The Middle East is a graveyard for ethical foreign policies. Whenever American and European leaders speak in lofty tones of an unflinching commitment to political pluralism, the rule of law or human dignity, this benighted region turns around to shame them.
Local people habitually talk of the west’s double standards. This is not new. Even if one puts aside colonisation, recent history has been littered with grim examples of the elevation of selfish interests above declared values. One good starting point is 1953 and the toppling by the US – at British incitement – of Mohammed Mossadegh. The then Iranian prime minister’s embrace of economic modernisation and social reform promised a shining model for the region. He made the mistake of thinking Iran rather than Britain should own its oil industry.
The archives of western foreign ministries bulge with evidence of the contradictions and hypocrisies. Diplomats stationed in the region – American and European – have for decades crafted eloquent dispatches questioning whether support for Arab autocrats sat easily with the espousal of universal values; or if one-sided support for Israel did not ignore the legitimate rights of Palestinians. The telegrams went unread. The tyrants had the oil and the Palestinians were powerless.