Listen to how Secretary of State Colin L. Powell brushed Yasir Arafat aside on May 10, 2003: "we don't think he has been an effective leader in the sense of getting [Palestinians] closer to their ambition, which is to have a state of their own. It is for that reason that we will be working with other Palestinian leaders, the new members of the Cabinet as well as the new Prime Minister, [Mahmoud Abbas]." Arafat had, in effect, been gently dismissed.
But then, in August 2003, Secretary Powell realized that he could not sideline Arafat so easily, that despite American efforts Arafat remained the main power broker in the Palestinian Authority. Accordingly, Powell called on "Chairman Arafat to work with Prime Minister Abbas and to make available to Prime Minister Abbas those security elements that are under his control."x In brief, the May hope to be done with Arafat had flopped by August and the U.S. government again found itself in the unhappy position of pleading with Arafat.
What went wrong, why did U.S. efforts to sideline the Palestinian leader fail? Because the Americans played by American rules, not Middle Eastern ones.
The rules of American public life call for fair play, letting the losing party keep its dignity, and working constructively for a better tomorrow. Middle Eastern rules call for victory at all costs, vanquishing opponents, and exerting maximum humiliation.
When Middle Eastern rules are applied against Americans, the result is a rude shock. Think about the Marine barracks in Beirut, Khobar Towers, and the two assaults on the World Trade Center. Verbal aggression is just as violent: a recent column in the Egyptian daily Al-Akhbar called Americans "pirate murderers," "cannibals" and "human corpse-disembowelers."
Contrarily, American rules applied in the Middle East are usually too gentle and half-way, as in the attempt to push Arafat aside. He was allowed to network, keep his title and position, and live another day. Of course, having handily survived the American diminishment, he did not gracefully retire but schemed and plotted his way back to the top of the heap, which he did within a matter of months.
This is not the first time Westerners have failed to understand that to play in the ruthless Middle East league requires adopting to the environment. Gamal Abdel Nasser survived the Six-Day War, Saddam Hussein survived the Kuwait War; both remained in power.
To be rid of a tyrant, requires his capture, exile, or death. The Turkish government captured Abdullah Öcalan and his PKK movement nearly collapsed. The shah of Iran went into exile, opening the way for Ayatollah Khomeini to succeed him. Islamists assassinated Anwar el-Sadat.
Returning to Yasir Arafat: If the Bush administration wishes to be done with him, it must use tougher methods than dismissing him verbally. (September 8, 2003)
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