The Aftermath – Has Already Begun

By John Cory 
correspondent in Saudi Arabia 
truthout

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The corporate media is busy hyping Showdown: Iraq - guessing at start dates and offering its tabloid version of "two-headed alien threatens the world.” The ratings driven drivel fails to provide context, depth, and historical perspective. No, waiting for the trigger is much more exciting and profitable. Just like an old western movie where the gunslingers face off - camera cuts between their squinting eyes - hands ready to draw - suspenseful music. Quick, somebody grab the popcorn.

In the meantime, Afghanistan has learned that it has much in common with America’s poor and hungry school children. Having posed for the photo-op with the great white-father, Afghanistan finds itself on the discount shelf struggling with increased skirmishes, deep factional fighting, the return of pro-Taliban governors, and an indifferent US. Move along folks, nothing to see here.

Once a pariah, Pakistan is now an ally. Doesn’t matter that Pakistan harbors both Al Qaeda and Taliban leaders, or that it has and is selling nuclear technology to an assortment of "bad people,” or that it may be working in secret to help Muslim nations gain nuclear power in order to compete with Israel and actually be heard in the world arena. No, they’ve been bought and paid for as part of the new US "friend-of-the-month” club subscription plan. Just like Turkey. After all, America has what everyone wants - money. Never mind all that "they hate us because of our freedoms” talk.

In the meantime, Indonesia and Malaysia, home to the world’s largest Islamic populations see the US policies and war on Iraq as a war on Muslims everywhere. But of course, what could they do against the mighty US? There’s no proof that they were involved in Bali or Kenya bombings or anywhere else - right? I mean the CIA and FBI would tell us.

The coming "shock and awe” attack on Iraq and then the "humane combat” of surrounding Baghdad, cutting power and water, and starving everyone into submission will surely prove to the world that America is the last great and wise superpower. Proof that war can be kept to minimal collateral damage – and that war really is peace.

After the Rangers have landed, will come the Raiders - the corporate raiders. Haliburton, Brown & Root, all the oil boys, and maybe there will even be room for Enron – a chance to redeem itself by establishing a new power grid of profitability and accounting acumen. All of this will be tax-free for the GOP corporations of the world while they continue to layoff American workers and cut benefits for retirees in order to boost their investors’ portfolios and CEO stock options.

Ashcroft and apostles will arrest the bong-dealers, ignore the bomb makers, close the borders and crush civil liberties because war is about the restriction of freedom, in the national interest of godly patriotism.

On the homefront, the still angry militiamen and white supremacy legions will worm their way into military databases and obtain biological weapons information, and target federal and regional structures. And when disaster explodes, aided by headline hungry media outlets like FOX and CNN, these acts will be smothered in the speculation of Islamic retaliation. And this White House will again capitalize on tragedy for partisan gain.

Look at a map. Iraq is bordered by neighbors who do not and will not support the imperial rule of America in the Middle East. Death by a thousand paper cuts will become the hazard of the new American governance. The same will happen to the "moderate” Arab countries like Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Qatar and Jordan. Fresh targets for fundamentalists who see the evil of western secular ungodly government. And don’t forget the problem of Kurds and Turkish forces ready to blow each other up.

The US will partner with Israel, not in the peaceful equitable resolution of the Palestinian conflict, but in the establishment of superior military force in support of Israel, regardless of Israeli sins.

The UN has been deemed "irrelevant” by the mighty superpower of America and will be ignored or shoved aside on any issue that conflicts with world corporate domination. This includes the corporate war against the formation of an economic power like the EU. This town ain’t big enough for two superpowers. Not anymore.

With all eyes on Iraq, the boiling cauldron of North Korea, the Philippines, South America, and Africa bubbles and froths. What is to become of an unwatched pot?

This is not prognostication on my part; it is the picture of the past. From Munich to Oklahoma City to the World Trade Center to Beirut and back, the past twenty years are filled with escalating terrorism. Twenty years ago only a few terrorist organizations had religious overtones, but by the 1990s over half claimed some form of Islam and God as their guiding principle. Just whose side is God on?

The Soviet invasion of Afghanistan in 1979 was partly fueled by the need to root out the spreading work of terrorism and resistance to the superpowers of the world. 1979 was also the year of uprising and overthrow of the Shah and expulsion of the US from Iran which caught the world by surprise. And today we can all see how well it all turned out. Right?

The war on terrorism was not the sole creation of this Bush administration. And while the events of 9/11 have sparked new intensity, terrorism will continue with increasing escalation and violence.

In a chilling and prophetic article, published Oct. 29, 1985 in The Tech, just a few weeks after the Achille Lauro hijacking and the Reagan administration’s illegal and near catastrophic interception of the Egyptian airliner carrying the hijackers, Lukas Ruecker wrote:

"The unavoidable and horrifying result of the interception will be an increase of violence on part of terrorists. Fruitful compromises will become rare. The world will soon have to lament even more Leon Klinghoffers, many of whom will have died unnecessarily.”

The aftermath of war on Iraq has already begun. And while America buys off adversaries, turns allies into adversaries, and decides that it alone knows what is best for everyone else; somewhere Osama bin Laden bides his time. Somewhere a disciple of Timothy McVeigh plans and re-plans. And somewhere in the darkness a man hears the cries of starving and diseased children above the sounds of bombs and helicopters and artillery – and feels the burning rage of revenge.

March 1, 2003  

Bulatlat.com

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