It is almost impossible to engage in any perspective on foreign policy without scraping the issue of the Middle East. Otto von Bismarck identified the Baltics as the powder keg that ignited the 20th century, same should be said about the Middle East’s and its role in shaping the 21st. The region has truly been a middle point between East and West – the migraine of diplomats and leaders worldwide. For this reason, the region’s dominance, and its variety of conflicts, has desensitized the public debate to truly engage or understand the conflicts. The same sentiment has seemed to plague the decision-making of world leaders: from the US abandoning its nation-building attitude since the Iraq war, to certain EU countries seemingly ignoring the issues. It seems that no one knows what to do.
I met Christoffer Burnett-Cargill at a lecture he hosted on the 14th of October, at the Department of Government in Uppsala. At first glance, Burnett-Cargill doesn’t look like someone who has spent a total of 14 years in the Middle East. He is well-dressed and soft-spoken with a friendly smile, mostly reminding me of a typical Swedish dad. However, this is far from the truth. Having spent nearly one and a half decades in the middle east, he has worked for organizations such as Diakonia, IM, the Swedish Peace and Arbitration Society, the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA), the Swedish foreign agency, as well as for Sida in Iraq and Syria. If someone can help me understand the situation, it is him. I approached him after his lecture, hoping he would agree to an interview for the magazine. Luckily, he agreed. The following conversation is between me and Burnett-Cargill.
To many foreign perspectives, the situation in the Middle East seems almost hopeless, with the constant conflicts and wars going on. But in your personal experience, what seems to be the attitude of the locals, those who have to live every day with the catastrophic consequences of the wars? Have they lost hope, or do they still have hopes for some kind of solution?
Burnett-Cargill: I think there are mixed feelings among people living in constant and repeating war zones in the Middle East. Many have certainly lost hope, especially in Gaza, Lebanon and Syria. The latest wars are damaging beyond anything we have seen before. But life goes on, and they have no choice but to continue finding ways to live their lives, the resilience is truly astonishing among these people. While politics is looking dark and with little hope of broader changes, actors and persons in the civil society are still fighting for a better future, against all odds, accomplishing fantastic achievement on local levels.
What is Sweden’s role for them? Are we a caring and humanitarian country in the eyes of the local population, as we consider ourselves to be on our own, or has this image of Sweden changed recently?
Burnett-Cargill: Sweden used to have a great reputation in the Middle East, standing up for humanity, international laws, and solidarity with people in the Middle East. We still provide lots of support, both humanitarian aid and development cooperation in the region. But surely the image of Sweden has changed in the past years. We are not seen as a neutral country anymore after NATO membership among other things and the last events of Quran burnings, Palestine politics and double standards have truly damaged the image of Sweden’s reputation in the region.
On the 7th of October, the situation in Gaza has been critical, but many political figures have argued that since the people of Gaza themselves voted Hamas into power, they should be held accountable for this decision. Similar arguments are also being made now against the support of Hezbollah in southern Lebanon. How do you see this argument and the image of the local population’s support for terrorist groups?
Burnett-Cargill: I believe those are very cynical and inhumane arguments, either not understanding the regional and domestic politics, or arguing from a very biased position with a certain political aim in sight to support their narrative. But regardless of political opinions on these matters, there are international laws that need to be followed, including international humanitarian laws that regulate warfare and protect civilians. Decision-makers also need to be held accountable for violating such laws.
The problem for many in the Western world has been what to do and how, where, and who to help in these conflicts, not least in Gaza. Both the EU and the US have pressed the Israeli government for a ceasefire, while peacekeeping forces have arrived in southern Lebanon. But the question of full military intervention seems uncomfortable and scary to most leaders, given the wars on terror in Iraq and Afghanistan and their consequences. With your experience, is intervention an appropriate way to avoid further escalation or should this be completely avoided by the Western powers?
Burnett-Cargil: As the world looks right now, there will not be a unified UN Security Resolution that supports an international military intervention in the Middle East, especially not in Palestine. Peacekeeping forces require the consent of the parties to be successful, and full-scale military interventions are costly and seem unrealistic at the moment. I am also not even sure that more military engagement will break the cycles of violence, possibly even increase the wars to global levels. But other international pressures can be put on the conflicting parties, like weapon embargos, economic and trade sanctions, exclusions from global political foras, and so on.
Finally, in Sweden, as in the rest of Europe, we have a constantly polarized debate on the current conflict. In the US, political positions on the issue also have an impact on election results. A few weeks ago there was a party leaders’ debate and here the problem of anti-Semitism and Islamophobia was an even more deeply polarizing issue. How do you think we should approach the situation in Lebanon and the rest of the Middle East? Are there pitfalls in our perception of the conflict?
Burnett-Cargill: I think sometimes the debate is more polarized in Sweden, Europe, and the US, than in the Middle East itself. You find all kinds of opinions among various people living in the Middle East, not always as black and white as for example being either pro-Israeli or pro-Palestinian. I have always thought the dividing line goes between pro-human rights, peace, and democratic values on the one hand, and non-democratic values, pro-violence, and against human rights on the other hand. Here you can find people on all sides joining the same side, regardless of nationalities or religion. I think we should always stand on the side of international laws, human rights, peaceful conflict resolution, and democratic values. Avoid double standards, and treat all peoples, countries, and their leaders the same. We must also for example distinguish between being critical of Israeli politics and anti-semitism, while at the same time not accusing all Muslims of violent extremism and Islamic terrorism. By doing some of these things, I believe we can start avoiding some of the pitfalls in our perceptions of the Middle East. Treat people as human beings and with humanity. Many civilian people in the Middle East have the same dreams of peace, and hopes of a prosperous future as people in Sweden and Europe, especially the younger generations. We owe it to them to change perceptions and start building a better future together, based on humanity and care for each other as global citizens.
I’ve been thinking a lot about those final words from Christoffer. I did not know it at first glance, but in the end, they did satisfy my desire to understand the region. It is easy to sink into the old debate about who started it or who’s to blame. This never-ending side-picking leads us all to a constant state of indecision. Yet I believe that despite it all, we all wish for people to be treated with dignity, their human rights respected, and for them to live in peace. When we accept that as our common starting point, we have already set a common goal for not only the Middle East but for the entire world.
↓ Image Attributions
“Secretary Blinken Meets With UNRWA Commissioner-General Philippe Lazzarini” by U.S. Department of State // U.S. government work in public domain
