On Saturday, March 31, US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton told GCC foreign ministers that America's security commitment "to the people and the nations of the Gulf is rock-solid and unwavering". She advocated taking "practical and specific steps to strengthen our mutual security, such as helping our militaries improve interoperability, cooperate on maritime security and missile defence, and coordinate responses to crises." Her words may sound reassuring to some in our region. Why complain if the superpower wants to take the Gulf states under its wing, you may ask, especially at a time of heightened threats? Those people should think again.
Clinton's statement had an effect on me, but not the one intended. My overwhelming emotion was one of annoyance. My mind immediately transported me back to the1990s when I met with former US Assistant Secretary of State Richard Murphy, then a US Special Envoy, for a game of tennis. While we were resting between matches, our conversation turned to America's relationship with the Gulf countries; something Murphy said left me quietly seething. He proudly disclosed that "we" [the US] have assumed responsibility for the protection of the Arabian Gulf from the British".
I asked him "Who gave you that authority?" He responded that the UK had handed the Gulf region over to America. "Strange that we the people who live here are the last to know," I retorted, asking whether the region's rulers had given their permission for such a handover, even though I knew they hadn't.
Almost two decades later, I had hoped things had changed. The GCC states are economically sound; they enjoy stable governance and are militarily strong. I support our collaboration with big powers, but we should not allow them to control our future. Such powers operate out of self-interest as we witnessed when Britain allowed the Shah of Iran to rob the UAE of its islands. We've seen how this White House and the last have delivered Iraq to a pro-Iranian regime. If Iraq, one of the larger Arab countries, in terms of territory and population, was parcelled up in this way, who knows what our fate would be if we abandon it to others' self-serving hands!
A great friend of mine, a US diplomat, once said to me: "We don't care who rules in the GCC as long as the oil is flowing our way." Of course, it's a little more complex than that nowadays when the US imports only 16 per cent of its petroleum from the Gulf; today, the US government is out to control regional oil exports to keep energy-hungry competitors like China and India under its heel. Haven't we learned any lessons from the US-led invasion of Iraq, which we were powerless to prevent? Besides being a humiliation, there is danger in relying on another country for our defence. What happens if and when we disagree in the future? We will either have to bend our heads — or be vulnerable to a protector-turned-foe.
First it was Britain, now it's the US. If we accept the principle that our peoples and land can be ‘bought and sold' who knows what ‘boss' we'll get next time. The Iranian ayatollahs perhaps! You may smile, but just look what's happening in Bahrain where Tehran has planted seeds capable of spreading to neighbouring states if it were not for the determined stand of the Bahraini government aided by Saudi Arabia.
GCC states must reinforce a common defence capability not only to keep our people safe but also to take charge of our neighbourhood. In a perfect world, the GCC should be equipped to step in to save Syrian civilians who are being butchered by Bashar Al Assad's gang daily. Just like the Americans, the Europeans and the Turks, Gulf leaders are verbally holding the regime's feet to the fire but the killing goes on. The Syrian opposition requires more than words. They need weapons and military advisers. Syria is part of our house, our Arab house, and we shouldn't wait for Russia and China's approval before we take action.
We must quit being our own worst enemy. If we don't get a grip on Syria, if we allow this humanitarian tragedy to continue unabated, this fever will reach our area via Iran's proxies in Iraq and Lebanon. This is more than simply freeing Syrians from dictatorship; it's also about rescuing GCC states and Lebanon from Iran's penetrating arm.
As a citizen of the GCC, I would ask our leaders to consult with their people; not only those within their inner circles but also others who love their nation's soil and are ready to protect it with their blood. I talk to Gulf nationals regularly on this topic. I know they're concerned about Iran's threats and war games. And where is our answer? Where are our displays of power? Are we waiting for the Pentagon to launch military exercises on our behalf?
I only hope that our leaders assess the volatile climate and come up with an urgent plan of action. I pray that their hearts will be brave enough and their minds focused enough to afford us the security we crave.
There's only one thing I'd like to say to Clinton: "Thanks, but no thanks!"
Khalaf Al Habtoor is a businessman and chairman of Al Habtoor Group.
