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Surprises for Washington

Manuel E. Yepe

01/08/2014

Opinión

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In an essay analyzing the contradictions and responsibilities of U.S. policy in the Middle East, with the title "The Shame of Iraq Once More", the prominent American Marxist political scientist Zoltan Zigedy (ZZ) warns about the repetition with which foreign policy and defense strategists in his country are "surprised" by the results of their aggressions, while calling for necessity of the unity of the forces of the left in the United States.

Nothing exposes the complete bankruptcy of US policy in the Middle East more dramatically than the widespread “surprise” accompanying the sweeping offensive of ISIS across a huge segment of Iraq. Despite decades of intense scrutiny and the most sophisticated technologies, US security services were caught completely off-guard by the speed and success of the offensive.

Equally embarrassing and “surprising” was the complete collapse of the US-trained, financed, and armed Iraqi military faced off against ISIS.

Much earlier, US policy makers were equally “surprised” by the treachery of their fundamentalist Al Qaeda surrogates who launched an attack on the US in 2001 after undermining a revolution in Afghanistan.

Of course, they were also “surprised” by the chaos in Libya after the US and NATO waged war on Gaddafi, creating destruction, death, and instability.

They are equally “surprised” that their sponsorship of an insurrection against Assad in Syria has drawn mercenary armies bent on creating a fundamentalist Caliphate (ironically, challenging the US puppet government in Iraq). ZZ believes that they will be “surprised” when the puppet government in Afghanistan also collapses in the next few years.

At the same time, US rulers, draping themselves under the banners of human rights and democracy, readily accept the greatest abusers of human rights and of democracy, in countries like Egypt, Saudi Arabia, and Colombia, in their crusades against “terror.”

In ZZ's view, there's no doubt that US policy in the Middle East, like its policy toward Cuba, Venezuela, and many other countries, is disconnected from high-minded values. Instead, it is deeply embedded in US interests, not the wholesome interests of the US people, who consistently show their disapproval of US intervention in public opinion polls. To the contrary, US policy serves the interests of US corporations and their courtesans.

“One can only wish that this truth could permeate the nearly impenetrable corporate media filter which denies access to all but inane entertainment and surreal politics,” ZZ says.

He believes that doesn’t excuse the quiescence and inaction of the broad US left. Even if most cannot bring themselves to utter the word “imperialism,” they must surely see the pattern of violence and destruction that is the constant companion of US policies.

“The only plausible explanation for this ubiquitous meekness in confronting imperialism is a groveling subservience to the electoral fortunes of the Democratic Party. I say “groveling” because no other word could capture an allegiance that only stiffens in the face of a Democratic Party leadership that is completely contemptuous of the party’s “left” and even more contemptuous of the left in general.”

They cannot escape the human toll of unrelenting, perpetual war since the phony “war on terror” was hatched. They cannot ignore the contradiction between the massive resources devoted to destruction and domination while infrastructure, services, and welfare are starved for funding in the US.

If the Democratic administration, which enjoyed a rousing mandate from US voters, inherited a congressional majority, and spoke of urgent change, fails to deliver an end to aggression, then there is little prospect for it doing so in the future.

“Therefore, remaining mute in the face of the murderous Iraqi debacle, not voicing an objection to US engagement is tantamount to groveling before morally corrupt Democratic Party elected officials. But public renunciation of the march of imperialism cannot be set aside for electoral opportunism,” concludes Zoltan Zigedy.

July 30, 2014.

A CubaNews translation. Edited by Walter Lippmann.

http://www.walterlippmann.com/docs4140.html

https://www.alainet.org/es/node/102128