Predicting The Inevitable
By Brita Rose
21 July, 2005
Countercurrents.org
It was only a matter of time before another such an attack would occur in another one of the world's major cities. That is, cities of countries which still support the illegal war on Iraq which has, to date cost a minimum of 22,787 civilian casualties according to the Iraqi Body Count. But we don't talk about Iraqi casualties do we. After the eventual media exposure of U.S. coffins stealthily returning home, we do at least now hear of army casualties, but perhaps we are becoming callous even to those after two years of tireless reporting about a pitifully pointless and endless war.
Intelligence officials, politicians and the public alike have predicted such tragic attacks as the one that occurred in London today, like the one that occurred in Madrid last year, and they keep on coming. But does that affect the foreign policy of the U.S. or the U.K. administrations? "It is a crime against humanity" we hear from our leaders, and we nod in agreement. But what does that make the war on Iraq? Apparently government leaders have not made the connection that Middle Eastern countries like Iraq, do not appreciate being blasted to kingdom come with 'Shock and Awe' or any other tactic that might be conjured up by Washington's neo-cons. Of course nobody in their right mind condones terrorist attacks – that is a cheap shot flung by those who have nothing constructive to say to those who oppose the war; since when did anti-war correspond to pro-terrorism. But for those who support military might and find bombing some far off country reassuring in uncertain times, it has become obvious to some that Iraqis will not take to being invaded lightly, and there are plenty willing to take up their cause, along with that of Afghanistan and Palestine (and of anyone else in the pending imperial war chest.)
The tired old rhetoric of 'us against them' is fast wearing thin on both sides of the Atlantic, as lie after lie has been exposed about the fabricated 'threat' of Saddam that had more to do with oil and ego than any true threat of terrorism. Americans and Brits are now more aware of foreign policy since 9/11 and realize that it was not an attack on freedom, but rather U.S. support of oppression in Palestine and of the Saudi Regime that fueled those attacks. If the White House or Downing Street were serious about fighting Al Qaeda - which clearly has cells operating globally in a highly sophisticated network - albeit perhaps fragmented from central command, and some only loosely affiliated, then they would be spending less dollars and pounds on a military invasion that is costing in the hundreds of billions; money that could be spent on intelligence operatives globally, political diplomacy, and public relations between the West and the Arab/Muslim world. That might even leave some funds left for other urgent needs such as hospitals, schools and protecting the environment on a global scale - God forbid.
If the U.S. government were serious about fighting terrorism, then it would take a look at the root causes and motivations of the attackers and take stock of the implications of its own policies. But since the West cannot understand these Middle Eastern nations such as Iraq, or maybe Iran or Syria - they must be the enemy right? And since these countries are made up of unsophisticated barbarians they cannot carry out such complex, coordinated attacks as 9/11, or the one that just evaded Scotland Yard. Since they do not have the subtlety or the intelligence to sneak under their radar, the West needs to help them out, perhaps occupy them and show them a better way of life, a true democracy maybe, while in the mean time making Western cities safer, or at the very least securing their foreign power supply. Clearly that is what the coalition forces have done after two years of success and victory in Iraq. The unfortunate thing is that it seems many ordinary citizens in Iraq and elsewhere (including vast numbers of the U.S. and U.K. population) do not share this outdated imperialist point of view. Sadly, they too, along with their children are increasingly paying the price for the ambitions of the Bush/Blair pet foreign campaign in the Middle East.
How many more predictable and inevitable revenge attacks do we have to witness or suffer before our politicians are either voted out, or get the message that this foreign policy is not working and there needs to be a drastic change of strategy? Too many more, I fear.
Brita Rose is a graduate student of International Studies at the City University of New York and a freelance writer.
