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April      Last updated: April  15,  5:00 p.m.

Pope's PR Trip

Atul Rawat

THE Catholic-Jew relationship has been more hostile than any other relationship in history, at least as far as its longetivity is concerned. Throughout the long, dark, medieval and even modern times Jews have been on the receiving end. The Christians have always blamed them for murder of Jesus. After the birth of Israel the Jews from all over the world began to come to the "promised land". On the other hand slowly but steadily the Catholics began to migrate from the areas under Israeli occupation. Though this migration had started almost one hundred years back but gained momentum only in and after 1948. It is noted that in 1948 Catholics were 13 per cent of the population of Israel and west bank. Today they are reported to be merely one per cent.

Even this one per cent lives in an uneasy peace with its both neighbours, i.e., Muslims and Jews. When Pope Paul VI had visited the region in 1964, he was so curt to Jews that he did not even once mention the name of the country he was visiting. But now the times have changed. One wondered when Pope John Paul II kissed the bowl of earth. Concerned about the security of remaining Catholics in the region the Pope marshalled all the art of public relations that as an actor he would have ever learnt. While he gave a much better display than his predecessor Paul VI, who had even refused to address Zalman Shazar (the then Israeli President) as Mr President. This time there was no such unpleasantry.

But the Pope did not want to alienate Muslims either. He spoke in favour of an independent Palestine. He said, "No one can ignore how much the Palestinian people have had to suffer in recent decades. Your torment is before the eyes of the world. And it has gone on too long."

Though the draft constitution of Palestine declares Islam as the official religion, at least Yasser Arafat is known to be soft towards Christians. One of his wives Sulia is a Christian. Pope visited his palaces. He did not want to leave any stone unearthed in his public relations exercise.

Russia Under Human Rights Attack

The Russian successes in Chechnya has given a lot of sour feelings to the West. A cursory glance through any of the western newspapers would be sufficient to prove this contention. After the failure of the western agencies to browbeat Russia into some kind of ceasefire, a tirade in the name of human rights was launched in the western Press. After the victory of Vladimir Putin, even that proved futile. It was proved beyond doubt that the Putin's solution to the problem of Chechnya was accepted by the Russians. With Putin's victory, the West has lost one moral battle.

But then it has immediately started the next. Human rights have been an old and useful weapon in the hands of the West. They used it against India in the issue of Kashmir. It has been a selective weapon also. If the NATO troops engage in Turkey shooting against the Iraqi forces, or bomb an embassy in Yugoslavia or any western ally like Kosovars are engaged in merciless killing of Serbs or even Gypsies, it can very easily be overlooked. But even a non-credible propaganda from their allies has to be taken seriously, be it Kashmir or Chechnya.

Though some western agencies like Human Rights watch which is a United States based group have been active on the front for months now, yet a major impetus was given to the anti-Russia western propaganda by Mary Robinson, the former Irish President and presently UN Human Rights Commissioner.

Earlier Peter Bonckaert, a researcher with the Human Rights Watch, had selectively interviewed hundreds of disgruntled Chechens who naturally painted a grim picture of the human rights situation in Chechnya. Later this picture was enlarged many a time, courtesy western media.

This enlarged but one-sided version naturally formed the backbone of Mary Robinson's trip who seemed to have visited selected places. When the Russian soldiers were killed in terrorist attacks, the human rights groups were silent. Now they are crying hoarse after the Russians have become successful in containing the terrorist juggernaut of the Islamic fundamentalists. The way Putin has shown in this regard must not be blurred by pro-terrorist and anti-democracy hypocrites even if they call themselves human rightists.

Slippery Oil

Now that both the candidates for the November 7, 2000 election of the US President are ready for the finals after the slights and bruises of the primaries, the one factor which is emerging quite clearly is that the debate would be full of muckraking on each other. While there are hardly any signs that George W. Bush would not be using power of religion to sway the voters, the democrats would also use whatever they can without caring very much for any maryada, a factor even otherwise hardly cared for.

One interesting example of it was seen recently when the United States quietly nodded when the UN doubled Iraqi oil spares spending. It is not as philanthropic as it seems in its first sight. The economy during Clinton era has been better than good. The graphs at stock markets have been up and crime and unemployment both down. So the economic scene was favourable when the oil prices toppled the applecart. Presently both the candidates are running neck and neck, but then November 7 is still far off. Anything can happen between now and then. The increase in oil prices to $2 a gallon at the retailers end is a jor ka jhataka to the Americans though they are still paying only half the rates of what the Europeans pay. Moreover, it may increase the inflation and even beyond that the interest rates. So Clinton does not want to take any chance for his Vice President.

That is why the Security Council voted without any speeches on a resolution that was drafted by the United States and agreed to by all 15 Council members. The Council further expressed its intention to consider favourably a future renewal of this increase. By this Iraq will now be able to step up its output of oil. The UN oil for food programme will allow it to sell an unlimited amount of crude to buy civilian necessities. Thus a way is paved for bringing down the world oil prices.

So it is not a bid to improve the lot of hungry Iraqis but essentially the demand of eloctoral politics in the US that some respite seems to be coming to the Iraqis in near future. In the coming months more such political fireworks can be expected.