Muna Al Fuzai

The Americans are only a few days away from election day. I would like to commence my article with a wish for all Americans to remember that they are not only voting for a president, but are making a choice of granting someone the power to bring peace or inflame a war. War and peace are our main concerns here in the Middle East. The internal policy of the US is the sole preserve of the American people and we shouldn’t utter a word, because no matter what we think, we are surely not the ones who will suffer from its bad results.

As you know, the Arab world is confronting chaos and tumults in many of its locations. But, we should not blame outsiders for our own mistakes. Unfortunately, the US foreign policy has failed to overcome or control the damage and it is true that sometimes wrong decisions have been taken against the interests of old allies. But within less than a month, all these policies will be over and we hope that a new policy will show better understanding to what we wish or expect to keep this area safe and protected.

I don’t believe in miracles, so I don’t expect a new presidency will come up with concrete solutions to end the chaos in Syria or prevent possible new flare-ups in Egypt, or reshape its foreign policies in the Gulf region in one day. These are our wishes, but there is no magic wand. Why do we as Arabs always tend to wait for American or European decision makers to come up with solutions on our behalf? Why do we lack the initiative?

These are our lands, our interests and our future. Why should we put much of our faith in who wins the presidency to end the war in Syria, for example? Regardless who wins the presidency, the idea of immediate change is not possible, that is, if things are not made worst there.

I know some may claim this is because we don’t want to communicate with the current Syrian leadership. I can’t imagine or presume that any possible successor will be less bloody, aside from being extremely conservative. The Syrians are all over the globe now, and it’s not fair or logical to assume that they lost their beautiful country for no evident reason. We need the imposition of no-fly zones now and safe areas for civilians, with a global fund for the reconstruction of Syria, but not by sending the money to militants, because this process has to go through the UN.

We should not wait for this bloody conflict to end to see the winning side, then if it pleases us, we decide to support it or not. The Syrian situation is one example, and no matter who wins the US election, we should have the will and desire to move ahead to save the lives of Syrians.

I am fully aware that the situation in the Middle East is very complicated, but if there is an interest in ending or controlling the conflict in the Middle East, then the US has to deal with all players, especially when dealing with the GCC, starting with restoring confidence as a first step, for example. The situation in the Middle East is one of interconnected sectarian conflicts. We need to cooperate with the international community and the United States to understand what is going on around us, but we also have to use our minds in providing solutions. We should not remain mere spectators in the political arena.

By Muna Al-Fuzai

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