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As JID has been warning for months, Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein has been increasingly successful in re-positioning himself as the champion of the Arabs against the West and Israel. This week he addressed the Arab summit, held in Jordan's capital Amman, calling for Arab unity and a war to "liberate Palestine". Ominously, his audience of Arab leaders gave him a respectful hearing. JID analyses the speech and its worrying implications. The Amman summit convened this week to consider two critical issues: the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and the question of Iraq's relations with the rest of the Arab world. Representatives of 22 Arab nations have been debating the vexed subject of whether to call for the United Nations' sanctions against Iraq to be lifted, a move that would put the Arabs on a direct collision course with the US and Britain, which are both determined to continue some form of sanctions regime against Baghdad, despite crumbling international support for the policy. Although he addressed his speech to the delegates, Saddam was clearly aiming at the wider Arab world which is becoming increasingly militant in response to the mounting death toll of the Palestinian Intifada ('uprising'). Making a direct link between the Muslim religion and "Arabism", Saddam appealed to the wider "Arab Nation" to fight Israel and its American ally. He also made a hostile reference to "two foreign countries" which border the Arab nations. He was - without naming them directly - referring to Turkey (a member of NATO) and Iran, both ethnically non-Arab countries. Saddam outlined the history of Arab nationalism and the uprisings against "Western colonialism" in Iraq, Egypt and Algeria - a thinly veiled warning to those Arab states such as Saudi Arabia which are considered to be pro-Western. Saddam next claimed that there were already "seven million volunteers" in Iraq willing to form an Arab army of twenty-one divisions as the foundation of a force dedicated to the "liberation of Palestine". While this can be regarded as largely political bravado on the part of the Iraqi dictator - whose record on fighting wars against both Iran and the Western Gulf coalition has hardly been distinguished - it does clearly demonstrate his determination to portray himself to the Arab community as the only leader prepared to publicly call for an all-out war against Israel. It makes little difference that he doesn't have the means to raise such an army; what is important is whether ordinary Arabs believe that Saddam is prepared to do it. Unfortunately, there is increasing evidence that his grass-roots support throughout the Arab world is growing. This is particularly worrying for the leaders of the pro-Western Arab states, such as Saudi Arabia and Kuwait - both of which have been opposed to lifting sanctions on Iraq. In his summit speech, Saddam specifically warned pro-Western leaders of the way domestic opinion could turn against them. "Each and every one of you should be aware of the reality of the people in the country in which he is the ruler. Any disregard of the reality of the stand of the people from now on, in these issues in any country on the part of the ruler who rules that country means nothing but playing the role of the foreigner by proxy. He alone will bear the responsibility of his stand before God, the people and history." Although the general tone of Saddam's anti-Western and anti-Semitic ramblings can be judged by his final sentence - "May God damn the Jews" - there must be grave concern that even traditionally pro-Western leaders, such as King Abdullah of Jordan, appear to be adopting positions which come close to endorsing the Iraqi leader's call for Arab unity against Israel and the US, as well as signalling their opposition to continued sanctions against Baghdad. In his own speech this week, Abdullah called for the lifting of UN sanctions against Iraq: "As for fraternal Iraq, its inconceivable suffering has gone on for far too long. It is time to put an end to this suffering and to lift the embargo on this Arab country, which has always been at the forefront of the Arab nation in defending its cause and rights." Abdullah also endorsed Saddam's call for Arab unity, although he made no mention of the Iraqi leader's demand for a pan-Arab military force to attack Israel - a suggestion which many military analysts would consign to the realms of pure fantasy. However, further Iraqi support for terrorist action against the West and its allies, both in the Middle East and throughout the world, must be considered possible. In the final analysis, Saddam's summit performance has served the purpose he intended. He has succeeded in gaining wider Arab support against UN sanctions; he has portrayed himself throughout the Arab world as a staunch defender of Arab rights (although unsurprisingly, the Kuwaitis and Saudis remain wary of his claims) and his calls for war against Israel will be immensely popular among large sections of the Muslim community, particularly in the Middle East. His defiance of the West (specifically the US and Britain) will also enhance his standing on the grounds that most Arabs believe that the UN operates a double standard in relation to Iraq and Israel - a viewpoint which UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan, in his speech to the summit, acknowledged was widely held. With international support for UN sanctions against Iraq vanishing rapidly and militancy throughout much of the Arab and Muslim world gaining ground, Saddam's popularity and influence continues to grow. The continuing crisis in the Middle East is providing him with an unprecedented opportunity to redefine himself as an Arab nationalist leader. It is a challenge which the West and its allies must take seriously.
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