José Ramos Horta
José Manuel Ramos Horta is the current Prime Minister of East Timor and founder and former member of the Revolutionary Front for an Independent East Timor (FRETILIN) (he parted ways with the group in 1988). In 1996 he was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize. More recently he has reinvented himself as an apologist for US aggression around the world.
Ramos Horta is frequently mentioned as a possible candidate for the next United Nations Secretary General although he has frequently criticized the body for not endorsing US wars of aggression.
Contents
Apologist for Empire
In an essay replete with contradictory statements, Horta argues that a benign US empire is in the best interests of the world. He goes on to add:
- Much has been written and said, always in the language of frustration and regret, that the world we are living in today is a unipolar one based on the unchallenged American economic and military power. But I dare to say, "Is it so bad?"...In the face of the frequent street protests and criticisms from certain Asian circles about U.S. military presence i the region, I would advise my fellow Asians to pause and think about the consequences of a U.S. disengagement from Asia.
Horta also doesn't see any role for 3rd world countries in world affairs and instead suggests that "the transatlantic alliance plus Canada and Japan should forge a strategic partnership in the fight for world peace and prosperity".[1]
Iraq War Hawk
Horta is an enthusiastic supporter of the war against Iraq and a staunch critic of the anti-War movement. His arguments mostly echo the neocon rhetoric, and has described the withdrawal by some members of the "coalition of the willing" as "cutting and running". In his version of occupied Iraq's reality:
- Credible opinion polls show that a large ajority of Iraqis feel better than a year ago. There is real freedomr of the press with newspapers and radio stations mushrooming in the new Iraq. There is unhindered Internet access. Nongovernmental organizations covering everything from human rights to women's advocacy have emerged. In short Iraq is experiencing real freeom fro the first time in history.
Top Down Democracy
Horta is a believer in Reaganite top-down democratic model of government. Not only does he advocate cultivation of pliant regimes in the middl-east, he has also castigated the Spanish government for acceding to the wishes of nearly 90% of its population and withdrawing from Iraq.
anti-Arab/Muslim Stereotyping
When it comes to Arabs and Muslims, Horta is prone to play it fast and loose. In a Letter to the Editor of the International Herald Tribune, Horta described the "Arab-Muslim region" as "a haven for hatred and terrorist groups". He sees King Hussein of Jordan - a man who was on CIA payroll for many years, according to Jim Hoaglan of Washington Post - as a great leader and with "honorable exceptions" like him "there are those in the Arab world, both within and outside governments, who foment hatred and violence". In a curious inversion of the history of the Palestine issue, where the US veto has protected Israel from international censure for decades, according to Horta "[t]he United States has done more to bring peace and dignity to the Palestinians than has any other nation."[2]
Horta's "negative stereotyping of the people of the Mideast" and his "upside-down perspective on America’s involvement" was criticized in a response by prominent American progressives.[3]
Horta is also a frequent critic of the supporters of Palestine and more recently has joined the Darfur bandwagon with a predictably reductive view of the conflict. [4]
Australia's Man in Timor
As a result of intense Australian meddling in East Timorese politics, Horta was recently appointed as the Prime Minister. He chose to establish his neoliberal credentials immediately by declaring:
- The private and entrepreneurial sector is an indispensable pillar in the development and well being of our country. With them we are going to find ways to offer incentives and enthuse them and facilitate their activities. The foreign investors in this country can count on this government to listen to them and to support them. We are going to better and simplify the laws and rules for the process of registration of companies. We are going to investigate the complaints about the non-payment of bills by the government.[5]
Notes
- ^ José Ramos Horta, "The Post Cold War and the Unipolar World: Can the US lead?" in ed. Abrams & Gungwu, The Iraq War and Its Consequences, Singapore: World Scientific (2003).
- ^ José Ramos Horta, Letter to the Editor, International Herald Tribune, September 13, 2001
- ^ Amy Goodman et al Open Letter to Dr. Jose Ramos Horta
- ^ Peter Symonds, Australia installs its man in East Timor: Jose Ramos-Horta, WSWS, July 12, 2006
