Route Map Of Imperial Army
By Ram Puniyani
13 August, 2007
Countercurrents.orgDespite the claim of Pakistan establishment, George Bush did not rule out military strike in Pakistan. This clarification was issued by the White house officials in the aftermath of the phone call by Bush to Musharraf. It was propagated that President Bush in contrast to the Presidential aspirant Obama, who has called for the withdrawal of US army from Iraq and its deployment in Pakistan, has promised not to do so. With the clarification coming from White house the hints are there that US will intervene in Pakistan to get rid of Jehadi terrorists, the Lal Masjid, Al Qaeda variety. It is another matter that the bombings by US forces are already on in Pakistan but it is not being made public as far as possible to avoid public embarrassment to President Musharrf.
This whole episode of US already bombing in the Pakistani territory, some of US leaders calling for open attack on Pakistan, smacks of the old imperial times, when the kings of greater might were marching with their armies to wherever they pleased with the dictum, might is right. In the era, where national sovereignties are clear cut and should matter as an interregnum to the World without boundaries, the unilateral decisions involving other countries and that too attacking them on one or the other pretext is a big set back to global politics. In the decade of mid twentieth century the World looked to be evolving towards a system where different countries were aspiring to relate to each other on equal terms. They were mediating their disputes through international bodies, United Nations. The eclipse and decline of UN and its different wings on the World scene is a matter of grave concern for those longing for a peacefulworld.
During last couple of decades, with the end of cold war era, with the decline of other major superpower, the Soviet Union, the US has been behaving as a hegemon, invading one after the other country. This highhandedness began with the 1991 Gulf war against Iraq. Iraq was armed to the teeth by US, to fight against Iran which had overthrown US stooge Raza Shah Pehlavi. The seven years war between two Muslim countries had deeper dynamics, overall reflecting the change of political paradigm from the era of national liberation movements to the ones veering towards politics around identity issues. Iraq had been claiming that Kuwait is its twenty second state. Also Kuwait was indulging in unethical pumping out of oil from its wells and this was to the detriment of the interests of Iraq.
In full knowledge of US, Iraq invaded Kuwait and declared it as its own integral part. US turned around immediately and cried wolf, the sovereignty of the Kuwait Sheikh has been violated. Iraq asked for compromise and retreat, US refused to negotiate and launched the major attack on Iraq, Gulf War, to uphold the rule of Sheikh. This war, crippled its civic installations, water; sewage plants, electricity and what have you. Apart from others over half a million children also died due to the war and the sanctions which were imposed after that. Madeline Albright, US Secretary of State, defended this massacre on the ground that it is worth paying this price to protect the sovereignty of Sheikh. The sanctions on Iraq crippled it totally. The decline of UN was visible from this point. US aggressively went ahead and did something which should be beyond the preview of any nation in the world.
Following 9/11 attack on twin towers, US demanded that Afghan Government hand over Osama bin Laden to them. The Afghan Government pleaded for the proof of bin Laden's involvement in the act. Without bothering to produce the evidence or to let the UN take charge and punish the guilty it launched a war against Afghanistan on the pretext of catching Osama, live or dead. While Osama continues to be hale and hearty, over 60000 Afghans, majority innocent civilians lost their lives. US installed a puppet Government and the work of laying of pipe line from Caspian Sea to Arab sea began in due course.
In couple of years Iraq was singled out for attack once again. Despite the UN inspectors saying repeatedly that there are no weapons of mass destruction, US went ahead in preparing its planned attack. From weapons of mass destruction, it shifted ground to say that it wants to eliminate the 'Arab Hitler', Saddam, to 'plant democracy' and to liberate the people of Iraq who are suffering the atrocities of Saddam. US army was projected as the liberating army. The later fate of Iraq is too well known, Abu Ghraib prison atrocities, thousands of US conscripts and regular soldier's dead and lakhs of Iraqis vanquished.
The threats are also dished out on regular basis to Iran. It's logical that after seeing the fate of Iraq that Iran might have boosted its nuclear weapons program. That is the pretext for its coming under the scanner, and the probable reason as to why it has not been attacked despite so many threats.
The terrorists on whose pretext the present 'quiet bombings' are going on, the one's who were attacked in the Lal Masjid were the one's who were the ideological and logistic support of Al Qaeda, when it was engaged in taking on Soviet armies in Afghanistan. At that time these Jehadi terrorists were fully funded and armed by the US itself. The clock turned full circle and the same indoctrinated force turned its guns against the US, WTC and other attacks. Needless to say these acts of terror of Al Qaeda are heinous, against Islam and against Humanity. They need to be condemned and opposed to the hilt. They need to be rooted out through the global attempt for peace. Any single nation can not be relied upon to solve this problem as vested interests motivate the actions of the nation states. There is an urgent need to oppose these hegemonic designs of US, or any other country for that matter. An objective World body needs to be restored and empowered to bring and end to the present dark tunnel which is permeated by the darkness of terrorism and imperialism.
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