BY MALIK MIAH
SAN FRANCISCO — "The World Stage, Act I" is how the New York Times called President George Bush junior's February 16 military attack on the people of Iraq. Bush, the good ol' boy from Texas with little international policy experience, showed the world that he means business when it comes to defending US interests abroad.
In typical US arrogance, Bush told the world that the US-British assault on "military" targets outside of Baghdad were done in "self defence" and were "routine". If Iraqi President Saddam Hussein tries to acquire or build "weapons of mass destruction", Bush added, the US will "take appropriate action".
The air assault was an act of state terrorism by Washington and London. It caused the deaths of at least two civilians and wounded more than 20. It was Iraq that was acting in self-defence against the invasion of its airspace by US and British warplanes. Iraq does not recognise the northern and southern "no-fly" zones that were imposed on the country by the United Nations after the 1991 Gulf War, and have been enforced by Washington and London despite opposition from a majority of the UN Security Council's permanent members. The air occupation by the US and Britain is a violation of Iraq's national sovereignty.
Many of Washington's Gulf War allies condemned the attacks. The raid was "a serious negative step that we cannot accept, nor understand its reasons, which run counter to Iraq's safety and sovereignty", said Egypt's foreign minister Amr Moussa. France and Turkey, members of NATO, denounced the action. Russia and China, who with France are a majority of the UN Security Council's permanent members, condemned the attack.
Leading Republican and Democratic politicians all lined up behind Bush's military action. Bush reminded the public the bombings were a continuation of former President Clinton's, and his father's, policies.
The act of terror came days after Bush junior announced plans to funnel millions of dollars to Iraqi opposition groups. The February 17 Wall Street Journal reported that the opposition groups were in Washington meeting with State Department officials when the criminal attack occurred. Ahmed Chalabi, a leader of the anti-government Iraqi National Council, said he welcomed the US bombings but added that "air strikes alone will not solve the problem. Air strikes must be within a comprehensive plan to get rid of Saddam."
The air strike was part of a well-thought out strategy against Iraq. Anthony Cordesman, a senior fellow at the Center for Strategic and International Studies and author of Iraq and the War of Sanctions, elaborated in an op-ed article in the February 17 New York Times that "This [strategy] is not simply a matter of enforcing the no-fly zones or protecting the United States and British aircraft that enforce them. It is part of a broader strategy of military containment that ensures that Iraq remains militarily weak, does not actively threaten its neighbors and understands it cannot openly manufacture and deploy weapons of mass destruction.
"There are many reasons why such military containment is necessary. The most important reasons are strategic. The Persian Gulf has two thirds of the world's proven oil reserves and is the key source of oil exports. We cannot be indecisive in dealing with the region's most threatening dictator."
Conceding that sanctions against Iraq are not working and have little support in the region, Cordesman wrote that the containment of the Iraqi military is crucial and can only be done by force. "Is military containment a frustrating strategy? of course. So, however, was four decades of containment of the Soviet Union and the Warsaw Pact. They are gone, and without a massive war or any invasions."
That in essence of Washington's policy toward Iraq and other countries it has declared as enemy "rogue states".
Many US ruling class commentators have described President Bush senior's decision to "prematurely" end the Gulf War after 100 days and not "take out" Hussein. It was not a mistake. US policy was to maintain a unified Iraq that was more docile to US interests. The goal — then and now — was to encourage the military high command to overthrow Hussein and install a "friendly" pro-Western regime.
As long as Hussein survives, a permanent war will be waged by Washington and London against the people of Iraq.
Washington's arrogance flows from being the only superpower on the planet. It aims to send a message to all countries — allies and declared enemies — that force will be used to defend US interests ("self defence" in Washington's and London's Orwellian newspeak). That message is also directed at Russia and China.
Bush made it clear that he doesn't care what the world thinks about US policy. "We will continue to enforce the no-fly zone until the world is told otherwise", he decreed after the February 16 raid.