25.3.06

How to resist American and Israeli Imperialisms ?

My colleague, Cosmic Duck, posted a sad image of Iraqi civilians and their children killed in the war of 'liberation'. He has an excellent post on the 'war of liberation' in Iraq. His post make me sad and inspired me these reflections.

Every day we wake up to images of carnage in Iraq. Every day we wake up to images of misery in Palestine. I think the war in Iraq is a criminal and costly distraction to the real middle east problem, the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

Here is my line of argumentation:

What were the purposes of the war in Iraq ?

WMD ? There was none

Oil ? Oil prices have jumped and will likely stay at this level in the future.

Liberating Iraq from tyranny ? False. Because liberators don't stay after the liberation, don't steal national resources, don't impose their political will, don't neglect rebuilding and infrastructure.

Fighting terrorrism ? Facts speak better than words. American middle east policy is fuelling terrorrism, not fighting it.

Now, the last excuse: Fighting Islamic fanatism and it came in a speech Tony Blair gave yesterday. They would like us to forget that Iraq was a secular country before the invasion.

What are the hidden motives ?

In my opinion:

1) To Distract the international community from a solution to a lasting peace in the middle east.
2) To Radicalise Islam.
3) To Terrorrize other countries in the middle east who didn't sign a peace agreement with Israel(Syria, Lebanon, Iran) by showing them the example. Aren't you surprised that Olmert who mwill be likely elected on sunday is declaring that israel's geographical and political frontiers WILL BE DRAWN DEFINITELY BY 2010 ? This means there is nobody to speak with on the other side. While the arab world is busy surviving its many catastrophes, israel is making peace alone according to its own interests and the interests of its population at the expanses of palestinians and the arab world. Even the EU is silent.
4) To Establish a long, lasting and uncontested US hegemony on this part of the world and submitting populations and states. After this is done, the US will likely move to other imperial adventures with the help of nations having interests keeping their industrial military complex well and alive.

In my opinion, the US is still operating on the basis of a cold war logic , creating artificially a powerful ennemy (terrorrism and Islam for the moment) in order to nourrish its beast (the idustrial military complex).

I don't believe them when they claim that the world have changed and that they are acting accordingly. Cheney repeated this many times during the reelection campaign.In fact, the world have changed. With the fall of communism, there was the possibility of a decrease in warfare across th globe but this is not good for the military and the military industry. The US and its allies are fabricating ennemies in order to maintain the interests of this complex.Telling me that Osama Bin Laden is a global menace makes me laugh. Terrorrism is still terrorrism. Italy and France have dealt with terrorrism in the seventies and the eighties without bringing the entire world into their fight.The radicalisation of Islam is part of the fabrication of the artificial menace. Don't forget that Bin Laden was a US-CIA homegrown terrorrist.

I am calling on muslims and others who have interest in a lasting peace in the middle east to work for peace. Working for peace should be the actual form of resistance to American and israeli Imperialisms and to their provocations.

2 comments:

Cosmic Duck said...

"Italy and France have dealt with terrorrism in the seventies and the eighties without bringing the entire world into their fight".

A good point. There is no doubt Bush and his neo-cons had an interest in dubbing it a "war on terror". That has made it possible to escalate the conflict with the Bin Ladens out of all proportion, including attacks on our civil rights.

Sophia said...

I forget Germany.
In addition France had to fight external terrorrism. France's support for the algerian regime in the mid eighties cost the country terrorrits attacks from Islamic algerian teorrorrits. I was in Paris at the time. There was an attack on a superstore on a busy street in Paris. People died, not in the number of those who died in 9/11 but there was a great tension nonetheless. I remember there was a fear of an attack in the busy Paris metro. I remember hearing all day and all night sirens of ambulances and police.
Hhowever, french people reacted normally. They were not hysteric. French authorities were up to the task of protecting citizens and I used to take the metro with my baby girl at the time and never had a fear. I felt secure.
People showed solidarity and calm.

 
Since March 29th 2006