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<big><big><font size="3"><big><big><strong>American (jihadi) Idol</strong></big></big></font></big></big><br>
By Pepe Escobar <br>
<br>
<a class="moz-txt-link-freetext" href="http://www.atimes.com/atimes/Middle_East/NH10Ak04.html">http://www.atimes.com/atimes/Middle_East/NH10Ak04.html</a><br>
<blockquote><i>I don’t want a holiday in the sun<br>
I wanna go to the new Belsen<br>
I wanna see some history<br>
Cause now I got a reasonable economy</i> - <b>The Sex Pistols</b>, <i>Holidays
in the Sun </i></blockquote>
Jihadis of the world, unite; you have nothing to lose but your stage
fright. After Bosnia, Chechnya and Afghanistan, the West has fallen in
love with you all over again - big time. <br>
<br>
As if any extra proof was needed, here it is - straight from the mouth
of the US establishment, as personified by the Council of Foreign
Relations (CFR). [1] <br>
<br>
How lovely to learn that "Free Syrian Army (FSA) batallions are<img
src="cid:part1.09030903.02060802@freedomarchives.org" alt=""
style="width: 0px; height: 0px;" width="0" height="0"> tired, divided,
chaotic, an ineffective. Feeling abandoned by the West, rebel forces
are increasingly demoralized ... Al-Qaeda fighters, however, may help
improve morale. The influx of jihadis brings discipline, religious
fervor, battle experience from Iraq, funding from Sunni sympathizers in
the Gulf, and most importantly, deadly results. In short, the FSA needs
al-Qaeda now". <br>
<br>
Now let's rewrite the above and set it in the mid-2000s in Mesopotamia.
"The Sunni Iraqi resistance is tired, divided, chaotic, and
ineffective. Feeling abandoned by the Arab world, rebel forces are
increasingly demoralized as they fight the most powerful military in
history. Al-Qaeda fighters, however, may improve morale. The influx of
jihadis brings discipline, religious fervor, battle experience from all
corners of the Muslim world, funding from Sunni sympathizers in the
Gulf, and most importantly, deadly results. In short, the Sunni Iraqi
resistance against the US occupation needs al-Qaeda now". <br>
<br>
Imagine the Munch-like shrieks of horror all across the West if someone
had proposed that a few years ago. How is it humanly possible to
support "terrists"? <br>
<br>
That's easy; as long as the "terrists" are "our bastards". <br>
<br>
The messenger of "terra" in this CFR case is one Ed Husain, described
as "a senior fellow for Middle Eastern studies" at the CFR. Before he
set up the first-counter terrorism think tank in Britain, he was "an
activist of Jamat-e-Islami, Hizb ut-Tahrir (HT), and Muslim Brotherhood
front organizations in the United Kingdom". But thanks Allah he
repented, and became "a strong critic of extremism and Islamism". <br>
<br>
Syria proves once again that the West loves defectors. Still, our
Islamist defector is careful to cover all bases, adding, "the unspoken
political calculation among policymakers is to get rid of Assad first -
weakening Iran's position in the region - and then deal with al-Qaeda
later". <br>
<br>
Obviously our defector - who speaks Arabic and is "familiar" with Urdu
- must believe "blowback" is a porno flick (as a matter of fact, it
also is). Even infants know that after the 1980s Afghan jihad the US,
Saudi Arabia and Pakistan did get their regime change in Kabul. They
also got the Taliban, Osama bin Laden, Ayman al-Zawahiri and global
"terra". <br>
<br>
Now I've got a reason to be waiting. <br>
<br>
Syria is now the ultimate Sex Pistol-inspired Holiday in the Sun (the
jihadi remix); a magnet to Libyans, Jordanians, Saudis, Algerians,
Chechens, Af-Pakis, and even Brits with thick London accents. [2] <br>
<br>
They are fighting alongside Syrian Islamists such as this one, named
Abu Bakr, who has just got his 15 minutes of fame on Reuters. [3] <br>
<br>
Asked about his future plans, Abu Bakr admitted, "I don't want to
immediately impose Sharia law and start cutting off people's hands for
stealing. I believe in Sharia. But if we force it on people, we will
create fear. We have to assure minorities we will treat them well". <br>
<br>
The operative word here is of course "immediately". First we get rid of
the bloody dictator and his evil regime. We save the hand cutting and
the beheading of infidel Alawites, Christians, Druzes and Kurds for
later. <br>
<br>
Compounding the farce of an FSA totally infiltrated by jihadis, and in
the case of many gangs/brigades, actually dominating the whole thing,
Western corporate media is taking no prisoners selling the notion that
the CIA is on the ground just performing the innocent job of separating
the FSA wheat from the jihadi chaff, arbitrating who gets suitcases
full of US dollars. <br>
<br>
Believers take note; Saddam Hussein's weapons of mass destruction
(WMDs) are now on sale on Ebay. <br>
<br>
Apparently no one told US Secretary of State Hillary "We came, we saw,
he died" Clinton about this jihadi monkey business. [4] <br>
<br>
She is adamant she will have none of this "disciplined, religious
fervor, experience from Iraq" al-Qaeda eulogies. But then again, she
will; Iran, after all, remains the Supreme Evil beyond any possible
Axis; moreover, Washington needs a dependable someone to blame in the
never-ending charade of the "war on terra". <br>
<br>
So forget about the upcoming Kathryn Bigelow-directed flick glorifying
the Osama bin Laden raid in Abbottabad. "We're spending billions of
dollars. We are still no closer to defeating our enemy". [5] <br>
<br>
You don't defeat your enemy; you seduce and co-opt him. Think of a
remake of Billy Wilder's iconic <i>Sunset Boulevard</i>, with Norma
Desmond played by Osama bin Laden. "I used to be big. It's the pictures
that became small". <br>
<br>
Jihadis of the world, you have nothing to lose but your collection of
al-Zawahiri speeches on scratchy DVD. The time has come for you to go
on a Hollywood pilgrimage, and finally crack the immortal line; "I'm
ready for my close-up, Mr bin Laden". Get ready to be swamped by rave
reviews. <br>
<br>
<i><b>Notes:</b></i><br>
1. See <a
href="http://www.cfr.org/syria/al-qaedas-specter-syria/p28782">Council
of Foreign Relations</a>.<br>
2. See report <a
href="http://www.presstv.ir/detail/2012/08/06/254692/none-of-insurgents-were-syrian/">here</a>.
<br>
3. See <a
href="http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/08/08/us-syria-crisis-insight-idUSBRE8770BK20120808">here</a>.
<br>
4. See Reuters report <a
href="http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/08/07/us-clinton-syria-idUSBRE8760PF20120807">here</a>.
<br>
5. See <a
href="http://link.brightcove.com/services/player/bcpid1768185620001?bckey=AQ%7E%7E,AAAAAA0Xi_s%7E,r1xMuE8k5Nx_eS7E1dGyEx8iYmsyCWlR&bctid=1772729492001">here</a>.
<br>
<br>
<i><b>Pepe Escobar</b> is the author of</i> <a
href="http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0978813820/simpleproduction/ref=nosim">Globalistan:
How the Globalized World is Dissolving into Liquid War</a> (Nimble
Books, 2007) and <a
href="http://www.amazon.com/Red-Zone-Blues-snapshot-Baghdad/dp/0978813898">Red
Zone Blues: a snapshot of Baghdad during the surge</a>. His most recent
book is <a
href="http://www.amazon.com/Obama-Does-Globalistan-Pepe-Escobar/dp/1934840831/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1233698286&sr=8-1">Obama
does Globalistan</a> (Nimble Books, 2009). <br>
<br>
<i>He may be reached at</i> <a class="moz-txt-link-abbreviated" href="mailto:pepeasia@yahoo.com">pepeasia@yahoo.com</a>
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