I
strongly disagree with those who insist that the US is igniting
reform in the Middle East. I would argue that, not only the
US, but the West in general is not sincere in its quest to
ignite reform (or spread democracy), nor does it possess
the credibility to do so in the region. An open and frank
discussion on Western history in the region (the
kind of discussion that has been avoided on both sides of the
Atlantic) would reveal a history of deceit and denial.
For
starters (there are many more, however, for the sake of brevity,
I'll keep this list short):
1.
Britain has invaded Iraq (formerly known as Mesopotamia) on at
least three prior occasions.
2.
In 1953 Britain, along with the US, overthrew Iran’s
government and installed one designed to implement Pro-Western
policies.
3. America
and Britain provided support for Saddam Hussein in the
Iran-Iraq war.
4. Approximately
one-million Iraqis (500,000 of them children) died as a result
of UN-enforced, US-backed sanctions (supported by Britain).
5.
Despite boasting of “free and fair” elections in Iraq,
the US and EU have interfered in Palestinian elections in order
to ensure that Hamas does not gain power (despite the fact
that Palestinians have overwhelmingly supported them).
6.
Western countries (all possessing nuclear technology, including
weapons) threaten Iran because of its nuclear programs. America,
the most heavily armed and thus far the only country in human
history to use nuclear bombs on another country, is once again
beating the drums of war despite the fact that it has helped
fortify Israel's nuclear program.
The
US is not genuinely interested in reform, but control of the
region!
Timothy
Stinson
Florida,
USA
Jan
18, 2006
Us
policy is igniting only bad sentiment. You cannot force
democracy on another state. The high-handed and heavy-handed
Americans have totally destroyed any legitimacy they ever had.
I
am not a religious person at all. I am an unbeliever; in
Indonesia, I would be called a fridanke (freethinker). I
read IslamOnline.net because this is where some of the real news
is reported. Most Western media are controlled by Americans and
much news is either incorrectly reported, not reported at all,
or given a slant or spin that only supports US interests through
propaganda.
As
for religion, I think the Muslim religion is more godly than
that of the Jews or the Christians, even though I don’t
believe in gods or devils. I think Muslim communities around the
world are being treated badly by the West and I wish them all
the best in overcoming the US, or other Western forms of domination
in their territories... As a rule, NEVER trust an American,
unless you trust that they’ll do the wrong thing at the worst
possible time...
For
what it’s worth... God bless Islam.
William
Jorgensen
Australia
Jan
18, 2006
We do not want a protection racket. |
|
We
are not fooled by protestations of pious intentions.
The US is not a good liar. It gets exposed over and over again,
but changes tack ever so often. The real reasons for the
invasion were seen by the opponents of the war. The lies
regarding the treatment of POWs in accordance with the laws of
war were exposed, and the torture and rape chambers of Saddam
were replaced by US ones.
What the US wants, it will not get, because the world is wise to
it, and the resistance to US hegemony is too great.
As for democracy, the US track record in "supporting"
democracy in the third world is there for all to see. The Cold
War was an excuse; it was no consolation to the millions who
fell victim to US-sponsored right-wing coups.
Now the US says it will provide protection to the nascent
democracies. No thanks. We do not want a protection racket.
Timbuktu
Jan 13, 2006
There
is no "insurgency" in Iraq; no rebellion
against a legitimate authority. |
|
I
think it is commendable that you allow Western propagandists to
speak on this forum, for it makes it so much easier to
demonstrate how benighted the average Western consumer is concerning
their own feudal societies and the actual goals of their
"leadership," which in no way represents any
constituency other than the falsely privileged corporate elite.
The
facts of the matter are not addressed by these individuals. To
wit:
1.
There is no international legal mandate for the illegal and
malicious aggression against the innocent Palestinian or Iraqi
peoples, and this has been admitted by none other than Koffi
Annan.
2.
It is not possible to prepare and conduct "free and
fair" elections under occupation and at gunpoint, as the
occupied country's sovereignty, and consequently its government,
still exist in accordance with international law.
3.
Democracy does not, and has not existed in the US since its
inception as a state, so it is ludicrous for Americans to even
attempt to expound that the basis for their criminal presence is
to bring democracy to others.
4.
There is no "insurgency" in Iraq, as there is no
rebellion against a legitimate governmental authority. This is a
deliberate lie expounded by the Western "free press,"
which is itself entirely dependent upon advertising revenues
from the same corporations currently profiting from the illegal
war in Iraq. There is, however, an eminently successful national
resistance against foreign criminals.
5.
The expatriate and largely criminal band of stooges inserted and
protected by the guns of the foreign occupation, who betrayed
their OWN PEOPLE in order to gain a personal jackal's share of
the spoils, will NEVER become a legitimate government of the Iraqi
people.
The
outcome is obvious and the conclusion is foregone.
R.
R. Scattergood
Jan 13, 2006
Mr.
Abrahamson,
I ask you the same question that I ask any person supporting
America's drive for reform in the Middle East: Who do the
Americans think they are?
1. The country with the highest robbery rate: America
2. The country with the highest rape rate: America
3. The country with the highest drug addiction rate: America
4. The country that killed the largest number of civilians in
recent conflicts: America (though they have a very fancy term to
it: COLLATERAL DAMAGE.)
I think it is high time the Americans stopped their "holier
than thou" attitude and reformed themselves.
Ahtesham
Akhter
Jan 10, 2006
