Ayoon wa Azan (The Scourge Of The Spring Revolutions Is Incurable)

Mr. Akram Zeaiter used to write for Al-Hayat during the era of its founder and first editor-in-chief, Kamel Mroueh. Zeaiter used to write a column either under his own name or under the nickname of a “prominent Arab writer,” which was shared by a number of Arab politicians, writers and intellectuals who wrote in Al-Hayat. And when Asharq al-Awsat was published in London on July 4, 1978, it hired activist Akram Zeaiter. Every column Zeaiter wrote and sent me from Amman carried the following words above the title: I hope this column will be published without errors. (…) In Beirut, I asked Dr. Charles Malik, who co-wrote the United Nations treaty, to write for the Daily Star since I was its chief editor – and he did. He always wrote above the title: I hope that the piece will be published as it is. I used to edit Dr. Charles Malik’s piece and then Mr. Akram Zeaiter’s piece, even though I was the chief editor – because I did not want any of the two men to get upset over potential typo errors. That generation of prominent writers is now gone. They come to mind today, when the right thing has become an exception and the errors have become the rule. Here is what I have to say to the readers today: - The Arab spring. Wrong. This is rather the beginning of the autumn. The winter has come and has yet to leave. - The Egyptian economy has recovered or is about to. Wrong. The Muslim Brothers do not have the necessary cadres to revive the economy. They must hire the best Egyptian and international economic experts and they must not be obstinate. - Iraq is better now that Saddam Hussein is gone. Wrong. Saddam Hussein was a war criminal. However, having a hundred men like him is better than killing one million Arabs and Muslims to oust one dictator and to turn Iraq into an Iranian colony. - The regime is better than the opposition in Syria. The opposition is better than the regime in Syria. Double wrong. The regime and the opposition are worse than each other. - When Gaddafi fell, Libya was relieved. Wrong. Gaddafi fell, but his dark shadow still hovers over Libya through the presence of weapons in the hands of the criminal militias. - Lebanon’s problem consists of the others’ wars on its lands. Wrong. The Lebanese have sent official and popular invitations for the others to come and fight on their land. - Omar al-Bashir’s persistence in power in Sudan serves the Sudanese, Arab, and Islamic interests. Wrong. During Al-Bashir’s era, Sudan was split into two countries. Furthermore, the Nubians in the north want to separate. - The opposition in Kuwait, Jordan and Bahrain is striving for democracy. Wrong. The opposition is striving to access power and, in case it does access power, it will be much more stringent than the present regimes. - The Palestinians were let down by the Arabs and Muslims. Wrong: the Palestinians let their own selves down through their constant division. - Israel accepted the two-state solutions but Abou Ammar launched the second intifada and pushed the Israelis to turn to the Right. Wrong. The Israeli Right killed Isaac Rabin on November 4, 1995 while a solution was about to be reached within a few months. The second intifada started on September 29, 2000 because no solution was reached. - The sanctions against Iran will speed up the fall of the regime. Wrong. The sanctions are affecting the innocent Iranian citizens while Ayatollah Khamenei and Ahmadinejad are enjoying themselves. - The Iranian nuclear program poses a threat to the world. Wrong. The Persian ambitions are the source of threat. As for the Iranian nuclear weapons, they are non-existent and thus pose a threat to nobody. Israel’s nuclear armory in the hands of the Fascist government is threatening all the Arabs and the Muslims. I conclude by correcting a mistake that I have personally made. I used to believe that the Arab situation is so bad that it can be compared to the case of a man who wishes to ride his bicycle but then finds out that a thief took away the leather seat and left him sitting on the bicycle’s metal pole. I lately found out that this is wrong. Indeed, a man accidently sitting on a metal pole may be cured after a few days of treatment. However, the scourge of the spring revolutions is incurable. --- The views expressed by the author do not necessarily represent or reflect the editorial policy of Arabstoday.