As war-clouds loom over Iraq, many Arabs are frustrated that they cannot readily take to the streets to vent their anger over any U.S.-led invasion.

Arab governments, backed by the military, intelligence services and police, are clamping down on any sign of public disaffection in a region which has little tolerance for any protest not orchestrated or sanctioned by the authorities.

As the United States and Britain pour troops into the Gulf in their buildup against Iraq, anti-war activists around the world are mobilising, organising protests and offering to act as human shields in solidarity with Iraqis.

But to the dismay of many Arab citizens, opposition is not something they can easily take into the streets. Their rulers, some beholden to the United States for survival, fear that letting their people vent their rage could be dangerous.

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"The problem of the Arab world is that it has been liberated from the imperialists and handed over to dictatorships," Nabil al-Sofi, a leader in the Yemeni opposition Islah party said.

"If the Arab regimes wanted to mobilise Arab streets, people would respond," he said.
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Saddam, long hated by many Shi'ite Muslims and Kurds, has lost much of his popularity with ordinary Arabs.

Yet even in Kuwait, the scene of pro-American euphoria after the 1991 Gulf War, people suspect Washington's motives.

"Saddam has to go. The region would be a better place without him. He is a killer," said one man. "But the Americans just want to control us. They want to dominate the region."

» U.S. war on Iraq poses painful dilemma for Arabs