A check to the West?

By  Sharique Naeem 

It is one of the ironies in international relations today, that the reaction to the possible re-emergence of the Caliphate is one of the few matters that unites both left and right. This despite the fact that Islamic political parties are sweeping the board in elections in places like Palestine and Egypt.

The neo conservatives say the establishment of the Caliphate will create a nihilist state that will send the region back to the backwardness of the 7th century. Indeed one of the reasons for remaining in Iraq given by Donald Rumsfeld has been to prevent Iraq from degenerating into such a Caliphate. For the neo-conservatives, the key problem with the Caliphate is that it would represent an implacable opponent to western foreign policy in the region.

They may cite reasons such as human rights, but as Guantanomo Bay, Abu Ghraib and ‘rendition flights’ have proved that support for human rights is hardly absolute in the West. The West needs a check of Islamic Caliphate in order to behave.