03-06-2011, 03:48 PM
Source: Press TV interviewed Writer and Host of Current Issues, Hisham Tillawi about the leaders behind the Arab uprisings.
Press TV: For more on the Libyan revolution we are now joined by Hisham Tillawi who is on the line with us from Lafayette, Louisiana. He is the host of Current Issues TV and radio and also a Writer and Political Analyst. Welcome to the program. Where do you think the events in Libya are heading?
Tillawi: There are several options here. As long as Gaddafi is in power we will see practically civil war in Libya. The options for the outside world are limited because those who are engaged in Libya are not the forces that should be engaged who would immediate some sort of end to this. The forces that are engaged in this are basically the Europeans and Americans. They are trying to put an end to this. Right now their military options really aren't that great because of many reasons.
To go back to what happened, [one should say that] it all depends on what happens to the Libyan leader. If he stays in power we will see this thing going longer. The United States and Europe are trying to actually move in some military pieces to there for Gaddafi. [But] It's not going to work unless they really go into war with Libya and I don't believe that is an option for them at this time though. If something happens within the army of Muammar Gaddafi like a military coup that very much will put an end to what we are seeing here.
Press TV: According to the reports, a British special forces unit has been captured in Eastern Libya. This is the news we are just getting now. What are your thoughts on that?
Tillawi: This is not a news for today but for yesterday because we know for a fact that there are CIA teams and British teams on the ground in Eastern Libya. That is not something new. These are Special Forces. The problems these forces and governments are having are that they are not finding a partner in Libya. The opposition in Libya wants the help of these Western governments but they don't want direct help from them. They don't want to be seen as going to Tripoli and taking over Tripoli on the top of an American tank.
Libya and the Libyan people are not friends with the Americans or the British. They know these are colonialist powers that have their own special interests in the area. They are not going to trust them. So no opposition will even go in and say come on let's help us. But they are there on the ground trying to find a partner or way to influence the oppositions to actually accept the help of the CIA and of the British. I'm not surprised. They are not in masses, but there are special teams going in there to set up camp in Libya.
Press TV: I don't mean to disagree with you but according to the wires this special forces unit being captured in Eastern Libyan has just occurred. Also the Minister of Defense in London has not been available for comment yet. Let's turn our attention to the role that Britain is playing in all of this. A lot of the focus is always on how the US is acting. How do you see Britain's role?
Tillawi: We cannot really divide Britain's role from the Americans. This is what we are seeing here. These are old players coming back into the region.
Press TV: The reason I differentiated between the two is because it seems that the US has not shown its intentions or how keen it is to get involved and is perhaps leaning things to European countries; hence, maybe allowing the European countries to take the initiative around Libya.
Tillawi: The United States is the major player here. These are all imperialist regimes. Did anyone just wake up last week to say you know that these Libyans are oppressed by Gaddafi? These are the same regimes. They have been dealing with Gaddafi for the last 42 years. So let's not just separate these and concentrate on only one. The United States cannot open up another front when it has a front in Afghanistan going on. These people are very much one and the same. I do not differentiate between the United States and England. These are the same colonialist regimes that put all these regimes in the Middle East. You cannot take one part out. You have to look at the big picture, and what is happening throughout the Middle East and not just what has happened in Libya. What is happening is not just in one country.
What is happening is that these colonial powers are coming back. Those are the same powers that put these people in power a hundred years ago after the WWI. All these countries were formed because of these towers. We are seeing a great Arab revolution. This is part II. Part I was when these powers wanted to deceive the Ottoman Empire and promised the Arabs they would be free. Now 100 years later the Arabs are not free. We should not trust these people or think they really care for the Libyan people, and they want to get them from Gaddafi. We should not just concentrate on what is happening in Libya. This is the old Europe with the new America coming back to the region. That is how we need to look at it.
Press TV: What are the changes that the US and European states especially Britain or the countries you call colonial powers will try and install another dictator in a country like Libya?
Tillawi: These powers had their hands in it from the beginning. These powers would not have allowed the regimes in Egypt and Tunisia to go down if these powers did not have a piece in this pie. These powers want to create chaos in the Arab world. These powers want to install other regimes that will fit and will actually perform their next “program.” We are not seeing what the problem is when viewing this whole thing.
The real problem is in the West Bank. The real problem is where Israel is building the settlements. By the time all this chaos in the Middle East settles down, which might take about five or ten years before the dusts settles down. Israel will have the whole of Palestine. Israel will have 1.5mn settlers in the West Bank. This is where the problem is. This is what all this distraction is. And is it worth it for Israel? Yes it worth it for Israel to have this chaos. It's not that they don't talk about it. They talked about it. They have a huge plan. These are people who have been under oppression and have been under these regimes for many years. The Arab world is waiting for a huge revolution.
But what are the aims of these revolutionaries in the streets? Is there a total liberation program with all these revolutions? I have not heard one. So who is going to benefit out of these revolutions? The only one that will benefit out of these revolutions is Israel. They will have the whole of the West Bank with another million settlers in the West Bank. In my opinion that is where we need to look at. If these powers can stop Muammar Gaddafi and say he is a war criminal and he's killing his people, just look what Israel did today. Isn't building settlements in the West Bank illegal under the international law? Yes it is. But we don't see anyone talking about it. We see them talking about this. Of course what Muammar Gaddafi is doing is definitely illegal under international law. But let us not take our eyes off of what Israel is doing, and Israel is choosing this timing when the world is looking the other way to basically do what it needs to do.
When the Arab revolution part I stopped, and they woke up to see what was really happening Israel was on the map. Israel was not on the map before. When this dusts settles, the West Bank which is supposed to be part of the Palestinian state, will be on the map of Israel. This is what the whole story is. You have to look at all the players and see what they will get out of it.
Press TV: Well do you believe eventually leaderships will emerge in these movements? Libya is not the only country experiencing uprisings and revolutions. There are various numbers of countries going under the same process. Not to the extent of Libya but in the region.
Tillawi: Well the reason Libya is going through this is because Muammar Gaddafi was a strong man, and he had planned it right I guess. Each Arab country is built differently. Let's not forget where these Arab countries came from. These Arab countries were divided and the way they were divided was with all these different types of people were put into these countries. That was not just by accident. It was by choice. Are we going to see a unified leadership emerging? No, because each country has its own unique situation, and their own problems with the leaders. We are going to see chaos because these revolutions were not planned by the Arabs. These revolutions again were not planned by the Arabs and that is why again the people on the ground do not know where to take this. T
he people have the slogan that they want to down the regime. When you down the regime you are left with chaos. There will be no physical leadership for these Arab revolutions. There is no visible program for liberation for each of those countries. Each of those countries is totally different. The whole point is somebody else's hand is playing here because the Arab people on the ground do not have a program of liberation and they don't know where to go from here. A lot of people will disagree with that because they are only concentrating on seeing people on the streets. Fine, but who are the leaders of the revolution? Where do they want to take the people? We don't see that. Something else is leading the people.
I wish they would learn the hard lesson and free their new government from religion, but I don't see that happening. Maybe it's time we just come home, protect our own borders, and drill for more domestic oil. It doesn't matter who leads their countries if their core beliefs are completely fucked up.
Press TV: For more on the Libyan revolution we are now joined by Hisham Tillawi who is on the line with us from Lafayette, Louisiana. He is the host of Current Issues TV and radio and also a Writer and Political Analyst. Welcome to the program. Where do you think the events in Libya are heading?
Tillawi: There are several options here. As long as Gaddafi is in power we will see practically civil war in Libya. The options for the outside world are limited because those who are engaged in Libya are not the forces that should be engaged who would immediate some sort of end to this. The forces that are engaged in this are basically the Europeans and Americans. They are trying to put an end to this. Right now their military options really aren't that great because of many reasons.
To go back to what happened, [one should say that] it all depends on what happens to the Libyan leader. If he stays in power we will see this thing going longer. The United States and Europe are trying to actually move in some military pieces to there for Gaddafi. [But] It's not going to work unless they really go into war with Libya and I don't believe that is an option for them at this time though. If something happens within the army of Muammar Gaddafi like a military coup that very much will put an end to what we are seeing here.
Press TV: According to the reports, a British special forces unit has been captured in Eastern Libya. This is the news we are just getting now. What are your thoughts on that?
Tillawi: This is not a news for today but for yesterday because we know for a fact that there are CIA teams and British teams on the ground in Eastern Libya. That is not something new. These are Special Forces. The problems these forces and governments are having are that they are not finding a partner in Libya. The opposition in Libya wants the help of these Western governments but they don't want direct help from them. They don't want to be seen as going to Tripoli and taking over Tripoli on the top of an American tank.
Libya and the Libyan people are not friends with the Americans or the British. They know these are colonialist powers that have their own special interests in the area. They are not going to trust them. So no opposition will even go in and say come on let's help us. But they are there on the ground trying to find a partner or way to influence the oppositions to actually accept the help of the CIA and of the British. I'm not surprised. They are not in masses, but there are special teams going in there to set up camp in Libya.
Press TV: I don't mean to disagree with you but according to the wires this special forces unit being captured in Eastern Libyan has just occurred. Also the Minister of Defense in London has not been available for comment yet. Let's turn our attention to the role that Britain is playing in all of this. A lot of the focus is always on how the US is acting. How do you see Britain's role?
Tillawi: We cannot really divide Britain's role from the Americans. This is what we are seeing here. These are old players coming back into the region.
Press TV: The reason I differentiated between the two is because it seems that the US has not shown its intentions or how keen it is to get involved and is perhaps leaning things to European countries; hence, maybe allowing the European countries to take the initiative around Libya.
Tillawi: The United States is the major player here. These are all imperialist regimes. Did anyone just wake up last week to say you know that these Libyans are oppressed by Gaddafi? These are the same regimes. They have been dealing with Gaddafi for the last 42 years. So let's not just separate these and concentrate on only one. The United States cannot open up another front when it has a front in Afghanistan going on. These people are very much one and the same. I do not differentiate between the United States and England. These are the same colonialist regimes that put all these regimes in the Middle East. You cannot take one part out. You have to look at the big picture, and what is happening throughout the Middle East and not just what has happened in Libya. What is happening is not just in one country.
What is happening is that these colonial powers are coming back. Those are the same powers that put these people in power a hundred years ago after the WWI. All these countries were formed because of these towers. We are seeing a great Arab revolution. This is part II. Part I was when these powers wanted to deceive the Ottoman Empire and promised the Arabs they would be free. Now 100 years later the Arabs are not free. We should not trust these people or think they really care for the Libyan people, and they want to get them from Gaddafi. We should not just concentrate on what is happening in Libya. This is the old Europe with the new America coming back to the region. That is how we need to look at it.
Press TV: What are the changes that the US and European states especially Britain or the countries you call colonial powers will try and install another dictator in a country like Libya?
Tillawi: These powers had their hands in it from the beginning. These powers would not have allowed the regimes in Egypt and Tunisia to go down if these powers did not have a piece in this pie. These powers want to create chaos in the Arab world. These powers want to install other regimes that will fit and will actually perform their next “program.” We are not seeing what the problem is when viewing this whole thing.
The real problem is in the West Bank. The real problem is where Israel is building the settlements. By the time all this chaos in the Middle East settles down, which might take about five or ten years before the dusts settles down. Israel will have the whole of Palestine. Israel will have 1.5mn settlers in the West Bank. This is where the problem is. This is what all this distraction is. And is it worth it for Israel? Yes it worth it for Israel to have this chaos. It's not that they don't talk about it. They talked about it. They have a huge plan. These are people who have been under oppression and have been under these regimes for many years. The Arab world is waiting for a huge revolution.
But what are the aims of these revolutionaries in the streets? Is there a total liberation program with all these revolutions? I have not heard one. So who is going to benefit out of these revolutions? The only one that will benefit out of these revolutions is Israel. They will have the whole of the West Bank with another million settlers in the West Bank. In my opinion that is where we need to look at. If these powers can stop Muammar Gaddafi and say he is a war criminal and he's killing his people, just look what Israel did today. Isn't building settlements in the West Bank illegal under the international law? Yes it is. But we don't see anyone talking about it. We see them talking about this. Of course what Muammar Gaddafi is doing is definitely illegal under international law. But let us not take our eyes off of what Israel is doing, and Israel is choosing this timing when the world is looking the other way to basically do what it needs to do.
When the Arab revolution part I stopped, and they woke up to see what was really happening Israel was on the map. Israel was not on the map before. When this dusts settles, the West Bank which is supposed to be part of the Palestinian state, will be on the map of Israel. This is what the whole story is. You have to look at all the players and see what they will get out of it.
Press TV: Well do you believe eventually leaderships will emerge in these movements? Libya is not the only country experiencing uprisings and revolutions. There are various numbers of countries going under the same process. Not to the extent of Libya but in the region.
Tillawi: Well the reason Libya is going through this is because Muammar Gaddafi was a strong man, and he had planned it right I guess. Each Arab country is built differently. Let's not forget where these Arab countries came from. These Arab countries were divided and the way they were divided was with all these different types of people were put into these countries. That was not just by accident. It was by choice. Are we going to see a unified leadership emerging? No, because each country has its own unique situation, and their own problems with the leaders. We are going to see chaos because these revolutions were not planned by the Arabs. These revolutions again were not planned by the Arabs and that is why again the people on the ground do not know where to take this. T
he people have the slogan that they want to down the regime. When you down the regime you are left with chaos. There will be no physical leadership for these Arab revolutions. There is no visible program for liberation for each of those countries. Each of those countries is totally different. The whole point is somebody else's hand is playing here because the Arab people on the ground do not have a program of liberation and they don't know where to go from here. A lot of people will disagree with that because they are only concentrating on seeing people on the streets. Fine, but who are the leaders of the revolution? Where do they want to take the people? We don't see that. Something else is leading the people.
I wish they would learn the hard lesson and free their new government from religion, but I don't see that happening. Maybe it's time we just come home, protect our own borders, and drill for more domestic oil. It doesn't matter who leads their countries if their core beliefs are completely fucked up.