Hypocrisy abound

As the Middle East simmers with uprisings against tyranny and as the West, the so called flag bearers of democracy, ‘supports’ the people in their quest against the despotic rule, I can’t help but wonder if the West’s foreign policy is the real and the complete truth or, just the tip of the iceberg or, an absolute sham.

The politics of opportunism continues to be practiced unabated. We find so many instances when we compare how the foreign policy of the West, especially the US, has undergone a dramatic shift in the last two decades. To not expect a change in the foreign policy would be foolish. However, the shift that I am talking about is more seminal and alarming. After the Tiananmen Square massacre, Henry Kissinger wrote (quoting from the book “Shock Doctrine”) - “No government in the world would have tolerated having the main square of its capital occupied for eight weeks by tens of thousands of demonstrators… a crackdown was therefore inevitable”. The protestors in Egypt were also demonstrating in the main square. If what the Communist party in China did was the last resort, then Hosni Mubarak was damn right in what he did. If what China did in 1989 was justified, then so are the crackdowns in Syria and Bahrain unless of course the lives of Chinese people was any cheaper than the lives of the Middle Easterners. What is also worth noticing is that the West has not openly come out in favor of the protestors in Bahrain. I am sure they could have overlooked a tiny nation with a handful population. And, it could have been just a mere coincidence that Bahrain houses the Vth Naval Fleet of the US. I guess my inability to understand the difference in the nature of the uprisings and the difference in the attitude of the West towards each of these uprisings can only be attributed to my limited mental faculties.

How come we never heard about the West ridiculing Saudi Arabia of its regulated control of media and of its unequal rights of women? On the contrary, the West pounces at the slightest of opportunities to ridicule China for its strict control of the media and its abuse of human rights. It could again be a coincidence that Saudi Arabia is the strongest US ally in the Middle East and plays a crucial role in the OPEC (Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries). I guess the West had been waiting for the people of the Middle East to start the revolution before it could support them to overthrow the undemocratic rule. Rightly so because when it decided to be foolishly decisive in Afghanistan and Iraq, it created a bigger mess than it could have possibly fathomed. Looks like the cries for a revolution in China are either very few or, they have been curtailed well or, they are simmering and one day the volcano will erupt. Whatever is the reason, I can only wonder at how proactive the West is when it comes to China. ;-)