Familiar but different
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Familiar but different
21-Sep-2007
Adrian Hamilton makes some keen observations and reaches valid conclusions in his well-written article titled "The eerie familiarity of these preparations for war" [1] which begins with a good question: "Have we learnt nothing from the shameful and shameless run-up to the invasion of Iraq?"
Well, the short answer to that question is of course no. But there are far more embedded dangers in this latest gamble should the war-mongers deliver on their threats of using military force against Iran.
All the parallels he draws with 2003 -- undermining of the UN inspection process; bellicose threats of military action accompanied by claims of giving diplomacy a chance; and portrayal of Iran as threat to security of the West are correct except for one thing. The war with Iraq did not begin in 2003. Commencement of the "shock and awe" military assault raining death and destruction on the Iraqi capital on the eve of March 20, 2003 was only meant as a spectacle of American fire power for public consumption.
After 12 years of "worthy" genocidal sanctions [2], and 11 years of bombings by U.S. and British planes [3], Iraq by that time was already overpowered and completely helpless to defend itself which is precisely why Ken Adelman, then assistant to Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld, came up with his prediction of the "Cakewalk in Iraq" [4] which has morphed into the present day quagmire costing the American taxpayer $2 billion a week [5] with half a trillion already spent and nearly 4,000 expendable members of its society, mainly the poor and underprivileged, sacrificed on what is now repackaged and sold to the same gullible public as part of the "Global War on Terror" meaning a war with no end.
What is completely lost in all the irresponsible saber-rattling and irrational rhetoric threatening the use of force is the failure to realize that Iran of 2007 is anything remotely resembling Iraq of 2003. Iran is a formidable military power in the region, second only to Israel. And as a direct result of Western sanctions with some help from Russia, China, Pakistan and North Korea - Iran has created a powerful military-industrial complex [6] which employs more than 200,000 engineers, technicians and skilled workers manufacturing almost two thousand military and defense related items -- From munitions to aircraft and missile boats to satellites, it exports such equipment to over 50 countries, including seven in Europe.
While certainly not a match for the U.S., it is far better positioned to defend itself and respond to any foreign military attack. Iran is a multi-ethnic society three times the size and four time the population of Iraq with a strong sense of nationality tracing its roots to a proud Achaemenid Persian empire which was the largest the ancient world had ever seen. Iranians throughout their history have consistently shown that regardless of internal problems they will unite against any would be aggressor threatening its infrastructure and territorial integrity.
So yes while the preparations and rhetoric are eerily familiar, the calamitous outcome of such a reckless attack will be far more devastating with dire global ramifications which will dwarf those of the current Iraqi debacle.
[1] //comment.independent.co.uk/columnists_a_l/ad...
[2] //www.fair.org/index.phppage1084
[3] //www-tech.mit.edu/V119/N9/Iraq_9.9w.html
[4] //www.washingtonpost.com/ac2/wp-dyn/A1996-200...
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To D: I'm not a man. Thank
by Nay (not verified) on Sat Sep 22, 2007 07:06 AM PDTTo D: I'm not a man. Thank goodness...LOL
To Flute: You're partially right. I'm glad you found the exact quote...Whoever controls the energy, controls the world. It's the fear of others (Read Russia, China, the EU) using the oil to expand their power the oil itself.
Iran has grave oil problems where it might end up not being an oil exporter by the year 2015 but that's another programming altogether.
To Nay
by Flute (not verified) on Sat Sep 22, 2007 12:07 AM PDTYou say it is not about oil but mention the Carter Doctrine. Well the Carter Doctrine IS about oil. Here is a quote from Carter which subsequently got labeled as the Carter Doctrine:
"Let our position be absolutely clear: An attempt by any outside force to gain control of the Persian Gulf region will be regarded as an assault on the vital interests of the United States of America, and such an assault will be repelled by any means necessary, including military force."
Sure the word "oil" is not mentioned but do you think he had Persian Gulf shrimp in mind when he said "vital interest?" I think not.
Nay, you sound like a man
by Daniel M Pourkesali on Fri Sep 21, 2007 08:13 PM PDTNay, you sound like a man who has lost all hope but believe me it doesn’t have to be that way. Forget about the corrupt politicians; I gave up on them long ago. Like George Carlin says (watch //www.informationclearinghouse.info/article14...) they’re in the pocket of the real owners of this country who are in a club you and I don’t belong to.
The fact is that the war-mongers use the media to constantly repeat the same lies over and over until it’s accepted as fact, so we the little guys must do everything to expose them. You ask "What if we can't do anything? What then?". You're right; but at least we tried.
Q and D: I have done my
by Nay (not verified) on Fri Sep 21, 2007 04:40 PM PDTQ and D: I have done my share of writing to my representatives and everyone else I could think of. I even offered people to write a letter to Congressman Hamilton to invite Bush and Khamenie to meet face-to-face on this site under Xivaro, my blog name...I don't know what else to do. What if we can't do anything? What then?
We can all make a difference, Nay
by Qumars (not verified) on Fri Sep 21, 2007 12:55 PM PDTNay is wrong, not on facts, but on attitude, but I also think oil is an important factor. American imperialist forces need and actively depend on propaganda to due th eir bidding, convince the masses and generally not disrupt the economic system in the US so they can enjoy their profits. That's why they spend billions and billions of dollars on propaganda from FOX news to NPR to brainwash people.
What Daniel is doing, even if repetetive is countering that propaganda, something all of us should be engaged in actively. The propaganda is as important as bullets and planes in this war. We know this because they spend so much money on it. If it didn't matter, they wouldn't bother with PR Operations or PsyOps.
Therefore it is of utmost importance that we spread a strong anti-war message any way we can. What they want us to do is to give up and say "well, it's inevitable." It's not inevitable. It's preventable and we should all get off our behinds and do it.
Sorry to have bored you with my sermon
by Daniel M Pourkesali on Fri Sep 21, 2007 11:48 AM PDTNay, Sorry to have bored you with my sermon but regurgitating the obvious – that the UN inspectors had found no trace of any WMD’s in Iraq or that it had no part in the 9/11/01 attacks, is exactly what was needed to prevent the war then as it is now.
And just because we know or think we know what the real aspirations of the current superpower and its foreign policy doctrines are does not mean we have to like or accept it and all the reason to fight and reject it.
Dear D: With all due
by Nay (not verified) on Fri Sep 21, 2007 10:01 AM PDTDear D: With all due respect, regurgitating the obvious is not going to do any of us any good. What did you think? The US is not a non-profit organization and has geopolitical interests in the ME, period. You can't expect any country to not protect their interests while they have the economic and military superiority.All politics are immoral, btw, and that's another subject altogether. Let's face the realities on the ground and identify "What is" and not what wish them to be.
And I might add, it's not for oil. The main reason is geopolitical. The US does not want China and Russia to use Iran as a proxy to do their bidding in the next 100 years. This doctrine has been in place since Carter and it's called "Carter's Doctrine". That foreign policy has not changed and will not change.
Please read the book "A century of war" by William Engdhal before you bore us yet again with another canned article.
//www.amazon.com/Century-War-Anglo-American-P...
Must Read:
//www.dailykos.com/story/2007/9/19/17752/3163
Iran's military spending is
by AsgharM (not verified) on Fri Sep 21, 2007 09:42 AM PDTIran's military spending is one fifth of that some of the Gulf states per capita. A conventional military war with Iran is going to take longer, very little doubt about that but Iranian army is still not a match for US military might, especially if Americans can bring the British and the French on board as well (very possible with Sarkozy anxious to the bidding for Bush the way Blair did in case of Iraq). Iran's multi-ethnicity can also be its Achilles heel. Is there any doubt in anyone's mind that the Kurds will join the invaders in order to finally secure their precious Kurdestan? Ditto the reactionary chauvinists in Baluchestan and even Azarbaijan? I'm not including all Azaris or even all Kurds in this category; Azarbaijan is as essential to Iranian identity as Tehran or Khorasan but what does a provincial Azari in a back-wood town care about Achemenid empire. Of course this won't be a cakewalk; there will be massive resistance and the whole thing will deteriorate further spreading into Pakistan, Afghanistan and back into southern Iraq. This is a madness that only King George of Bushwack may be capable of with the aid of a cabal of right wing Zionists, fundamentalist Christian wackos, Big Oil, military-industrial complex and second rate "philosopher kings" who fancy themselves makers of history. But let's not forget the mess that Americans created in Vietnam and Cambodia and Laos. More than thirty years later the children of Cambodia are still getting killed and maimed by the remnants of American bombs. That's why people who dream of Iran becoming a regional superpower and a counter weight to American power should tread softly. Let's face it, when bombs start to fall it's not their bottoms on the line but the average Iranians’.