Al-Sharq Al-Awsat, Saudi Arabia, December 5
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Truth and understanding
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The passing away of leaders provides us with an important opportunity to stop and reflect on their lives and remember important historical events that helped shape our world today. George H.W. Bush, who only stayed in office for one term, had a momentous impact on the Middle East. He entered the White House at an incredibly difficult time, in the wake of the fall of the Soviet Union and the impeding war between Iraq and Kuwait. Bush was a man of great courage, just like King Fahd of Saudi Arabia. The two men were determined to put an end to Saddam Hussein’s expansionary ambitions in the region and, despite warnings both at home and abroad, decided to launch a military offensive against Iraq. If these two men hadn’t taken these actions, it is highly likely that Kuwait would have disappeared from the map. It would have become an Iraqi protectorate used to destabilize the Arab Gulf and undermine U.S. interests in the region. The American public did not recognize Bush’s great statesmanship in his decision to launch this war. He never received the credit he deserves, as the American public was still scarred from the war in Vietnam. Yet Bush did not waiver; he insisted on doing what was right for his own nation and its closest allies. It is easy to forget this through the lens of time. We must not let radical leftist propaganda erase these great achievements and the incredible role played by the U.S. around the world in general, and in the Middle East more specifically, throughout the years. Without great leaders like Bush senior, the Middle East would have been in an even greater state of war today. The history of Bush is therefore intertwined and embedded in our own collective history. On the week of his passing, it is important we honor Bush – not to romanticize who he was as a leader – but to thank him for his role and legacy in protecting Saudi Arabia and the moderate nations of the Middle East. –Abd al-Rahman al-Rashed