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/ St. Clair's Scorching New History of a Decade of War
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Today's
Stories
May
22 / 23, 2004
Paul
de Rooij
Colin Powell, a Political Obituary
May
21, 2004
Ray
Close
The Canards of the Apologists
Christopher
Brauchli
"The Object of Torture is Torture"
Amira
Hass
Darkness at Noon
Jack
McCarthy
Camilo Mejia: Can the Son of a Sandinista Get a Fair Trial from
the US Army?
Bill
Kauffman
Nader v. Bush
Omar
Barghouti
No More Tears for America
Ghali
Hassan
Moral Failure of the "Free World" in Gaza
Christopher
Reed
How the CIA Taught the Portuguese to
Torture
Website
of the Day
Eric Idle on the Bush Administration: Fuck You, So Very Much
May
20, 2004
Andrew
Cockburn
The Truth About Chalabi
Kathy
Kelly
A Visit from the FBI
Niranjan
Ramakrishnan
Brown and Bored of Education in India
Tom
Stephens & John Philo
The War Crimes of Bush, Cheney & Co.
Sam
Bahour / Michael Dahan
Genocide by Public Policy
Robert
Ovetz
Ending the Race for the Last Turtle
Billy
Wilson
The Most Important Thing I Learned at School This Year
Website
of the Day
Rafah Today
May
19, 2004
Elizabeth
W. Corrie
Caterpillar Should Do the Right Thing,
Now
Bill
and Kathleen Christison
The US Can't Win
Vijay
Prashad
For Whom the Polls Toll: the Indian Elections of 2004
Ray
Hanania
Israeli War Crimes: Who to Believe, AIPAC or Amnesty Intl.?
Greg
Moses
Man President Kisses Up at AIPAC
Michael
Gillespie
Who is Kenneth deGraffenried?
Josh
Frank
Homes Destroyed; Death Toll Mounts: But Where's John Kerry?
Gary
Corseri
Out of Iraq and Plato's Cave
Kevin
Alexander Gray
If Malcolm Were Alive
May
18, 2004
Neve
Gordon
The Gaza Debacle
Doug
Stokes
Imperial Policing: Why Abu Ghraib
Shouldn't Surprise Us
Bob
Wing
The Color of Abu Ghraib
Vanessa
Jones
Man on a Leash
Thomas
P. Healy
Chemical Trespass: the Body Burden
Zeynep
Toufe
Torture and Moral Agency: the Soft Bigotry of Low Expectations
Kenneth
Roth
Mistreatment of Detainees in US Custody: a Letter to Bush
Elaine
Cassel
Pre-empting the Bill of Rights: The Other War, One Year Later
Website
of the Day
Truth Against Truth
May
17, 2004
Kurt
Nimmo
The John-John Ticket: Kerry Woos McCain
Laura
Santina
Military Conditioning and Abu Ghraib
Mickey
Z.
With Friends Like These: More Election 2004 Madness
Frederick
B. Hudson
Police Terror: Three Mothers Search for Justice
Shakirah
Esmail-Hudani
Inside Abu Ghraib: the Violence of the Camera
Boris
Leonardo Caro
The Revelations of Mr. W.
Alex
Dawoody
Iraq: From Saddam to Occupation
Victor
Kattan
On Watching the Execution of Nick Berg
Ron
Jacobs
Rumsfeld's Sovereignty Shell Game
May
15 / 16, 2004
Alexander
Cockburn
Green Lights for Torture
Douglas
Valentine
ABCs of American Interrogation: Phoenix Program, Revisited
John
Stanton
Kings of Pain: UK, US and Israel
Ben
Tripp
Torture: a Fond Reminiscence
Brian
Cloughley
Where are You Heading, America? Taking a Closer Look at the Patriot
Act
Justin
E. H. Smith
Islam and Democracy: the Lesson from Turkey
Brandy
Baker
Equal Opportunity Torture: Lynddie England, the Right and Feminism
John
Chuckman
Peep Show on Capitol Hill: Sex, Lies and Videotape
Bill
Glahn
RIAA Watch: Goon Squad
John
Holt
Fencing the Sky
Ron
Jacobs
The Power of Patti Smith
Brian
J. Foley
Why the Outrage Over Abu Ghraib?
Robin
Philpot
Re-writing the History of the Rwandan Genocide
Eric
Leser
The Carlyle Empire
Ray
Hanania
From Abu Ghraib to Nick Berg: There's No Such Thing as a Good
War Crime
Jeff
Halper
Dozers of Mass Destruction
Joe
Surkiewicz
Inside the Baltimore Detention Center
John
Whitlow
Iraq Goddamn
Michael
Leon
Invitation to a Beheading: Why Bush Should Watch the Berg Video
Poets'
Basement
Krieger, Ford, LaMorticella, Smith and Albert
May
14, 2004
Dr.
Susan Block
Bush's POW Porn
Ron
Jacobs
Secret History of the War on Drugs
William
Blum
God, Country and Torture
Michael
Donnelly
The People v. Corporate Greed: A Victory on the North Coast
Niranjan
Ramakrishnan
India Shines
Stephen
Gowans
Building Democracy in Iraq and Other
Absurdities
May
13, 2004
Dave
Lindorff
Where is Kerry?
Colm
O'Laithian
Torture and Degradation: Revenge American Style?
Saul
Landau and Farrah Hassan
Wal-Mart: Scrooge with Hi-Tech Accounting
Practices
Ralph
Nader
An Open Letter to Bush on the Inhumane Treatment of Iraqi Prisoners
Willliam
James Martin
Deir Yassin Massacre Recalled
Marc
Salomon
Reality TV Bites
Forrest
Hylton
Law 'n Order in La Paz: All Quiet
on the Southern Front?
May
12, 2004
Blanton
/ Kornbluh
Prisoner Abuse: Cheney Warned in
1992
Virginia
Tilley
So, Who's to Blame?
Bruce
Jackson
James Inhofe, the Dumbest Senator
of Them All
Thomas
P. Healy
No Enemies: Making Peace with Bert Sacks
Linda
S. Heard
Racism and Ignorance: a Lethal Cocktail in Iraq
Norman
Solomon
Spinning Torturegate
Lisa
Viscidi
The People's Voice: Community Radio in Guatemala
Jack
Heyman
View from the Bay Bridge: Longshoremen Plan Mass Workers March
on DC
Niranjan
Ramakrishnan
Rummy's Reprieve
CounterPunch
Wire
Teamsters Corruption Scandal: Hoffa Exec. Assistant Alleged to
Have Quashed Investigation into Mob Influence
Christopher
Brauchli
Detention Camp, USA
William
S. Lind
Bush's Waterloo?
May 11, 2004
Mark
Engler
On the "Necessity" of Torture
Ray
McGovern
More Troops? A March of Folly
Kurt
Nimmo
Dirty Nukes and Jefferson's Grand Experiment
Mickey
Z.
Less Than Hero
Christopher
Reed
Torture on the Homefront: America's Long History of Prison Abuse
Dennis
Hans
When John Negroponte was Mullah Omar
Bruce
Jackson
Pete Seeger at 85
Mike
Whitney
Killing al Sadr
Simon
Helweg-Larsen
Shrinking the Guatemalan Military
William
A. Cook
The Unconscious Country: Righteous Indignation,
Nakedly Displayed
May
10, 2004
Robert
Fisk
From Hollywood to Abu Ghraib: Racism
and Torture as Entertainment
Wayne
Madsen
The Israeli Torture Template: Rape,
Feces and Urine-Soaked Cloth Sacks
Col.
Dan Smith
The Shame of Abu Ghraib
Joe
Bageant
John Ashcroft, Keep Your Mouth Off My Wife!
Ron
Jacobs
Rummy's Prisongate Blues: Don't Leave Mad; Just Leave
Ben
Tripp
Getting in Touch with Your Inner Savage
Ray
Hanania
Why They Hate Us: Racism, Bigotry and Abuse
Reza
Fiyouzat
"Mishandled" Invasions
Diane
Christian
Images & Abstractions &
Genitals
Website
of the Day
Crushing Iraqi Skulls with Tanks for Sport?
May
8 / 9, 2004
Cockburn
/ St. Clair
Torture: as American as Apple Pie
Adam
Jones
America's Srebrenica: What About the Hundreds of POWs Suffocated
and Shot at Kunduz?
Douglas
Valentine
Who Let the Dogs Out?: Torture, the CIA and the Press
Kurt
Nimmo
Rush Limbaugh and the Babes of Abu Ghraib
Brian
Cloughley
Humpty Dumpty is Falling
Lucia
Dailey
Forbidden Games
Joanne
Mariner
* * * *: Redacting Moussaoui
Mickey
Z.
Please Forgive U.S.? (There Are No Innocent Bystanders)
John
Chuckman
The Thing with No Brain
Doug
Giebel
Someone Knew: There Were No WMDs
Norm
Dixon
How the Bush Gang Exploited 9/11
Sam
Bahour
A Guiding Light Falls on Ramallah
Susan
Davis
Disorderly Conduct as Fine Art
Dave
Marsh
In a Pig's Eye: Alan Lomax, Dead But Still Stealing
Laura
Flanders
Life with Dick and Lynne
Dave
Zirin
Fans Push Spiderman Off Base
Carolyn
Baker
Why I Won't Vote in 2004
Prince
"Ain't No Sense in Voting"
Dr.
Susan Block
Onan for Two: Liberating Masturbation
Poets'
Basement
Smith, Sleeth, Ford, Albert and Saska
May
7, 2004
Human
Rights Watch
10 Prisons; 9,000 Prisoners: US Detention
Facilities in Iraq
Ron
Jacobs
UnAmerican? I Wish It Were So
Robert
Fisk
An Illegal and Immoral War
Ahmad
Faruqui
The 50th Anniversary of Dien Bien
Phu
Alexander
Zaitchik
From Terrell Unit in Texas to Abu Ghraib: Doesn't It Ring a (Prison)
Bell?
Mike
Whitney
The Price of Victory
Norman
Solomon
This War, Racism and Media Denial
M.
Shahid Alam
A Comic Apology
May
6, 2004
Jeffrey
St. Clair
They Did It for Jessica: Smeared with
Shit; Kicked to Death
Kathy
Kelly
May Day in Pekin Prison: Prison Labor
for the War Machine
Werther
The Sunk Cost Fallacy: War as Vegas
Casino Game
Lawrence
Ferlinghetti
Totalitarian Democracy
Robert
Fisk
"Smoke Him": Video Shows Wounded
Men Being Shot by US Helicopter
John
Janney
Torturing the Way to Freedom?
Christopher
Ketcham
Outlaw Heterosexual Marriage Now!
Alan
Farago
Dead Oceans: So Long, Thanks for the Fish
Sam
Hamod
Bush on Arab TV: Worthless and Demeaning
James
Brooks
Sullen Spring
William
S. Lind
On the Brink of Defeat in Iraq
May
5, 2004
Maj.
Gen. Antonio M. Taguba
Complete US Army Report on Abuse of
Iraqi Prisoners
Kathleen
and Bill Christison
Kerry: a Lost Cause for Progressives?
Will
Youmans
Deal with the Devil: a Palestinian
Zionist and the End of the World
Patrick
B. Barr
Terrorists R Us: the Powerful are Exempt from the Label
Lawrence
Magnuson
Nightline's All-American Morgue
Greg
Moses
Pocketbook of Denuded Ideals
Niranjan
Ramakrishnan
Tormenting Prisoners, Torturing
Truth
Lee
Ballinger
Cinco de Mayo and Unity
Gilbert
Achcar
Bush's Cakewalk into the Iraq Quaqmire
Website
of the Day
Operation Phoenix & Iraq
Hot Stories
Alexander Cockburn
Behold,
the Head of a Neo-Con!
Subcomandante
Marcos
The
Death Train of the WTO
Norman Finkelstein
Hitchens
as Model Apostate
Steve Niva
Israel's
Assassination Policy: the Trigger for Suicide Bombings?
Dardagan,
Slobodo and Williams
CounterPunch Exclusive:
20,000 Wounded Iraqi Civilians
Steve
J.B.
Prison Bitch
Sheldon
Rampton and John Stauber
True Lies: the Use of Propaganda
in the Iraq War
Wendell
Berry
Small Destructions Add Up
CounterPunch
Wire
WMD: Who Said What When
Cindy
Corrie
A Mother's Day Talk: the Daughter
I Can't Hear From
Gore Vidal
The
Erosion of the American Dream
Francis Boyle
Impeach
Bush: A Draft Resolution
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Weekend
Edition
May 22 / 23, 2004
A
Political Obituary
Colin
Powell, DOA
By
PAUL DE ROOIJ
"You
are going to be the proud owner of 25 million people. You will
own all their hopes, aspirations and problems. You'll own it
all."
Powell
statement to US President George Bush as quoted by Woodward [1].
Sometimes it is worth writing someone's
obituary ahead of schedule. In the case of politicians, the purpose
of an obituary is to serve as a warning against the political
zombies those politicians who are politically spent or have
lost their souls. There are many of them around today, e.g.,
Jose Maria Aznar, Tony Blair, Jack Straw, Kofi Annan, Javier
Solana... and Colin Powell, the US Secretary of State.
One could almost feel sorry
for General Powell. In 2000, Powell had the useful face and the
useful stars, attractive attributes required for electoral purposes.
Recruited into office amidst much fanfare, he has duly proven
a useful political fig leaf over a foreign policy determined
by others. Today he is a discredited spokesman of a bankrupt
foreign policy, a token captain remote from the rudder of a foundering
ship.
Murky beginning
Early on in his career, Powell
specialized in whitewash and ass-cover-up operations. Remember
My Lai? Well, in 1968 Major Powell was instrumental in whitewashing
that sordid episode. During his stint at the Joint Chiefs of
Staff, Powell was responsible for pressing ahead with the 1991
Gulf War, a war that was entirely avoidable and against the judgment
of the general staff. We know the disastrous consequences of
that operation and much has been revealed of his murky past.
This article will focus on his record as Secretary of State.
(For critical background, see Parry and Solomon's excellent "Behind
Colin Powell's Legend" [2].)
The Big Lie
unravels
Powell's recent admission that
the evidence he presented in front of the UN Security Council
on Feb. 5, 2003 had not been "solid" was the nadir
of an increasingly pathetic career. For Powell to admit that
there were flaws in his presentation at this late stage of the
game, after thousands lay dead and Iraq had been ravaged, is
like someone caught in a lie a mighty big lie and then only
sheepishly admitting that it may have been false. Powell has
proven that he doesn't just have thick skin, but skin calloused
by experience into a carapace.
The admission by David Kay,
the US chief weapons inspector, that Iraq did not possess any
WMD pulled the rug right out from under Powell's feet. Before
this, Powell had insisted that his accusations leveled against
Iraq in front of the UN Security Council had been based on sound
intelligence [3]. As late as the end
of Feb. 2004, Powell was still defending his position and reacted
angrily when he was challenged in front of a Congressional hearing
concerning his claims of Iraqi WMDs. What made this event memorable
was his angry outburst, punctuated by a disaffected pimp scowl,
against a Congressional staffer who had been shaking his head.
At that time, Powell was still bluffing it out.
But Kay's revelation made Powell's
position untenable, and admissions of error had to be made. On
April 2nd, in what turned out to be an exercise in minimalism,
Powell finally admitted to having relied on evidence that "was
not solid" [4]. This admission
is curious; it refers only to a small fraction of the litany
of accusations he had leveled in front of the Security Council.
The "mobile factories" claim officially hit the dust,
but the remaining claims (many of which were by now also discredited)
were not mentioned. In fact, the veracity scorecard of all the
accusations has proven to be abysmally low: many were just transparent
lies, and even the smallest details were either false or deliberately
distorted. Even at the time, only the most gullible would have
thought that Powell's presentation contained a smoking gun, let
alone a justification for war [5].
It is unimaginable that Powell made this presentation without
realizing that most of his statements were lies or fabrications.
Never mind, it is part of the job, and it has been part of General
Powell's job description for the past few decades; selling and
pushing wars has been his specialty.
Powell's less-than-candid admission
of having relied on shaky intelligence was calculated to signal
to the media to lay off this issue. Any further questions about
Powell's testimony will be met with hostility and the questioner
will be referred to the previous admission about the dubious
evidence. The public at large was put on notice: they too would
be expected to move on and ignore the gaping omissions in this
sordid chapter.
The rats are
masters of the ship
Powell should have held ultimate
authority over foreign policy, yet he was not allowed the final
say in the appointment of reputable diplomats nor to develop
a coherent foreign policy. The Secretary of State should also
have played an important role in moderating Bush's rash impulses
the man demonstrates a weaponized obtuseness and requires constant
monitoring. Instead, Powell has been relegated to a secondary
role and merely mouths policy concocted by others. Paul O'Neill,
the former Secretary of Treasury, recently described the cabinet
meetings chaired by president Bush as ones chaired by a mute
and attended by the deaf. A compliant Powell fits in perfectly.
It is clear that Powell didn't
have much voice in the appointment of the neocons to policy positions.
Appointing the arch-Zionist Elliot Abrams to oversee Middle East
policy was as appropriate as appointing a pyromaniac to the fire
brigade [6]. The same can be said about
John Bolton, Roger Noriega, John Negroponte and other Cheney
cronies who can only be described as a wrecking crew, as Powell
must have been aware. In addition, Powell faced the ultimate
indignity when, for crucial negotiations and foreign policy advice,
James Baker, the former Secretary of State, was given an office
in the White House.
Powell has often uttered statements
about US policy only to be contradicted by one of the rats aboard
his ship. Immediately after the coup in Haiti, Powell uttered
some statements about respecting a democratically elected government,
only to be contradicted the same day by Roger Noriega. Despite
Powell's statement, a death squad leader was appointed to head
the new Haitian government.
Only indirectly, via rumors,
or through the Woodward exposé, does one hear that Powell
had no input in these appointments, and disagreed with the selection
of these people, but yet he continues in his token post [7]. A principled response would have required blocking
such appointments or resigning; yet, his clinging on to the job
is revealing.
War is Necrophilia by Robbie Conal (www.robbieconal.com)
Searing memories
Powell's term as Secretary
of State has produced some searing memories. His role in putting
the US on course for a war against Iraq, pushing (or not opposing)
the neocon agenda, the undermining of international law, and
the signaling of "green lights" to whatever Ariel Sharon
sought to do, are infamous for the craven and callous role the
"head diplomat" chose to play.
1. Green light
#1: Ariel Sharon crushes Jenin
In April 2002, Ariel Sharon
sought once again to smash any possibility for the emergence
of a Palestinian state in the West Bank and Gaza. This was accomplished
by a massive military onslaught against Palestinian cities in
the West Bank and Gaza. Throughout the Occupied Territories,
the Palestinian Authority was uprooted, destroyed, and its security
apparatus dismantled. The operation culminated in the bloody
siege of Jenin where an unknown number of Palestinians were killed,
and significant portions of the Jenin refugee camp were flattened.
Prof. Ilan Pappe called this onslaught "an unprecedented
episode of cruelty in the unsavory history of the occupation"
[8].
The international outcry about
the Israeli offensive against the civilian population forced
the United States to react, but only in a way that made it abundantly
clear that it had granted a de facto "green light".
Instead of proceeding to Jerusalem immediately and firmly, Powell
proceeded at a snail's pace, taking a circuitous route via Morocco,
Egypt... and only arrived in Jerusalem after Israeli troops had
flattened Jenin and killed many throughout the occupied territories.
The King of Morocco even asked Powell why he was visiting him
instead of going straight to Jerusalem! Once in Jerusalem, Powell
didn't demand a cessation of hostilities, and his cordial public
relations with Sharon signaled no opprobrium. In a grotesque
gesture, Powell even suspended his mission for some days following
a suicide bombing. Powell's role was not one aiming to constrain
America's client or one that would have given credibility to
Bush's call for restraint. Powell was playing the role that has
served him so well over the years, that is, whitewashing and
covering up the Israeli depredations.
To make matters worse, the
US effectively sabotaged the UN commission charged with investigating
the mass killings at Jenin. First, the US attempted to stack
the commission in such a way that it would be favorable to Israel,
e.g., appointing military experts and some dubious diplomats.
Finally, it vetoed the commission altogether. Powell thus signaled
that no one would have legal recourse or even obtain an investigation
into Israeli mass human rights abuses. Thus, once again, Israel
obtained a "green light" and a free "get out of
jail card".
2. More ass-cover-up
operations.
The US has sanctioned the building
of the massive land-grab wall inside the West Bank, even funding
most of its construction. When international outcry protested
the wall as a violation of basic international law, Israel did
its best, with American assistance, to stop the International
Court of Justice (ICJ) hearings about it. Powell's role in sabotaging
the ICJ hearings and the eventual muzzling of these proceedings
are another dark blot on the American reputation. First, the
US sought to pressure many countries to submit advance objections
to the ICJ hearing on the specious grounds that this would "politicize"
the issues surrounding the construction of the wall. Second,
Israel requested a delay in the issuance of the State Dept.'s
human rights report until after the ICJ hearings. Israelis feared
that the report could contain criticism of the wall, and sought
to prevent this information's inclusion in the proceedings. True
to form, Powell was complicit in delaying the publication of
the report; it was finally released a weekafter the ICJ
hearings, more than a month after it was originally scheduled
for publication. Finally, the US is currently attempting to delay
the ICJ's rulings on the matter until it will be useless, i.e.,
months after the wall has been completed.
3. Blessing
Sharon's unilateral plan, and the second "green light".
On April 14, 2004, Sharon's
unilateral "disengagement" plan received Bush's official
blessing. Bush accepted Israel's unilateral annexation of West
Bank land, the removal of the Palestinian refugees' right to
return, and veto power over future negotiations with Palestinian
representatives. Furthermore, although Israelis will claim to
"withdraw" from Gaza, the proposals are nothing of
the sort. Gaza will remain the world's largest concentration
camp, with no access to neighboring countries, no ports, no airports,
and even an Israeli veto on the Palestinian leadership.
The Washington meeting of Bush
and Sharon must be viewed in the context of the assassination
of Sheik Yassin, Hamas' quadriplegic spiritual leader, on March
22, 2004. Sharon personally directed the assassination! No problem,
the US vetoed a very mild UN rebuke against the assassination,
and Sharon was still welcome in Washington a few days later.
With Washington's official blessing for his unilaterally imposed
plan, Sharon returned to Israel on April 16, 2004; the next day
the newly appointed leader of Hamas, Dr. Rantisi, was assassinated.
Nothing could make clearer the tacit collusion between the US
and Israel in elimination of the Palestinian leadership. Powell
signaled a green light and warded off any UN and/or international
condemnation.
Once again, Powell's role in
these events has been appalling. Intermittently before and after
Bush's blessing of Sharon's unilateral plan, Powell berated Palestinians
for not clamping down on "terrorism". Arafat and his
cronies barely control one outhouse in Ramallah, so any demand
to clamp down on "terrorism" is exceptionally cynical.
Powell also stated that the Palestinian Authority should not
share power with Hamas. Given that Hamas is a legitimate political
group that may now represent the views of the majority of the
Palestinians, it is callous for Powell to threaten a veto of
the composition of Palestinian representation.
Powell's dismal performance
continued early in May seated next to the insufferable Kofi Annan
and Javier Solana. This "Quartet" meeting was meant
to revive the defunct "road map", but from Powell's
statements, it is clear that this is another cruel hoax. Powell
suggested that Palestinians should view Sharon's plan as an opportunity,
and that they should embrace it. NB: Powell was suggesting that
Palestinians should see the bright side of unilateral annexation
of their land, the construction of the land-grab wall, the forfeiture
of the refugees' right to return, and the imposition of a malevolent
apartheid solution! Powell revealed a few more details about
the Sharon's US-anointed plan. Israel and the US would from now
on negotiate with Jordan and Egypt about control over Palestinian
interests and affairs. These countries would be drawn in as partners
in the imposition of the new plan, and they would supplant Palestinian
representation. Finally, with a straight face, Powell concurred
with Kofi Annan's statement that UNSCR 242 and 194 would remain
the basis for the "road map" negotiations. However,
one can only interpret Annan and Powell's statements to be correct
in the following perverse sense. While previous attempts at negotiating
peace between Israel and Palestinians suggested that UNSCR 242
(1967 occupied areas) would be a minimum basis for a solution,
the current suggestion by US/Israel is that the West Bank and
Gaza will represent a maximal solution to the "Palestinian
question". Powell's statements are steeped in hypocrisy.
It seems that every time president
Bush utters the word "vision" he chuckles. It must
be a private joke similar to Bush Senior's disdainful reference
to the "vision thing". Some months ago Bush stated
that he had a "vision of a Palestinian state". Given
his endorsement of the unilaterally imposed plan, Bush stated
on May 8th that his vision had slipped a bit behind schedule,
and of course, this was due to the Palestinians' own fault, i.e.,
due to "terrorism". Taking Powell's statements into
account one can only infer that a Palestinian state, or any meaningful
rights for the Palestinians, is permanently off the agenda. Another
vision postponed permanently.
4. A Black
man promoting apartheid
Last month some black Brazilian
students traveling through Europe were astonished to find out
that Powell is an African American, and one of them asked if
he had been afflicted by Michael Jackson's skin disease. Perhaps
even more astonishing is that a black man has been instrumental
in giving the green light for an extreme apartheid solution to
be imposed on the Palestinian people. As Ronnie Kasrils, the
South African Minister for Water, stated recently, South African
apartheid seems benign when compared to the Israeli occupation
and the dispossession of the Palestinians throughout the area.
What Israel is currently implementing is a malevolent apartheid
solution. That is, though the walls are meant to demarcate Palestinian
areas, their intent is to create such harsh conditions that they
will drive people off the land [9].
When Ranaan Gissin, Sharon's spokesman, was asked about the wall
recently, he laughed while suggesting that this was "a temporary
measure." It can only be interpreted as temporary, if the
wall will be torn down after the Palestinian population
has been driven off the land.
5. Oh, he
favors democracy!
The neocons have suggested
that Middle Eastern countries have to modernize, and to become
democracies. Powell also played along with this charade and the
State Department issued a report on what countries in the Middle
East need to do, and US officials attended a meeting in the area
to push the same theme. The State Dept. even coined a grand title
for this rather empty initiative, i.e., the Greater Middle East
Initiative. Note, that while the US was "encouraging"
Middle Eastern countries to democratize the US was involved in
the overthrow of the democratically elected government in Haiti.
It is clear the US armed and trained a Haitian gang led by notorious
death squad leaders of yesteryear. How could Powell square the
US's desire for "democracy" in the Middle East when
it is at the same time promoting coups against democratically
elected governments in Latin America?
6. And now
the Europeans must shut up!
The US recently instigated
an OSCE meeting, and on April 29, 2004, it issued a call to fight
anti-Semitism in Europe. Of course, Powell was on hand to reinforce
the message that criticism of Israel may be construed as anti-Semitism.
Mr. Powell stated: "It is not anti-Semitic to criticize
the state of Israel, but the line is crossed when the leaders
of Israel are demonized or vilified by the use of Nazi symbols."
It seems that pointing out serious Israeli crimes against Palestinians,
and Ariel Sharon's role in directing them may come under the
OSCE's scrutiny. But what is worse, for president Bush to call
Sharon a "man of peace" or for critics to call Sharon
a war criminal?
Most of the OSCE countries
have become ethnically diverse, and it is likely that in many
of the member countries racism, religious intolerance, and even
violence may be manifest. It is also likely that the discrimination
and violence against Muslim/Arab people is rife and more acute
than anti-Semitism. So, it is odd that the OSCE meeting focused
on discrimination and violence that may be less acute and chronic
than that directed against Muslim/Arab minorities. In the very
least, the OSCE working group should have demanded an inclusion
of all groups that are currently threatened in the coverage of
its statement. However, due to US pressure, the OSCE has focused
exclusively on anti-Semitism, and European critics of Israeli
depredations have been put on notice that their condemnation
of Israel could one day be labeled anti-Semitism. Powell delivered
this veiled threat against those opposed to the Israeli occupation
and its violence against Palestinians.
7. The token
captain attacks a fat rat!
The occupation of Iraq is a
major disaster and the situation is unraveling before our eyes.
Of course, the justifications for the war were absurd, and now
the cost of the occupation is becoming astronomical. Add to this
an unprecedented level of hostility against the US throughout
the world, and suddenly the position of the promoters of this
war is becoming increasingly tenuous. We already detect infighting
among the cheerleaders of the war, and Powell even attacked Wolfowitz,
albeit indirectly. Of course, any critical statement must be
deniable, and it was up to one of Powell's aides to compare Wolfowitz
to "Lenin"! [10] It seems that
Powell wants to dissociate himself from the neocon warmongers,
but it may be a little too late.
Generals and
diplomacy
Military officers aren't trained
in the intricacies and nuances of diplomacy which comprises a
very different form of warfare. The military are trained to follow
orders and accomplish tasks that are very narrow in scope. It
is for this reason that military officers, not withstanding the
brilliance of their careers, must not be appointed to the top
diplomatic post. In Powell's case, one must remember that his
only contribution to military doctrine was to advocate the "overwhelming
use of force" notice the genius required to suggest
such a strategy! His background certainly didn't indicate that
he would be a suitable candidate for the top foreign policy position.
His appointment may have much to do with the subsidiary role
given to diplomacy during the current Bush regime.
Just like the previous General
appointed as a Secretary of State, Alexander Haig, Powell's term
in office has been a disaster. Instead of leading and creating
a coherent foreign policy, working actively within a multilateral
framework, Powell allowed himself to be dragged along into a
policy of confrontation, unilateralism, disdain for international
law, and predisposed to engage in "preventive wars".
The consequence is evident for all to see. At the UN, the only
countries siding with the US at the General Assembly are Israel,
Nauru and the Marshall Islands (even Dominica abstains these
days!). Now, any architect of American diplomacy must be proud
of this accomplishment! Fairly soon, Americans will not be able
to travel in the Middle East and significant portions of Africa
without an element of fear.
Homo tragi
pathetico
On April 27th Powell stated
that he was not going to resign, but his aide, Mr. Wilkerson,
revealed that Powell is unlikely to seek a second term if Bush
is reelected, and "said the Secretary of State had spent
much of his time doing damage control around the world for the
actions of his colleagues [...] and he was physically and mentally
tired" [11]. Powell went from presidential
hopeful to a faded star in less than four years. What is in store
for him now? Sell armaments for the Carlyle group; write another
tome of his memoirs receiving a handsome sum in advance; or will
he go on the lecture circuit to receive a deferred bribe?
If Powell had played a part
in a tragicomedy, then one would at least have found something
to laugh about. Alas, there is nothing comical about Powell's
entire career, and the man can best be described as a tragipathetic
character. That is, the tragedy has to do with the many corpses
in Vietnam, Iraq, Palestine and Haiti; the pathetic part has
to do with Powell's willingness to play along in these sordid
affairs. One would almost like to say 'R.I.P.', though this would
not be well deserved, especially since he was D.O.A, dead on
arrival.
Endnotes
- It is difficult to know what
to make of Woodward's books. He is certainly used by the major
players to spin their side of the story, and any attribution
that may cause trouble can be denied. As an historical record
Woodward's books are of questionable value.
- Robert Parry and Norman Solomon,
Behind Colin Powell's Legend, ConsortiumNews
.com
- Powell even stated that he
had spent days at the CIA obtaining a thorough briefing.
- Powell admits Iraq evidence mistake, BBC Online, April 3, 2004. Note that
Powell is only referring to a few elements of his presentation.
The "mobile factories" part was "not solid",
but by implication that leaves the rest of accusation untouched.
- If proof is needed, see my
comments on Powell's accusations on Feb. 6, 2003. Paul de Rooij,
A
Riposte to Gen. Powell: Where are the incubators?, Feb. 6,
2003. This essay was written immediately after Powell's UN performance,
and published three hours afterwards. Even early on, it was evident
that most of his statements were to use diplomatic terminology
baloney.
- A charge often leveled against
the neocon Zionists (an admitted pleonasm) is that they have
a "dual loyalty" or that they are "Israel Firsters".
This would imply that they would uphold US interests to the same
or to a similar degree as their defense of Israeli interests.
However, it is increasingly evident that a better label for this
gang is "Israel exclusivists", implying that they will
manipulate US political process to push Israeli interest first.
It is difficult to imagine that their pursuit of a US-Iraq war
and occupation has fostered American interests in the area. However,
it is clear that in their calculus Israel's interests have been
promoted.
- About Bolton, see Uri Avnery,
Vanunu:
The Terrible Secret, April 24, 2004.
- Ilan Pappe, As long as the plan
contains the magic term 'withdrawal', it is seen as a good thing,
London Review of Books, May 6, 2004.
- Noam Chomsky, The Wall as a Weapon,
New York Times, 23 February 2004.
- John Leyne, Powell
aide takes swipe at rivals, BBC Online, May 6, 2004.
- Ibid.
Paul de Rooij can be contacted at proox@hotmail.com (NB: all attachments
will be automatically deleted).
©2004 Paul de Rooij
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