US embassy cable - 05ABUDHABI95

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 ABU DHABI 000095 
 
SIPDIS 
 
STATE FOR NEA/ARPI; NEA/PPD; NEA/RA; INR/R/MR; PA; 
INR/NESA; INR/B; IIP/G/NEA-SA 
WHITE HOUSE FOR PRESS OFFICE; NSC 
SECDEF FOR OASD/PA 
USCINCCENT FOR POLAD 
LONDON PASS TO MOC, ALSO FOR GOLDRICH; PARIS FOR ZEYA 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: OIIP, KMDR, TC 
SUBJECT:  UAE SPECIAL MEDIA REACTION: YEAR END EXPECTATIONS FOR 
THE ARABS 
 
 
1.  SUMMARY:  REPORTS AND OP-EDS IN ARABIC DAILIES IN THE UAE 
INDICATED THAT THE PLIGHT OF THE ARAB PEOPLE IS ONE OF THEIR OWN 
MAKING, ATTRIBUTING IT TO THE LACK OF FREEDOM AND HUMAN RIGHTS, 
TOTALITARIANISM AND BAD GOVERNANCE.  ONE OP-ED ANTICIPATED THAT 
THE PLIGHT OF ARABS WILL CONTINUE TO DETERIORATE DURING THE 
SECOND TERM OF PRESIDENT BUSH.  ANOTHER PIECE EXPECTED THE ARAB 
WORLD TO HAVE MORE ILLITERATE, UNEMPLOYED AND POVERTY STRICKEN 
PEOPLE BY THE YEAR 2020.  END SUMMARY. 
 
2.  SALAHEDDIN HAFEZ WROTE IN THE SHARJAH-BASED PAN-ARAB DAILY 
"AL-KHALEEJ" (CIRCULATION 85,000) 01/03: 
 
"THE YEAR 2004 WAS A YEAR OF GREAT FAILURE IN THE ARAB WORLD.  IT 
WAS A YEAR OF BLOODSHED AND KILLING FROM IRAQ TO SUDAN AND FROM 
PALESTINE TO SOMALIA. IT WAS ALSO A YEAR OF FAILURE WHERE THE 
ARAB NATION ACHIEVED NO DEMOCRATIC PROGRESS AND FINDS ITSELF 
FURTHER AWAY FROM ITS DESIRED REFORMS AND HUMAN RIGHTS THAN IT 
WAS AT THE BEGINNING OF THE YEAR.. THE ULTIMATE OUTCOME OF THE 
YEAR 2004 IS THAT AMERICA HAS RISEN SUPREME UNDER THE EXTREME 
POLITICAL AND RELIGIOUS LEADERSHIP OF PRESIDENT BUSH.ALONG WITH A 
SQUADRON OF RIGHT WING HAWKS WHO HAVE AN APPETITE FOR KILLING IN 
THE NAME OF GOD." 
 
"IF WE WANT TO SUM UP THE PAST YEAR, WE CAN SEE FIVE SIGNALS FROM 
THE U.S.:  ONE, A TENDENCY TO USE EXCESSIVE FORCE TO SUBJUGATE 
NATIONS AND PEOPLE, NOT ONLY IN SUDAN, IRAQ AND PALESTINE, BUT 
MAYBE IN SYRIA, IRAN AND LEBANON.  TWO, AN INCREASE IN U.S. 
SUPPORT FOR ISRAEL, PROVIDING AN UMBRELLA FOR ITS AGGRESSIVE 
POLICIES AGAINST THE ARABS.  THREE, A DISDAIN FOR A STRONG UN 
ROLE IN GLOBAL AFFAIRS AND AN ATTEMPT TO NEUTRALIZE THAT ROLE IN 
FAVOR OF A STRONGER U.S. ONE.  FOUR, THE LAUNCHING OF RELIGIOUS 
MISSIONARIES ALL OVER THE WORLD, CONTRARY TO OLD AMERICAN SECULAR 
VALUES, LINKED TO CURRENT U.S. POLICIES DESIGNED TO ENLIGHTEN 
PEOPLE WITH A "HEAVENLY ORDER".  FIVE, THE RESTRICTING OF CIVIL 
AND ORDINARY FREEDOMS, BOTH INSIDE AND OUTSIDE AMERICA, UNDER THE 
PRETEXT OF COMBATING TERRORISM CONTRARY TO THE ADMINISTRATION'S 
CALLS TO PROMOTE FREEDOM AND REFORMS." 
 
3.  COMMENTING ON DELIBERATIONS AT THE ARAB STRATEGIC FORUM, 
WHICH TOOK PLACE IN DUBAI DECEMBER, 2004, UAE NATIONAL DR. 
ABDULKHALEQ ABDULLAH WROTE IN AL-KHALEEJ (CIRCULATION 85,000) 
12/28: 
 
".. IN THE YEAR 2020 THERE WILL BE 400 MILLION ARABS, MOST OF 
WHOM WILL BE POOR AND ILLITERATE, WITH YOUTH THAT ARE JOBLESS, 
ANGRY AND INCLINED TOWARDS EXTREMISM.IN THE YEAR 2020 THE NUMBER 
OF ILLITERATE ARABS WILL BE 130 MILLION AND THE NUMBER OF THOSE 
WHO LIVE UNDER THE POVERTY LINE WILL BE 110 MILLION.  BY 2020, WE 
WILL ALSO HAVE 100 MILLION UNEMPLOYED, LEADING A MORE VIOLENT 
ARAB WORLD.WHAT CAN WE DO REGARDING ALL OF THIS?  IF 
AUTHORITATIVE REGIMES AND THE ABSENCE OF DEMOCRACY CONTINUE TO BE 
THE NORM, THE POLITICAL SITUATION IN THE ARAB WORLD WILL WORSEN. 
THEREFORE, IF ARABS WANT TO REACH THE YEAR 2020 IN A BETTER 
SHAPE, WITH MORE PROSPERITY AND STABILITY, THEY MUST END 
TOTALITARIANISM, CANCEL THE MONOPOLY OF POWER AND RESPECT HUMAN 
RIGHTS AND FREEDOM.  FOR A BRIGHTER FUTURE WE WILL NEED FURTHER 
PARTICIPATION, ENHANCED DEMOCRACY AND AN INJECTION OF POLITICAL 
FREEDOM." 
 
4.  DR. ALI AL-TARRAH WROTE IN "AL-ITTIHAD" (CIRCULATION 65,000) 
12/29: 
 
".ARAB CRISES ARE OLD AND INTERRELATED.  THE MOST PROMINENT IS 
THE ARAB-ISRAELI CONFLICT THAT USED UP MOST OF OUR POTENTIAL AND 
PUSHED US INTO MARGINAL CONFLICTS THAT DIVERTED US FROM VITAL 
ISSUES.  IT IS ALSO REMARKABLE HOW THE ARAB-ISRAELI CONFLICT GAVE 
CERTAIN ARAB GOVERNMENTS THE JUSTIFICATION TO POSTPONE 
DEVELOPMENT PROJECTS.AFTER THE 1967 WAR, WE COMMITTED OURSELVES 
TO LIBERATING THE PALESINIAN TERRITORIES AND CAME UP WITH THE 
PLO, WHICH LED US INTO ENDLESS CONFLICT DUE TO ITS INTERNAL POWER 
STRUGGLES AND CONTINUOUS DEFEATS.  THE SPIRIT OF REVENGE HAS 
BECOME A MOTIVE OF OUR BEHAVIOR AND THE AVERAGE ARAB MAN HAS 
BECOME SO DESPERATE THAT HE WOULD ACCEPT ANYTHING POSITIVE, EVEN 
IF IT WAS BROUGHT BY THE DEVIL HIMSELF." 
 
5.  UNDER THE HEADLINE, "ARABS ARE A MELANCHOLIC NATION", 
MUHAMMAD AL-HAMMADI WROTE IN "AL-ITTIHAD" ON THE SAME DAY: 
 
"TWO DAYS AND WE WILL ENTER THE FIFTH YEAR OF THE NEW MILLENNIUM 
BUT WE ARE LOST, RELISHING IN GLORIES OF THE PAST AND FEELING 
SORRY FOR OUR DEFEATS, NOT THINKING OF HOW TO RESHAPE OUR 
FUTURE.LET'S BE HONEST WITH OURSELVES FOR ONCE AND ADMIT THAT 
MOST ARAB PEOPLE DO NOT TRUST THEIR GOVERNMENTS.  ARABS LOOK AT 
INTELLECTUALS WITH AN EYE OF SUSPICION, BUT NEVER QUESTION 
WHETHER THOSE IN OFFICE ARE IN THE APPROPRIATE PLACE.  THEY LOOK 
AT THE FUTURE THROUGH BLACK GLASS AND THUS THEY VIEW THE FUTURE 
AS BLACK.  MANY ARABS HAVE BEGUN TO VIEW THEIR ARAB IDENTITY AS 
SHAMEFUL. THIS FEELING IS NATURAL IN LIGHT OF BAD GOVERNMENTS 
TRANSFORMING THEMSELVES INTO WORSE ONES AND SIMPLE DEFEATS 
BECOMING LARGER ONES.  THE AVERAGE ARAB HAS A LACK OF FREEDOM, 
AND SUFFERS WHEN HE WATCHES OTHER PEOPLE LIVE AND EXPRESS THEIR 
OPINION FREELY.  MOST ARABS BELIEVE IN CONSPIRACY THEORIES THAT 
HAVE NESTED IN THEIR MINDS. THEY BELIEVE THAT THOSE IN THE EAST 
AND THE WEST ARE TARGETING US, AND ATTRIBUTE EVERY CRISIS TO AN 
OUTSIDE AGITATOR. ALL OF THIS SHOWS THAT THE ARAB NATION IS A 
MELANCHOLY NATION IN NEED OF A SPEEDY RECOVERY IF IT WANTS TO 
BECOME A MEANINGFUL PART OF THE WORLD.  THE FIRST STEP OF THE 
PROCESS IS TO ADMIT WE ARE A DEFEATED NATION AND THEN FORGET OUR 
DEFEATS.  WE HAVE TO ADMIT THAT WE ARE NOT THE BEST NATION AND 
LOOK AHEAD TO BECOME A NATION THAT CAN WORK AND LIVE WITH 
OTHERS." 
 
SISON