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ANALYSIS: MIDDLE EAST RELATIONS
The Tavis Smiley Show: October 15, 2003
Cornel West Commentary: Edward Said
TAVIS SMILEY, host:
From NPR in Los Angeles, I'm Tavis Smiley.
More than a week ago, Israel launched a surprise air strike in Syria upon what it called a Palestinian terrorist training camp. The predawn raid, which was in retaliation for a suicide bombing in northern Israel the day before, was the first Israeli attack inside Syria in 30 years. While Syria, a member of the United Nations Security Council, offered a draft resolution condemning the Israeli attack and other Arab nations, including Jordan and Egypt joined in the condemnation, the United States avoided direct criticism of Israel. Our regular commentator Cornel West is an astute observer of Middle East relations and he joins us now with his take on the Syrian attack.
Dr. West, as always, nice to talk to you.
CORNEL WEST (Commentator): Always a blessing, my brother.
SMILEY: Let me start with the obvious question. What did you make of Israel's attack on Syria?
WEST: Well, I thought it was a very, very dangerous precedent. As you noted before, it's been 30 years since there's been that kind of attack across national boundaries. And it really does bring the Middle East closer to war. And by war, what I mean here is not simply the very ugly suicide bombings against Israeli citizens or the very ugly Israeli attacks on Palestinian innocent civilians on the West Bank in Gaza, but it brings in Arab nations from the outside. And on the one hand, of course, we have the very ugly hostility of Arab nations against Israel, and at the same time, Israel itself has a presence that oftentimes in the eyes of Arabs has the presence of a bully. It has the presence of one who can do what it wants and get away with what it wants in part because of American approval. And it seems to me, if we're going to be fair to both sides, which is to say fair to the Palestinian plight and fair to the Israeli concern about security, then a US policy can't be one that allows these kinds of attacks across national boundaries, brother.
SMILEY: I guess the question now is should the world be concerned that this attack on a Syrian site could, in fact, mean a widening of the Israeli-Palestinan conflict to these neighboring Arab states?
WEST: That's precisely what is frightening and terrifying. And more than that, I think it also reveals the United States as being so unduly biased that it doesn't allow both sides to be heard. Both sides have much to say. Israeli security is crucial. Attack on Israeli innocent civilians is barbaric. At the same time, the Palestinians suffering in the ways in which the subjugation and occupation of Palestinian peoples by Israeli policies is also abominable. And we have to be able to speak truths on both sides of this thing. And I think it's very upsetting that when Howard Dean just raises the issue, the need for some discussion of this in the Democratic Party, he's shut down by the leaders across the board in the House and the Senate. We know the Republican side, that it's hard to get some kind of fair discussion. But if we can't get this discussion in the Democratic Party as well, then it makes things even more hopeless and we see the recycling of violence and destruction.
SMILEY: Speaking of fair conversation, Cornel, and fair discussion, the Bush administration, this administration has, in fact, as you know, accused Syria of being a state sponsor of terrorism. That puts Israel in a tight spot to be certain. What is Syria's role in the Middle East?
WEST: Very good question. I would say let's see the evidence. We've seen the Bush administration put forward accusations over and over again, and we'd ask Condoleezza Rice, we'd ask Colin Powell, we'd ask Don Rumsfeld, let's see the evidence. If, in fact, Syria's playing that kind of vicious role against innocent civilians in Israel, then let's see the evidence. At the same time, we also want to make clear that Syria has a right to indeed defend the Palestinian peoples not in the form of terroristic defense but in the form of ensuring that Palestinian leadership, responsible Palestinian leadership has a role and has a presence at the negotiating table.
SMILEY: How credible do you find the argument that Israel would or could make such a bold move inside Syria without first advising the US?
WEST: Well, it raises a question on two sides. On the one hand, either Sharon is acting alone because he assumed that he can do anything he wants in the face of the Bush administration or US intelligence knew about it, informed the Bush administration, the Bush administration acts as if they're surprised; it can go either way. And both scenarios it seems to me to be a frightening one.
SMILEY: So what should the US response have been?
WEST: I think it should have been quite critical of that kind of incursion within a neighboring nation. It ought to put forward to the world that there's a set of principles that our policy proceeds upon. It is not simply a matter of allowing one nation to do what it wants and critical of other nations who, if they do what they want, they become viewed as rogue nations or terrorists or whatever.
SMILEY: But, Cornel, I guess what I'm having trouble understanding here is we tell the world to kiss where the sun don't shine when it comes our agenda in Iraq, when it comes to our agenda in Afghanistan. What right do we have then to tell Israel what it ought to be doing or not doing as it were in Syria?
WEST: Well, it's a good question. Though, see, I think that if the United States is doing something unprincipled, that still doesn't mean that we should allow other nations who we provide $4 billion to do something unprincipled. I'm critical of the unprincipled action of any nation--America, Syria, Saudi Arabia, Israel or what have you. But simply because you're doing something unprincipled doesn't mean you allow other nations to do something unprincipled, you see.
SMILEY: All right. So what do we do next year?
WEST: Well, we need to have a public discussion about it. We need to have some kind of dialogue about this. And people are suffering on both sides, a cycle of violence against innocent civilians in Israel, ugly and vicious. It's connected to Sharon's policies as well as various gangsters from the Palestinian side.
SMILEY: Cornel West is a professor of religion at Princeton and, of course, a regular commentator on this program. As always, Cornel, nice to talk with you.
WEST: It's a blessing. You stay strong, my brother.
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