The Illusion of Democrasy Back on the Chain Gang (The War Against Terrorism - Post Afghanistan)

Member Name: marandina

Product:	The War Against Terrorism - Post Afghanistan
Date:	30/12/04 (155 review reads)
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And so the dust settles after another round of eternal electioneering in the US. Mr Bush is re-elected, the world takes a deep breath as it looks like a case of “as you were” in terms of foreign policy. John Kerry is resigned to the used bin although there will be others to take forward the illusion of democracy in US politics. Doesn’t it worry anyone that democracy is based on choosing between two very similar parties whose only fundamental difference is spending trillions of tax payers dollars in a slightly different way? What does this all mean to those billions around the world who look over their shoulder at the mighty United States wondering whether their country will fall foul of the world’s policeman? The worrying thing about all this is the notion that America is somehow the epitome of John Wayne on his trusty steed replete with eye patch storming into battle waving his rifle in the air (Good old Rooster)

For anyone that saw the excellent BBC2 series called “The Power of Nightmares”, subject to a possible liberal slant on the truth, there were numerous revelations to expound the image that the American politicians and bureaucrats would have us believe. It does seem that the power behind the politics in America need an enemy to perpetuate their raison d’être. After all, the American people can feel so much safer in the knowledge that their government is protecting their sovereignty whilst going the extra mile to protect others around the globe. Only problem is that much of this perception is based on falsehoods and exaggeration.

Fact: After the disintegration of the former Soviet Union (a decaying structure that finally collapsed from within), the neo-conservatives within the US administration felt rudderless without an enemy to fight. The concept of Al Qaeda did not exist at the time of 9/11 until the US media created it. There was no global network of terror, merely a number of small groups with similar interests based on the re-assertion of Muslim fundamentalism.

Fact: Numerous fantasies were created about the size and scale of the Al Qaeda operation. The notion that elaborate military complexes existed in the mountains in Afghanistan was typical of the manipulation that went on via the media. The truth was that there were and is only…erm…lots of caves. At the time of the war on terror in Afghanistan, the Northern Alliance were enlisted to hound out the evil terrorists and were shown daily on the news capturing numerous miscreants. The truth appears to be that they were paid a bounty by the CIA for very captive taken. It is no surprise that anyone looking remotely like a Muslim was captured and used as a claim for more money.

Fact: The dread factor created around the idea of a dirty bomb being exploded in a major western city and killing millions simply isn’t true. Such an event would not probably kill anyone as the output from such an event would probably simply dissipate into the atmosphere. This didn’t stop the horrific scare mongering that went on at the time in the world’s press to re-assert the image of the threat from evil terrorists.

Fact: There were no weapons of mass destruction in Iraq despite the numerous lies that went on to justify military action in Iraq. The presence of significant oil pipelines in that part of the world may well have had more influence on US military action that the noble concepts put forward by Mr Bush and his entourage. The idea that the Iraqis could mount a significant assault on Western targets was also a lie used to further paint an image of impending doom at the hands of Iraqi villains.

It would be folly to suggest that there is no terrorist threat because there is. Nobody can say that either events in Madrid, Bali, New York or any other mass murders were carried out by people who weren’t deadly serious about committing atrocities. The flawed notion that by taking violent action against Muslim governments to expose their fallibility and corruption and, in turn, creating a people’s uprising to overthrow that government simply does not work. The actions of the terrorists end up terrifying the very people they are trying to appeal too. However, the fact is that the US hawks that dominate foreign policy manipulate and abuse the current difficulties on the world stage to enhance and perpetuate their own power and position.

Let’s take Iraq. There is no doubt that Saddam Hussein was a despot who abused his position and amounted to nothing more than a murderous bully. However, his situation is mirrored in numerous states across the globe. You don’t have to look much further than America’s long term friend and ally, Saudi Arabia and yet the Saudi’s record on human rights is appalling. Public executions take place daily for the most innocuous of crimes whilst the vast majority of wealth is concentrated in just a small number of hands. Financial links between the two mean that all of this is brushed under the carpet. Similarly, Israel’s record in Palestine is truly shocking. A state under siege, Israeli soldiers regularly demean and abuse Arabs whilst more enforced settlement goes in under the banner of Israeli expansionism. This hardly warrants the suicide bombers policy of killing innocent Israelis but why the mutual bond between the US and Israel and why the lack of progress as arriving at a political solution to a conflict that threatens to destroy the whole region? You can’t help but look no further than money again.

The future seems clear - The US hawks have their eyes on Iran and North Korea as the next in line as fall guys to justify their image as the world’s policeman. All of those millions of Westerners can sleep safe in the knowledge that the good guy in the White House is looking out for the Christian democrat who lives a clean, healthy existence whilst the evil terrorist threatens his family by stalking about in the undergrowth making grunting noises and waving Kalashnikovs. Maybe by now you are getting the picture that US foreign policy is driven by US power mongers who desperately need to justify their own place in the grand scheme of things. What better way than to create a world of terror and dread where the mighty US of A is the white knight in shining armour and everybody else is the damsel in distress?

I realise that this merely skims the surface of a complex debate. Perhaps therein lies the flaw in merely writing an opinion.

I would love to know *your* thoughts.

Thanks for reading

Marandina

Note: Thanks to Chrissie Hinds for inspiring part of the title as well as helping my thoughts.

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