On October 11, 2001, the intensity of the conflict between the Israeli army and the Palestinian people has reached unprecedented heights. Exasperated by Israel’s stubbornly defiant stance, the United States of America suddenly and unexpectedly reroutes its naval armada towards the Mediterranean and the Red Sea. Within hours, the first airlifted contingents of Marines have landed in Palestine. Their mandate is clear: they will constitute an interposition force between Tsahal and the Palestinian people. From today onward, any attack or act of aggression against Palestinian citizens or interests will be considered as an attack on the United States, and therefore will be responded to in kind.
The United States will work towards the eradication of violence, and the restoration of justice, which within a reasonably short time, shall translate into the creation of an independent Palestinian State.
Instantly, the Arab world rises as a single person, and in a worldwide roar of relief and joy, pledges eternal allegiance to the United States. Across the planet, the poor and the oppressed, the famined and the dispossessed, the refugees and the homeless scream their gratitude to the United States. Overnight, terrorism vanishes from the surface of the planet.
In Egypt, in Iraq, in Libya, in Sudan, in Afghanistan, in Pakistan, in Algeria, in Saudi Arabia, American flags are forever floating alongside national flags. All across the Middle East, throngs of people are marching, hailing the Star Spangled Banner while the American national anthem is broadcast on national radio stations. Arab government leaders reach out to the crowds, promise free elections for the following days, free all political prisoners, abrogate the exception laws. Imams descend on the streets and ask for forgiveness from the United States for the acts of violence perpetrated in the name of Islam. From Tangier to Jakarta, from Manila to Detroit, from Paris to Kuala Lumpur, from Dakar to Dakkah, hundreds of millions of people, sporting blue, white and red armbands, T-shirts, body painting, are marching and celebrating Pax Americana.
From the balcony of his hotel room in Ramallah, George W. Bush addresses the five million people gathered for the occasion, with these words: “Ana Falesteeni” (Ich bin ein Palestinian). Simultaneously, in Afghanistan, a repentant Osama Bin Laden calls on his followers worldwide to cease all operations, as he surrenders himself to American authorities, claiming that the war is OVER. The day after, OPEC slashes its prices, all embargoes are lifted, and billions of dollars flow into reconstruction and development investments in Palestine and the Middle East, spurring the second largest economic expansion in history. All over the world, in a repeat of the World War II aftermath, everything American is praised and idolized.
Long after the fall of Nazism, fascism and communism, the American Banner of Freedom and Justice has finally covered the surface of a grateful globe.
Chafik Hadjoudj
CAS ’02