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專題
As the current global battle field, the Middle East have staged a great number of wars; from Iraq and Afghanistan, all the way to Egypt, Yemen, Libya and Syria, civil wars have been frequently recurring for the past ten years. The military governments are certainly condemnable for suppressing the people’s uprising, but asking for foreign aid is no different from ‘opening the back door just to lock the front’ , especially when foreign aid is always given for a purpose. With US so eager in interfering Iraq’s internal affairs, the result is clearly disastrous; conflicts in Iraq seem never-ending – its capital Baghdad in constant chaos, with bombs hidden in streets and alleys, and with civilians hurt every day. When Islamic extremists are lurking in Iraq, preparing to assume power at any time, the US puppet government is failing to unite the nation. Iraq was left ravaged when the US troops withdrew. Are Iraqis happier than before? That is hard to tell. But with the bullets in the Fort Hood shooting, Nidal Malik Hasan, a US army psychiatrist who once served in Iraq, has told the world that this war was never righteous.
不要被普世價值「利用」 Not to be fooled by ‘universal vlaues’ 敘利亞軍政府自二零一一年開始鎮壓國內反對勢力，造成了近 十萬人傷亡。軍政府拒絕政治改革，屠殺平民，實在人神共憤。對 於去年聯合國安理會制裁敘利亞之議案，中俄兩國均投下反對票， 惹來一片輿論鞭撻，紛紛指責中俄助紂為虐，踐踏人權。英國外相 黑格稱，中俄的做法是在「敘利亞人民最黑暗的時刻，背棄了他 們。」美國白宮發言人卡尼又抨擊中俄「站到了敘利亞人民的對立 面，站到了該地區和平與穩定的對立面。」 Unwilling to reform, the Syrian government has killed over a hundred thousand in its despicable and violent suppression against protests since 2011. Last year, Russia and China upset a lot of people by vetoing UN sanctions against Syria, and were accused of siding with the tyrannical regime. William Hague, the British foreign secretary, condemned China and Russia’s decision as “turning their backs on the people of Syria in their darkest hour.” The White house press secretary also said that China and Russia were standing “on the wrong side of the Syrian people, the wrong side of hope for peace and stability in the region.”
在分析這些議題上，我們不能被躲在普世價值背後的政客誤 導。雖然「民主自由」是我們追求的共同目標，但它常常被政客利 用，成為西方國家用來掩飾其陰謀的美麗藉口。根據該議案內容， 敘利亞政府必須在十天內撤出多個重要城市，否則聯合國有權按照 《聯合國憲章》軍事介入當地。可笑的是，西方國家雖名為拯救敘 利亞人民，但每一次都只為消滅軍政府。「互相尊重、人人平等」 是民主的原則。「Through violence, you may ‘solve’ one problem, but you sow the seeds for another」，若在談判 桌上只要求舊政權接受苛刻條件，叫舊政權單方面讓步，無條件放 棄重要據點，根本談不上尊重和平等。但西方國家每次都借聯合國 名義，粗暴干預他國內政，一方面強行劃出禁飛區，另一方面出動 戰機對舊政權根據地狂轟濫炸，更為反對派提供軍火。此舉非但增 加了平民的傷亡，更暴露了西方國家的真正目的：消滅在中東的反 西方國家的勢力。一旦軍政府繼續襲擊反對派根據地，西方國家就 站上道德高地，以普世價值之名向軍政府口誅筆伐，繼而加強軍事 介入，令軍政府內外受敵，面臨崩潰。 We must not be fooled by the politicians behind the veil of universal values. Democracy and liberty, being commonly sought-after ideals, are often used by Western politicians to gloss over their wicked intentions. The proposed resolution demanded that the Syrian government’s forces withdraw from various major cities in ten days; otherwise, the UN would authorize military intervention, in accordance to Charter of the United Nations. Ironically, every time the West claims to save the people from their oppressors, all it does is to eliminate the regime. “Through violence, you may ‘solve’ one problem, but you sow the seeds for another.” Mutual respect and equality are
城大月報 二零一三年四月號
the principles of democracy, but demanding acceptance of harsh terms and unilateral compromise from a regime is far from respectful and fair. But every time the Western powers rudely intervene in foreign affairs in the name of UN; enforcing no-fly zones on the one hand, and launching airstrikes against the regime on the other, and even supply firearms to rebels. Such acts not only aggravate civilian casualties, but also expose the real intentions of the western countries – to eliminate anti-West powers in the Middle East. Once the Syrian government attacked rebel positions, Western powers claimed the moral high ground, condemned the regime in the name of universal values and deepen military intervention, crumbling the military government from within and without.
除軍事衝突外，女權問題是中東的另一個長期爭議。前阿富 汗政府侵犯女性權利，美國出兵將其推翻，流離的舊政權勢力組成 了現今的塔利班組織；伊拉克、伊朗等國也曾女權問題而受到聯合 國批評，前者慘遭滅國，後者受到經濟制裁。然而同樣是伊斯蘭國 家，同樣沒有賦予女性選舉權、駕駛權的沙特阿拉伯、阿聯酋等國 卻來沒有成為西方國家「整頓」的目標。要知道伊朗等國尚算是共 和體制，而沙特、阿聯酋仍是奉行世襲制度的封建國家。可即使美 國如何「尊重普世價值」，它也從不拿沙特和阿聯酋開刀。原因很 簡 單 ──兩 國 在 以 色 列 問 題 上 親 美 ， 亦 在 石 油 供 應 上 讓 了 步 。 In addition to military conflicts, the West used women’s rights, another long debated issue in the Middle East, to justify the war in Afghanistan. The regime pulled down in that particular war is now known as the Taliban. Also criticized by the UN for violating women’s rights, Iraq has been destroyed and Iran still financially sanctioned. However, Islamic countries like Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) that also deny women suffrage have never been subjected to intervention from the Western powers. It should be noted that even when Iran is a republic, the UAE practices hereditary monarchy. The reason why the US never touches Saudi Arabia and the UAE is that the two of them agree with the US on the Israeli problems, and have compromised on oil supply.
軍事介入並非上策 Military intervention – not a good idea 軍事介入並非兒戲，一旦處理失當，就會為該國人民帶來極大 災難。干預國只需宣佈一撤軍，就隨時能輕易抽身而出，留下各種 問題。利益往往由入侵者掠取，損失往往由受害者承擔。「九一一 事件」可以視為伊斯蘭國家對美國霸權最激烈的一次控訴，但美國 半世紀以來對中東國家造成的龐大傷亡，實在遠遠超過兩幢摩天大 樓。
▲敍敘利亞戰後景況（互聯網圖片） Military intervention is no child’s play. Intervention brings disaster if it goes wrong. The intervener could simply withdraw, and leave problems behind while taking benefits on its way out. The 911 attack can be taken as the Islamic countries’ fiercest denunciation against the US. Yet, in the half-century, the US has caused damage far beyond two skyscrapers’ worth in Middle East.
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