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CounterPunch
February
15, 2003
The View from Japan
Scott Ritter
in Tokyo
By ADAM LEBOWITZ
Former UNSCOM inspector Scott Ritter's participation
in a symposium at the University of Tokyo on 6 February presented
his first opportunity to publicly address Secretary Colin Powell's
presentation of "evidence" to the UN. Building 900
of the Komaba campus is not a large building but was packed over
500 strong, the walls lined with standing spectators. Although
there were not security checks for the audience Ritter's bodyguard
stood off-stage right, and his Japanese counterpart for the politician
on the panel opposite. In his welcoming remarks a representative
of the sponsoring citizen's group thanked Ritter for coming at
short notice and for flying economy class. During his four days
in town he was interviewed on two national evening news shows
(on News 23 former inspector Kurada Hideo sat as character
witness and offered the highest praise for his integrity), met
with members of the Lower House of the National Diet, and held
a news conference at the Foreign Correspondent's Club in addition
to the symposium.
Ritter's talk at Tokyo U was straight-forwardly
critical of both the Bush administration's progress towards war
and the general US stance towards Iraq since arms inspections
began in 1991. The US insistence on "regime-change"
had "polluted the integrity" of the UN inspection process
as it came to gather intelligence on Saddam Hussein's security.
Upon expulsion Ritter warned both the US government and the
UN that although 90 to 95% of Iraq's weapons and 100% of all
munitions factories were destroyed they could be re-built in
six months and there was reason for concern.
Four years hence the inspectors have
returned and found nothing, a situation that is utterly unacceptable
to the US. This is so, Ritter explained, because it would allow
Iraq a path to return to the international community and an ending
of sanctions with the current "regime" intact. Therefore
the tenor of Colin Powell's evidence was to show inspections
useless and the Iraqi military masterful at the art of deception;
"Can you imagine trying to find 18 trucks (allegedly mobile
chemical factories) in a country the size of Iraq?" he pointed
out with some humor. He summed up the "evidence" as
"circumstantial with no hard facts", the intercepted
conversation provided without a clear context, and defectors'
testimonies no matter what the circumstances "uniformly
unreliable".
Sitting on the panel Professor Takahashi
Kazuo of Japan's University of the Air seconded Ritter's viewpoint
of the evidence: Could not have the information of the "terrorist
training camps" in the North been shared with the UN, he
pondered. Furthermore Saddam Hussein's "evilness"
surely extends back to the 1980's when Rumsfeld had visited him,
or was he less so at this point (audience laughter)? Lower House
Representative Sutô Nobuhiko of the opposition Minshutô
party expressed his consternation that there was no live
televised feed broadcast of the UN session on any of the networks
(public t.v. NHK drops the ball again). Tokyo U Professor Kang
Sang-jung was a sobering presence. As a Japanese born of Korean
ancestry he voiced his concern over the current demonization
in Japan's media of North Korea; indeed, he intoned, where is
the US going to turn its attention to next upon "completion"
of the Iraq campaign? Quoting an article by George Kennan he
opined that US foreign policy is stuck in a militaristic "realism"
that seeks to repeat the "Japanese success" of primacy
given to bombing as a precursor to democracy. What's to happen
if other stronger nations come to view this as viable standard
of foreign policy, he asked. Independent journalist Tanaka Sakai
the odd man out in his belief the US would not invade --
seemed to second this point in his assertion that this realpolitik
does not account for the possibilities for indigenous Islamic
democratic movement.
Ritter, already successful at communicating
his ideas to the audience through his skilled interpreter (I
especially appreciated his "provoking a war with Iraq"
becoming "pulling-out a military response" in Japanese)
at this point came into his rhetorical best: The Neo-cons who
have "seized control" of the decision-making hierarchy
are drunk with power, and "friends don't let friends drive
drunk". His appeal for Japan to "take the key"
and "raise their flag proudly" went down particularly
well with the audience, for Assistant Secretary of State Richard
Armitage's exhortation for the same a year ago clearly meant
for those in attendance quite a different banner. A good portion
of Ritter's message is in the presentation. It is clear, with
short sentences and key words that can appeal to a listener's
sense of fairness--framework, rules, integrity, law. US neo-con
policy is bound to harsher descriptors poisonous, affrontive,
drunk. The message is simple and Ritter the messenger is able
to convey it so appealingly well not only because he believes
in it but because he is a concerned insider, the "warrior
at heart" ex-Marine who is speaking out in defense of country
and international law. "To be critical is to be
patriotic, not treasonous", and "Opposing an illegal
war is the most pro-American act." He is the law-and-order
kinda guy who opened his talk with of explanation of the three
conditions that must be fulfilled if weapon's inspection is to
be successful: 1) Iraq must give full cooperation, 2) the Security
Council must be willing to enforce its resolutions, and 3) Inspectors
and the inspection process must operate within the framework
of the resolution. His major point was that first two are in
place, it is the US that undermines the third, and this unilateralism
is not reflective of democracy but imperialism.
I am usually not stirred to pride for
my birth country by the words of a Republican, but it happened
that night and it gives me pause to consider another aspect of
Ritter's manner: it is political, almost like a stump speech.
This is pure conjecture, of course, but it is plausible. Robert
Novak's sentiments in his 10 February article are shared
by many others on the American right and even in the GOP and
there may even be tacit approval of Ritter from some within his
own party. The party will require a new public face if the Middle
East situation spins out of control and there is intra-party
strife aimed at removing the current dominating faction, and
that would be Ritter's moment. If that moment comes and he does
come to a position of political authority I hope that he lives
up to his words spoken on that chilly evening.
Debate Update:
Koizumi VS Kan
Prime Minister Koizumi Junichiro
and opposition leader Kan Naoto (Minshutô Democratic
Party) went toe-to-toe again yesterday during question time in
the National Diet. Although his Chief Cabinet Secretary Fukuda
Yasuo in news conference praised the veracity of Powell's claims
the following exchange (taken from the 13 February Asahi Shinbun)
reveals he is still sticking to "wait and see" and
like much of the world waiting for the UN report:
Kan:
France, Germany, and Russia in a joint statement believe the
inspections should be given more time. Are you for or against
this?
PM:
First Iraq has to comply fully with the UN resolution. I am
requesting the US build international support, and while keeping
an eye on the situation would like to continue working towards
a peaceful resolution.
Kan:
Why don't you come right out and say you are waiting for the
US to make their move and then you will follow accordingly?
PM:
I am coming out and saying what needs to be said. I am waiting
for the UN report on the 14th and then will make our policy clear.
This is not evasion.
Kan:
What exactly is the Bush administration wanting: The removal
of Iraqi WMD's, or the actual removal of the Saddam Hussein government?
PM:
It is not only the White House but the entire international community
that demands weapons removal. The onus is on Iraq to show that
they have none.
Kan:
Don't you believe that a preemptive attack without another resolution
goes against the UN Charter?
PM:
I am not saying that the US will attack. There will be consultations
in the Security Council. What will happen after that I cannot
tell.
Meanwhile Yomiuri Shinbun Japan's
largest daily has been noticeably pro-US in their reporting and
yesterday sported a color front-page photo that disturbingly
resembled the home page of the Self-Defense Agency: three battle-class
frigates escorting and refueling a US battleship in the Indian
Ocean. The Asahi Shinbun has gone several miles in the
opposite direction and last week ran a black editorial cartoon
of a rough and bruised American flag with several of its tiles
fallen out.
Adam Lebowitz
teaches at Nihon University and has lived in Japan for 12 years.
Mr. Ritter's comments on Hans Blix's 27 January report are at
http://www.ribbon-project.jp/SR-shiryou/shiryou-02e.htm
as part of the Japanese website concerning his visit. Streaming
of his interviews on Japanese t.v. are also available through
this site. He can be reached at: noriko-adam@tokai.or.jp
Yesterday's
Features
CounterPunch News Service
Slow
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Andrew Murray
Tony
Blair Versus the British People
Ben Tripp
President
A**hole
Peggy Thomson
My
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Gary Leupp
Meet Mr. Blowback:
Gulbuddin Hekmatyar, CIA Op and Homicidal Thug
Saul Landau
Bush and Corporate Fraud
Adam Engel
A Civilian Occupation:
The Politics of Israeli Architecture
Anthony Gancarski
Jacksonville in Crisis
Rick Giombetti
Specific Threats to Democracy
Jean-David Levitte
A Warning on Iraq from France:
Make War the Last Option
Ian Gurney
Whose Side is Bush On?
Maria Engqvist
Did
the FARC Shoot Down a US Military Plane in Colombia?
Ron Jacobs
This Madness Must Cease
Josh Frank
Call to Washington:
Stonewall Bush
Website of the Day
Rock
Out Against War
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