Comment: The four horsemen of the Apocalypse

Just a few years ago, I read something very interesting in an American publication. According to the article, the CIA has a profile on every world leader. I have no doubt that this is so since after all, that is why the American taxpayers fund the agency and what its function is. What was particularly interesting to me were the profiles of various Arab leaders.

The article pointed out that complete files existed for virtually all Arab leaders. Even more surprising was the source of the files: they had been compiled by trained and qualified psychologists and psychoanalysts. These so-called "experts" had reviewed TV clips of the leaders, listened to their speeches and supposedly analysed their movements. Allegedly, this helped the U.S. government to predict what they would do and to deal with regional crises and problems.

Several questions sprang immediately to my mind. How much Arabic did these "experts" know? And how incredible that a science - psychology - based on conclusions drawn from the lives of 19th century middle-class Viennese Jews should be used to interpret the behaviour of late 20th century Arab leaders!

Along these same lines, I also remembered that when Mikhail Gorbachev had his first meeting with U.S. President Ronald Reagan, he asked to see some old films so he could gain an insight into Reagan's behaviour.

As a follower of the American political process, I have been keenly watching the idiosyncrasies of present American presidential behaviour. I am not a trained psychoanalyst but do modestly claim to be an astute observer. And when George W. Bush appears on my TV screen - which is rather more often than I would wish these days - I have the chance to observe his behaviour and interpret his actions.

Over the past few months of observing Bush's behaviour, I find that several things are noteworthy. These things always seem to come to the fore when he is discussing terrorism, Islam and Yasser Arafat. When he talks about terrorism, you often see that he raises his hands and, at times, joins them together. What it signifies I know not. I leave interpretations to the soothsayers, wizards and psychologists who speak his language and belong to his culture.

When he mentions Islam, the mention seems always to be accompanied by a grimace. He is a man of two minds. Does he come out and openly state what is in the deep recesses of his mind? Or does he curb his tongue, if not his thought processes, and speaks with any consideration for the 1.2 billion helpless Muslims of the world?

But please notice what happens when he talks about Arafat. His eyes roll and even if in the most casual situation, his pupils execute a 360-degree turn and his gaze moves upward. The last time I saw him mention Arafat, his eyes rolled and there was a gleam in them as he parroted the same sentence I had heard Ariel Sharon utter 72 hours earlier: "Arafat must condemn terrorism in Arabic."

Surely there must be someone in Washington or in the U.S. who could tell the commander-in-chief of the American military that Arafat does not speak Chinese. If he speaks, chances are very good that he speaks in Arabic. Especially if he is addressing the Palestinian people who are - do the Americans know this? - Arabic speakers!

Bush Senior's famous remark was "Read my lips." About Bush Junior, I would say, "Watch his eyes." The strangest coincidence is that Bush's four colleagues - described by Louise Gilman of North Carolina as the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse - have the same eye movements! And I quote her: "Cheney, the Jackal, war-wolf Wolfowitz, Rambo Rumsfeld and Perle, the prince of darkness."

And having watched them several times in a number of TV films, I have come to realise that they too have that strange fiery glint when they discuss Palestine or Arafat. As for me, I would hate to come across any of them in a dark alley - or even in a well-lit one. The glint that I have seen on TV has already filled my heart with dread.