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CounterPunch
March 13,
2003
From Greatness to Arrogance
America,
Don't Let Down Your British Friends
by LINDA S. HEARD
Americans have always been my heroes. My formative
years were spent in postwar Britain in the days when only the
rich had televisions. Instead, starved of entertainment, we
queued up every Saturday morning outside the local fleapit
to watch re-runs of Laurel and Hardy, Bob Hope in his 'Road'
series, World War II movies and the ubiquitous John Wayne cowboy
film.
Knowing the endings in advance never
spoiled our enjoyment. The good guys would invariably win and
the good guys were always the Americans. The cavalry never failed
to turn up at an opportune moment and the Sheriff always got
the desperado.
Our history lessons and our parents taught
us that it was the Americans who saved us from Hitler's occupation
and we were grateful to what we thought was a nation of Steve
McQueens bravely burrowing tunnels out of wretched Nazi camps
dragging our more naive boys in tow. Our lot was perceived as
terribly correct and phlegmatic; the Americans as laid back
and capable of thinking out of the box.
When our own fathers mumbled phrases
such as "Americans were overpaid, over-sexed and over here"
we put this down to envy. We knew that everything across the
pond was bigger and better than anything our dinky little land
had to offer.
I recall with clarity my own father,
a wartime radio officer, telling me that the most exciting day
of his life was when his ship sailed into New York harbor and
there, before him, was Lady Liberty herself. He was bowled over
by the lights contrasting with the darkness of Europe and amazed
at the 24-hour availability of everything anyone could possibly
desire. In my child's mind America was synonymous with fairyland.
As the years passed, Great Britain became
less 'great' than before as its colonies gained their independence,
yet, thanks to Uncle Sam we felt just as important in the scheme
of things by association. After all, the Americans were our
cousins, British history and culture was inextricably bound
up with the U.S. and we opened our minds, our hearts and our
stomachs to the icons of the 'New World'.
Shining
beacon of democracy
As we got older, we knew that you, America,
had sometimes made mistakes as you did in South East Asia but
we were also sure that your collective heart was in the right
place. You were a shining beacon of democracy, civil liberties
and human rights. If the world decided it needed policing, then
the US was the logical choice. It wasn't only the British who
looked up to you then. Most of the world did, including the
Arabs. Don't believe me? Ask any Arab you meet what he or she
felt about the U.S. prior to 9-11. You are likely to be very
surprised by the answer.
Sure, you had corrupt politicians like
the rest of the planet but you always ultimately rejected them
because deep down you knew the difference between right and
wrong.
When you led the charge into Iraq during
the last Gulf War with Britons and others at your side, we were
proud of you. Saddam Hussein was wrong to invade his neighbor
and he was punished for it. Unfortunately, Iraqi civilians,
especially children, suffered most of the punishment.
Kosovo was perceived as a just war too
by most of us Brits. Milosovich was a xenophobic nationalist
bent on genocide and thanks to American might and NATO he is
today languishing in The Hague awaiting the result of his trial.
We respected you because you had waged that war not for gain,
not from selfish motives but just because it was the right thing
to do. You didn't see the Kosovars in terms of their religion.
They are Moslems, but so what! You saw only human beings in
desperate need of help.
Then along came September 11 2001. What
a day that was! What a cataclysmic world-changing moment for
our American friends and for the rest of the world when the
twin towers fell and the very fabric of the US, the Pentagon,
was attacked.
When America came under siege by extremist
religious ideologues, we were under siege too. Our Queen ordered
the flag over Buckingham Palace to fly at half-mast, flying
in the face of centuries of protocol. Services were held in
cathedrals and churches all over the country. We shared your
pain and we feared for your safety. Some of my countrymen and
women would have done anything for you, perhaps even given up
their lives if circumstances necessitated such a sacrifice.
But in less than two short years, everything
has changed. America itself has changed. Today, our two countries
are on the brink of war with Iraq, a war that could induce turmoil
and instability throughout the world. A good friend must always
say the truth, and the one-and-a-half million who marched through
the streets of London last February 15 were saying that this
time you are wrong, very wrong.
We have seen you change from an altruistic
nation, one that feeds millions on the planet, one that spreads
noble ideals and hope to the poor and disenfranchised, one that
fights for the right of all to free speech to one that has become
unilateralist in its ambitions, overly nationalistic and ready
to discard even its old friends should they not agree.
You are right to fight terrorism, but
you are wrong to confuse Saddam Hussein with Osama bin Laden.
Do you know that almost 50 per cent of all Americans still believe
that the Iraqi leader was involved in September 11?
You are right to protect yourselves but
not to sacrifice the liberty of others, as you are on the point
of doing in Iraq.
You are right to disagree with your allies,
but not to insult them for having different opinions, as Donald
Rumsfeld and others in your administration have been doing.
Britain's Tony Blair has put his head
on the chopping block out of loyalty to longstanding Anglo-American
ties, but he needs United Nations backing if he is to survive
from a political standpoint. If you go your own way without
that important second resolution, you will be throwing him to
the baying wolves.
You are right to protect your borders
but not to treat good people who want to visit your country
for legitimate purposes with disrespect.
You are right to attempt to gain support
for your beliefs, but not to bribe and intimidate smaller and
weaker nations, such as Turkey, Angola, Cameroon, Chile and
Mexico to put aside their own ethics and ideals in favour of
yours.
You are right to expect your long time
allies in the Middle East to stand shoulder to shoulder with
you in your time of need, but not at the cost of their own security
and very existence--as Jordan and Saudi Arabia are now doing
by agreeing to allow the American military engaged in war with
Iraq, to be stationed on their soil.
You should not be condemned for your
support of Israel, as long as that support is not given unconditionally,
allowing that country to bask in your protection and might to
do what it will to the helpless Palestinian people living under
occupation without any kind of censure.
Recently Palestinian firefighters came
under the fire of an Israeli tank while they were doing their
jobs. A young man who happened to be in the way of that tank
shell lost his head. I caught an upsetting glimpse of his torso
with a bloodied hole where the head used to be being carried
away, yet there was nothing about this in your media. Do you
ever ask why? Do you care?
You should be a friend to the entire
region. You should gain the respect of all its peoples, both
Jews and Arabs, and you should use your influence and power
to bring peace and prosperity for everyone in the Middle East.
You could be such an incredible force for good.
A wrong
turn
In short, somewhere along the way your
government has taken a wrong turning, my dear old friends. Your
president said: You are with the United States or with the terrorists.
Not so. When it comes to Iraq, your government and mine have
dismally failed to prove that Saddam Hussein is a threat to
his neighbors, the U.S and the world. There is not a shred
of evidence that the Iraqi regime is linked to Al Queda, and
the only loud noises out of Baghdad have been requests for
peace and urgings that the debilitating sanctions be lifted.
Millions around the world are asking
you to give the weapons inspectors more time; the inspectors
themselves want more time and the more the Bush administration
refuses, the more we are left to ask 'Why? What is the hurry?'
The answer is usually 'Iraq has had 12 years to disarm'. True.
So, in that case, what harm could another three months possibly
do?
And why do you, America, insist that
war must kick off in the month March? Should wars be fought
to suit your schedule, all because the weather in the Gulf region
warms up in April? Your soldiers might find it inconvenient
to fight when the mercury rises, but won't the Iraqis find it
even more inconvenient to die when there may be a peaceful
option yet to be explored?
Perhaps you believe that because your
generals have marched their troops up to the top of the hill,
it would be defeat to march them down again. Again, not so!
This would be the greatest victory of all. America would then
have shown itself to be like the lion of Daniel filled with
honey; a powerful nation, capable of containing the ambitions
of even the cruelest of dictators. Yet, at the same time, we
will all be able to witness its compassionate core, its humane
spirit and its true caring nature.
America. Don't let us down. Don't let
the world down. Don't let down those small children who today
are marching through the highways and the byways of the world's
capitals bearing banners screaming 'No blood for oil'.
My generation admired you. Will future
generations be able to say the same? Do you want to be viewed
as a monstrous pariah by the rest of the world? Are you willing
to be feared, and hated? I believe that the answers to both
these questions is 'no, and this is why I am making this desperate
appeal.
It is all up to you my friends. Yes,
you are still my friends--at least until your bombs, daisy cutters,
J-Dams, missiles and your bunker busting nuclear warheads rain
down on Baghdad. It's true that the Iraqis will be awed and
shocked... but so will the rest of us.
Bye for now and thanks,
Linda
Linda S Heard
is a specialist writer on Mid-East affairs and welcomes feedback.
She can be reached on questioningmedia@yahoo.co.uk
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