US Double-standard Policy on Mideast Events
F. Gregory Gause, professor of political science at the University of Vermont, in an interview with IQNA answered questions regarding recent uprisisngs in the Middle East and US policies in the region.
Here are the excerpts of the interview:
Q: The concept of “Soft War” entered political dictionaries since the cold war era to undermine the Soviet Union and Eastern Europe. How much do you believe this concept has been influential in the Middle East, especially Syria?
A: I do not see what is happening in Syria in the context of “Soft Power” or “Soft War.” The sanctions imposed on Syria are not at all soft. Support for the opposition, whether diplomatic or economic or military, is not a soft response. It is direct support for the opposition.
According to Guardian newspaper 55% of Syrian population is Bashar Al-Assad’s supporters and their participation in referendum in an Arab country is remarkable.
Q: What do you think about Syria’s referendum? Has the outcome been successful? Do you think organizing such referenda can affect tyrannical regimes such as the one in Bahrain?
A: It does not seem that the referendum has been successful, if by successful we mean that it brings the violence to an end and leads to political dialogue between the government and the opposition. I do not believe that a similar referendum in Bahrain would have any different result.
Q: Recent changes in the Middle East and Arab countries indicate the relationship between economy and sociology but since the domestic clashes continue, it seems there would be no stability in the area. What do you think about the role of the West in unrest in these countries?
A: I think that the unrest has its roots in domestic affairs. It has occurred in countries politically close to the West (Tunisia, Egypt, and Bahrain) and in countries not so close (Libya, Syria). The Western response in each case was different, depending upon the interests of the countries involved. There was not much involvement in Tunisia; in Egypt the United States was initially supportive of Mubarak and then backed away as his position became less and less secure. In Libya, of course, the Western powers intervened militarily. In Syria there has been no direct military intervention, but plenty of Western support for the opposition, because of Western opposition to both the human rights record of the Asad regime and because of its alliance with Iran and position toward Israel. There has been little pressure from the West on Bahrain because of the strategic importance of the Persian Gulf and because of the American naval base.
F. Gregory Gause, III is professor of political science at the University of Vermont, and was director of the University's Middle East Studies Program from 1998 to 2008. In 2009-2010, he is the Kuwait Foundation Visiting Professor of International Affairs at the Kennedy School of Government, Harvard University. He was previously on the faculty of Columbia University (1987-1995) and was Fellow for Arab and Islamic Studies at the Council on Foreign Relations in New York (1993-1994).
His research interests focus on the international politics of the Middle East, with a particular interest in the Arabian Peninsula and the Persian/Arabian Gulf. He has published three books -- The International Relations of the Persian Gulf (Cambridge University Press, 2010); Oil Monarchies: Domestic and Security Challenges in the Persian Gulf States (Council on Foreign Relations Press, 1994); and Saudi-Yemeni Relations: Domestic Structures and Foreign Influence (Columbia University Press, 1990).
His scholarly articles have appeared in Foreign Affairs, Foreign Policy, Security Studies, Middle East Journal, Washington Quarterly, Journal of International Affairs, Review of International Studies and in other journals and edited volumes. He has testified on Gulf issues before Congressional committees and has made numerous appearances on television and radio commenting on Middle East issues.
Before completing his Ph. D., he held research positions at the RAND Corporation in Santa Monica, California and at the Brookings Institution in Washington, D.C. In the spring of 2009 he held a Fulbright Fellowship at the American University of Kuwait.
He received his Ph.D. in political science from Harvard University in 1987 and his B.A. (summa cum laude) from St. Joseph's University in Philadelphia in 1980. He studied Arabic at the American University in Cairo (1982-83) and Middlebury College (1984).
Q: The concept of “Soft War” entered political dictionaries since the cold war era to undermine the Soviet Union and Eastern Europe. How much do you believe this concept has been influential in the Middle East, especially Syria?
A: I do not see what is happening in Syria in the context of “Soft Power” or “Soft War.” The sanctions imposed on Syria are not at all soft. Support for the opposition, whether diplomatic or economic or military, is not a soft response. It is direct support for the opposition.
According to Guardian newspaper 55% of Syrian population is Bashar Al-Assad’s supporters and their participation in referendum in an Arab country is remarkable.
Q: What do you think about Syria’s referendum? Has the outcome been successful? Do you think organizing such referenda can affect tyrannical regimes such as the one in Bahrain?
A: It does not seem that the referendum has been successful, if by successful we mean that it brings the violence to an end and leads to political dialogue between the government and the opposition. I do not believe that a similar referendum in Bahrain would have any different result.
Q: Recent changes in the Middle East and Arab countries indicate the relationship between economy and sociology but since the domestic clashes continue, it seems there would be no stability in the area. What do you think about the role of the West in unrest in these countries?
A: I think that the unrest has its roots in domestic affairs. It has occurred in countries politically close to the West (Tunisia, Egypt, and Bahrain) and in countries not so close (Libya, Syria). The Western response in each case was different, depending upon the interests of the countries involved. There was not much involvement in Tunisia; in Egypt the United States was initially supportive of Mubarak and then backed away as his position became less and less secure. In Libya, of course, the Western powers intervened militarily. In Syria there has been no direct military intervention, but plenty of Western support for the opposition, because of Western opposition to both the human rights record of the Asad regime and because of its alliance with Iran and position toward Israel. There has been little pressure from the West on Bahrain because of the strategic importance of the Persian Gulf and because of the American naval base.
F. Gregory Gause, III is professor of political science at the University of Vermont, and was director of the University's Middle East Studies Program from 1998 to 2008. In 2009-2010, he is the Kuwait Foundation Visiting Professor of International Affairs at the Kennedy School of Government, Harvard University. He was previously on the faculty of Columbia University (1987-1995) and was Fellow for Arab and Islamic Studies at the Council on Foreign Relations in New York (1993-1994).
His research interests focus on the international politics of the Middle East, with a particular interest in the Arabian Peninsula and the Persian/Arabian Gulf. He has published three books -- The International Relations of the Persian Gulf (Cambridge University Press, 2010); Oil Monarchies: Domestic and Security Challenges in the Persian Gulf States (Council on Foreign Relations Press, 1994); and Saudi-Yemeni Relations: Domestic Structures and Foreign Influence (Columbia University Press, 1990).
His scholarly articles have appeared in Foreign Affairs, Foreign Policy, Security Studies, Middle East Journal, Washington Quarterly, Journal of International Affairs, Review of International Studies and in other journals and edited volumes. He has testified on Gulf issues before Congressional committees and has made numerous appearances on television and radio commenting on Middle East issues.
Before completing his Ph. D., he held research positions at the RAND Corporation in Santa Monica, California and at the Brookings Institution in Washington, D.C. In the spring of 2009 he held a Fulbright Fellowship at the American University of Kuwait.
He received his Ph.D. in political science from Harvard University in 1987 and his B.A. (summa cum laude) from St. Joseph's University in Philadelphia in 1980. He studied Arabic at the American University in Cairo (1982-83) and Middlebury College (1984).
