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STRATFOR.com
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THE INTERNET SOURCE FOR GLOBAL INTELLIGENCE
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’With Us, or With the Terrorists': Arab Governments in Quandary
October 8, 2001
Summary
Most Muslim governments have initially avoided condemnation of U.S. air strikes against Afghanistan. But the muted response does not necessarily portend these governments' future positions on the war. An extended U.S. campaign against Osama bin Laden and the Taliban regime risks incensing Islamic radicals in several countries, presenting a very real danger to the governments of those nations. For the moment, the danger is minimal and controlled, but as time passes, the threat will increase in direct proportion to the defeat of Taliban forces in Afghanistan.
Analysis
Palestinian police killed two demonstrators Oct. 8 after protesters showing support for Saudi exile Osama bin Laden began firing at security forces, the Israeli daily Haaretz reported. The clash occurred at a rally organized by Muslim militant group Hamas, but the Palestinian Authority has banned such protests to avoid a repeat of the Sept. 11 demonstrations, in which Palestinians were shown celebrating the terrorist strikes on New York and Washington.
The Palestinian Authority's ban on protest rallies is a telling example of how Muslim governments in general are responding to the U.S.-led military campaign against Afghanistan's Taliban regime. Islamic governments throughout the world ignored recent calls by bin Laden and the Taliban for jihad, or holy war, against the United States. But siding with Washington, even if by default, will become more politically dangerous for these governments in the days to come.
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(c) 2001 Stratfor, Inc.
Dan
‘With Us, or With the Terrorists' . . .