justice and peace..  Let America 
enjoy its sole possession of power in this world and 
its persecution of the people for the time being.  The 
day of judgment is coming." 
GNEHM