Έτσι θα έπρεπε να μιλούν οι αξιοπρεπείς ακαδημαϊκοί στη Δύση

Δεν γνωρίζω την ακαδημαϊκή δουλειά του Bassam Haddad

http://www.jadaliyya.com/pages/contributors/545 .

Αλλά η τοποθέτηση του στην εκπομπή του MSNBC είναι θεωρώ υποδειγματική για το πως θα έπρεπε να μιλά ένας αξιοπρεπής διανοούμενος στη δημόσια σφαίρα στο Δυτικό πλαίσιο.

Journalist: What kind of support does the US have in Syria right now?

Bassam Haddad: There might be support for a strike and a lot of what is happening in Syria in terms of external intervention and external movements is mostly a result of desperation. 

It is not the right metrics we should be paying attention to right now. I just want to say a couple of things regarding the danger the other speaker alluded to regarding Syria using chemical weapons vis-a-vis Israel. In the past six years Israel attacked Syria with airplanes, with jet fighters, and Syria did not respond at all. Of course, we all know it's because Israel has a stockpile of nuclear weapons and nuclear warheads more than anyone can count. 

And I agree with you Craig that there needs to be a debate. The problem with the discussion not only on this show but on all shows, is that there isn't a serious engagement, a serious public debate in the US on these issues generally, regarding the US Middle East policy. What we have is commentary on a very limited set of options that are already predetermined by policy. And this policy is based on unrealistic presumptions and assumptions regarding how the United States is a benevolent actor in the world in terms of its foreign policy. 

In the Mιddle East, this is not the case. The record is actually--it stinks, really. And, for us to continue to talk as if all of these [regarding US role] are givens is the actual problem. The only solution to this [crisis] is a political solution that the United States, as the most powerful country in history, not just on earth, can actually start by a serious discussion with the Russians and other players. However, the problem is that we are not ready to actually have these discussions because it will take compromises; compromises that the United States is not willing to make in terms of its support of very problematic dictatorial, or racist regimes like the state of Israel and like dictatorships like Saudi Arabia and other Arab countries.

This is the problem. We are not willing to budge on other issues, so our bargaining power with Russia or other states is very limited. These are the issues that I think we need to discuss in light of what is happening in the region and in light of us getting it wrong almost every time since we fraudulently attacked and invaded a country in 2003, the country of Iraq, on false premises.

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