Jordan Willing to Send Troops to Iraq
At last, some good news from the Middle East. On BBC Newsnight, King Abdullah of Jordan offered to send troops to Iraq to help with security if asked by the new government.
"If the Iraqis ask us for help directly, it will be very difficult for us to say no," he told BBC's Newsnight. "And my message to the president and to the prime minister is: tell us what you want, tell us how we can help and we have a 110 percent support for this. If we don't stand with them, if they fail, then we all pay the price."
Why is this so significent? First of all, it is the first time that any Arab leader has made this kind of offer. Until the Arab world acknowledges that today's terrorism is a threat to all countries, that Al Queda are not freedom fighters but are bent on destabilizing the whole region, terrorism will never end.
The second point is more philosophical, but closely tied to the first. Once the problem of terrorism is acknowledged, Arab states must take ownership of solving their own problems. They cannot continue to look outside for solutions. This includes both battling terrorism and rebuilding Iraq (and Afganistan) into stable countries. Stop funding Hamas and Hezbollah and Al Queda and rebuild the region instead.
Jordan has a significent problem with terrorism within its own borders. See http://www.gid.gov.jo/english1/terrorism.htm for the Jordanian government's page on terrorism. It is within their "enlightened self interests" to combat terrorism. The same is true in Saudi Arabia. It is time for the current governments to acknowledge that they face a more imminent treat from Al Queda and other terrorist organizations than does the United States. And, once acknowledged, it is time for those govenments to DO SOMETHING about it.