September 12, 2020 – 18:21
TEHRAN- Head of the Center for Political Studies at the University of Lebanon says the American dream promoted by its cinema has come to an end and “we are facing a country that hires soldiers to fight, occupy and kill.”
In an exclusive interview with the Tehran Times, Dr. Talal Atrissi says that the American dream has become an “ugly image” for the nations around the globe.
“There is no longer what we call the American dream,” adds Atrissi.
Following is the text of the interview:
Q: Who are the main beneficiaries of the September 11 attacks?
A: The September 11 attacks helped neoconservatives in the U.S. advance their project of changing the Middle East (West Asia) under the pretext of "war against terror."
After 9/11, Washington was involved in regional wars, and its policy turned into a direct military offensive policy.
It occupied Afghanistan and then occupied Iraq, and demanded Syria close Palestinian organizations' offices, and encouraged Israel to launch the 2006 war on Lebanon.
So, after the September 11 attacks, American foreign policy turned into a direct occupation policy in order to implement the vision and project of the neoconservatives in the world.
Q: What are the repercussions of the wars that the U.S. launched against Afghanistan and Iraq after 9/11?
A: The wars launched by the United States on Afghanistan and Iraq showed the fact that the United States has become a direct occupying power in the region.
In Afghanistan, the U.S. becomes a neighbor to Iran and Russia, and other countries in Asia.
In Iraq, it became close to Iran and Syria, with a large military force that could threaten the countries that disagreed with its policies or oppose American hegemony.
As a result, the United States faced violent resistance, whether in Afghanistan or Iraq, as far as U.S. presidents from Obama to Trump have admitted that the country has paid thousands of billions of dollars and human losses due to these wars.
That is why Obama decided to withdraw from Iraq, and Trump came to say that he does not want to wage new wars in the region. As a result of these wars, the United States of America is declining and losing its influence in the region.
The resistance has become stronger and more experienced, and the idea of resistance has been welcomed and has spread, whether in Iraq, Lebanon, or even Afghanistan.
So, the occupation brought complete havoc for the United States besides failure for neoconservatives in their projects.
Q: Why have the Americans embraced negotiations with the Taliban, whom they called terrorist, after two decades of war?
A: The U.S. negotiations with the Taliban reveal that Washington does not make a deal according to principles, but rather uses slogans and then outweighs its interests.
During the war against the Soviet army in Afghanistan, America and its media used to call the fighting groups, including the Taliban, "Mujahideen," and not terrorists.
After the Soviet army left Afghanistan, and these groups started to fight the U.S., these groups were classified as "terrorists."
So, the United States of America is negotiating today with the Taliban because it really failed in Afghanistan. This means the admission of failure in Afghanistan after paying huge losses.
For this reason, the U.S. wants to withdraw the largest number of its forces from there and negotiate with the Taliban about its participation in the government of Afghanistan.
But Al-Qaeda organization is originally an American-backed entity that was exploited in Afghanistan, Syria, and Iraq, and when its date expired, Trump accuses Clinton and Obama of being involved in the manufacturing of al-Qaeda.
This is why all America's claims about terrorism are uncovered and unacceptable, and it has become known that the United States allied with al-Qaeda in more than one place in West Asia.
Q: What happened to the American dream after 9/11?
A: The American dream is over, and the United States no longer can present itself as a globally attractive destination.
After September 11, using force, oppression, occupation, torture, and prisoning of civilians in Iraq and Afghanistan has become the United States' predominant face.
The mutual accusations between the American presidents showed the true face of America.
Even the American lifestyle is no longer the one that anyone in the world dreams of having, and therefore there is no longer what we call the American dream.
The American dream was ruined, in a cracked structure, which was no longer coherent. The American dream created by cinema has ended, and we are facing a country that hires soldiers to fight, occupy, and kill, and does not respect human rights.
From that time until now, we can say that the American dream has become an ugly image for the world's nations.
“All evidence indicates that Saudi authorities indirectly were involved in the 9/11 attacks.”
Q: Why doesn't the U.S. sue Saudi Arabia for the 9/11 attacks?
A: The U.S. doesn't want to sever its relations with the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, while it has become clear that most of those who carried out the September 11 attacks were Saudis.
Although there were discussions and calls to cut ties with Saudi Arabia or impose sanctions on it, the matter met American silence because the relationship with Saudi Arabia is profitable for Washington.
The Saudi Kingdom is the largest buyer of weapons, and it is an ally of the United States in the face of Iran; and therefore, the United States is silent about such an operation and does not directly accuse the Saudis.
All evidence indicates that Saudi authorities indirectly were involved in the 9/11 attacks, but the Trump administration tries not to ruin the ties.
So, the issue of terrorism is an optional issue to Washington. The U.S. president is who chooses when to fight terrorism or fight the countries accused of being behind terrorism.
That's why the United States of America was silent and did not talk about accusing Saudi Arabia directly, although some information indicates that some figures in the Saudi ruling family provided funding to the attackers.
Q: What have been the consequences of 9/11 for U.S. internal security, especially when the freedoms were restricted under the pretext of fighting terrorism?
A: On the American domestic level, what happened was the U.S. policy reversed into a militant policy, a policy of suppressing freedoms and spying on citizens.
Suppressing freedoms under the pretext of fighting terrorism and concerns about individuals' relations with terrorists has become a prevailing issue in the U.S. A big debate heated in the United States on the importance of freedoms, but the government continues to restrict citizens. The Americans lost a large part of their freedoms under the motto of "fighting terrorism."
Q: How could the September 11 attacks spread Islamophobia in the West?
A: Islamophobia is a complex topic that has historical roots and cultural reasons and causes related to terrorist operations. The American and Western media, in general, shed light on the September 11 attacks and emphasized that Muslims were the main actors who carried out this operation.
Of course, this approach contributed to creating an anti-Muslim atmosphere in the United States of America for a long time.
But at the same time, Islamophobia is also widely widespread in Europe, and this is partly because of terrorist operations that were carried out on European territories.
Still, Islamophobia has been misused inside the United States and Europe in the struggle between political forces and accusing Muslims of economic, social, and cultural problems.
In fact, some Muslims cannot integrate into Western culture. Thus they face the isolation process and tend to engage in terrorist groups.
In addition to that, Muslims in Europe, for example, live in the suburbs and lack adequate services, which encourages young generations to join extremist organizations.
The United States of America, because of its anti-Muslim policies, has created an atmosphere of extremism among some Muslims. That's why it can be said that the September 11 attacks contributed to the spread of Islamophobia.
Moreover, the American media has a pivotal role in creating this Islamophobia wave by inciting Muslims and covering up the Saudi Kingdom's crimes.
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