>>Subject: Arundhati Roy on Iraq >>Date: Mon, 2 Jun 2003 10:04:50 -0700 (PDT) >> >>The Day of the Jackals >>By Arundhati Roy >>June 2, 2003 >> >>The following is the text of a talk by Arundhati Roy, >>pre-recorded for the May 31, 2003 United For Peace and >>Justice teach-in in Washington, DC. >> > >>Mesopotamia. Babylon. The Tigris and Euphrates. How >>many children, in how many classrooms, over how many >>centuries, have hang-glided through the past, >>transported on the wings of these words? >> > >>And now the bombs have fallen, incinerating and >>humiliating that ancient civilization. On the steel >>torsos of their missiles, adolescent American soldiers >>scrawled colorful messages in childish handwriting: >>For Saddam, from the Fat Boy Posse. >> > >>A building went down. A marketplace. A home. A girl >>who loved a boy. A child who only ever wanted to play >>with his older brother's marbles. >> > >>On March 21 – the day after American and British >>troops began their illegal invasion and occupation of >>Iraq – an "embedded" CNN correspondent interviewed an >>American soldier. "I wanna get in there and get my >>nose dirty," Private A.J. said. "I wanna take revenge >>for 9/11." >> >>To be fair to the correspondent, even though he was >>"embedded" he did sort of weakly suggest that so far >>there was no real evidence that linked the Iraqi >>government to the September 11, 2001, attacks. Private >>A.J. stuck his teenage tongue out all the way down to >>the end of his chin. "Yeah, well that stuff's way over >>my head," he said. > >> >>Lies Instead of Evidence > >> >>When the United States invaded Iraq, a New York >>Times/CBS News survey estimated that 42 percent of the >>American public believed that Saddam Hussein was >>directly responsible for the September 11 attacks on >>the World Trade Center and the Pentagon. And an ABC >>news poll said that 55 percent of Americans believed >>that Saddam Hussein directly supported Al-Qaeda. None >>of this opinion is based on evidence (because there >>isn't any). All of it is based on insinuation, >>auto-suggestion and outright lies circulated by the US >>corporate media. > >> >>Public support in the US for the war against Iraq was >>founded on a multi-tiered edifice of falsehood and >>deceit coordinated by the US government and faithfully >>amplified by the press. We had the invented links >>between Iraq and Al Qaeda. We had the manufactured >>frenzy about Iraq's weapons of mass destruction. No >>weapons of mass destruction have been found. Not even >>a little one. > >> >>Now, after the war has been fought and won, and the >>contracts for reconstruction have been signed and >>sealed, the New York Times reports that, "The Central >>Intelligence Agency has begun a review to try to >>determine whether the American intelligence community >>erred in its prewar assessments of Saddam Hussein's >>government and Iraq's weapons programs." > >> >>Meanwhile, in passing, an ancient civilization has >>been casually decimated by a very recent, casually >>brutal nation. >> >> >>Throughout more than a decade of war and sanctions, >>American and British forces fired thousands of >>missiles and bombs on Iraq. Iraq's fields and >>farmlands were shelled with 300 tons of depleted >>uranium. >> >> >>In their bombing sorties, the Allies targeted and >>destroyed water treatment plants, aware of the fact >>that they could not be repaired without foreign >>assistance. In southern Iraq there was a fourfold >>increase in cancer among children. In the decade of >>economic sanctions that followed the war, Iraqi >>civilians were denied medicine, hospital equipment, >>ambulances, clean water – the basic essentials. >> >> >>About half a million Iraqi children died as a result >>of the sanctions. The corporate media played a >>sterling role in keeping news of the devastation of >>Iraq and its people away from the American public. It >>has now begun preparing the ground with the same >>routine of lies and hysteria for a war against Syria >>and Iran – and, who knows, perhaps even Saudi Arabia. >>Perhaps the next war will be the jewel in the crown of >>George Bush's 2004 election campaign. Though he may >>not need to go to such great lengths, since the >>Democrats have announced that their strategy for the >>2004 election is to charge that the Republicans are >>weak on national security. It's like a small-town >>teenage bully telling the Mafia it has too many >>scruples. >> >> >>America's presidential elections sound as though they >>will be a complete waste of everybody's time. Although >>that's not exactly breaking news. >> >> >>Most Cowardly War Ever Fought >> >> >>The US invasion of Iraq was perhaps the most cowardly >>war ever fought in history. >> >> >>After using the "good offices" of UN diplomacy >>(economic sanctions and weapons inspections) to ensure >>that Iraq was brought to its knees, after making sure >>that most of its weapons had been destroyed, the >>"Coalition of the Willing" – better known as the >>Coalition of the Bullied and Bought – sent in an >>invading army. >> >> >>Then the corporate media gloated that the United >>States had won a just and astonishing victory! >> >> >>TV watchers witnessed the joy that the US army brought >>to ordinary Iraqis. All those newly liberated people >>waving American flags, which they must have somehow >>hoarded during the years of sanctions. >> >> >>Never mind that the toppling of the statue of Saddam >>Hussein in Firdos Square (shown over and over on TV) >>turned out to be a carefully choreographed charade >>played out by a handful of hired extras coordinated by >>the US marines. Robert Fisk called it the "most staged >>photo-op since Iwo Jima." >> >> >>Never mind that in the days that followed American >>soldiers fired into a crowd of peaceful, unarmed Iraqi >>demonstrators who were demanding that US troops leave >>their country. Fifteen people were shot dead. >> >> >>Never mind that a few days later US soldiers killed >>two more and injured several people who were >>protesting the fact that peaceful demonstrators were >>being killed. Never mind that they murdered 17 more >>people in Mosul. Never mind that in the days to come >>the killing will continue. (But it won't be on TV.) >> >> >>Never mind that a secular country is being driven to >>religious sectarianism. Never mind that the US >>government helped Saddam Hussein's rise to power and >>supported him through his worst excesses, including >>the eight-year war against Iran and the 1988 gassing >>of Kurdish people in Halabja, crimes which 14 years >>later were re-heated and served up as reasons to >>justify going to war against Iraq. >> >> >>Never mind that, after the first Gulf War, the Allies >>fomented an uprising of Shias in Basra and then looked >>away while Saddam Hussein crushed the revolt and >>slaughtered thousands in an act of vengeful reprisal. >> >> >>After the invasion of Iraq, Western TV channels' >>ghoulish interest in the mass graves they discovered >>evaporated quickly when they realized that the bodies >>were of Iraqis who had been killed in the war against >>Iran and the Shia uprising. The search for an >>appropriate mass grave continues. >> >> >>Never mind that US and British troops had orders to >>kill people, but not to protect them. Their priorities >>were clear. The safety and security of Iraqi people >>was not their business. >> >> >>The security of whatever little remained of Iraq's >>infrastructure was not their business. But the >>security and safety of Iraq's oil fields was. The oil >>fields were "secured" almost before the invasion >>began. >> >> >>It's worth noting that the reconstruction of >>Afghanistan, which is in far worse condition than >>Iraq, hasn't merited the same evangelical enthusiasm >>in reconstruction that Iraq has. Even the money that >>was so publicly promised to Afghanistan has not for >>the most part been handed over. Could it be because >>Afghanistan has no oil? It has a route for a pipeline, >>true, but no oil. So there isn't much money to be >>extracted from that vanquished country. >> >> >>On the other hand, we were told that contracts for the >>reconstruction of Iraq could jump-start the world >>economy. It's funny how the interests of American >>corporations are so often, so successfully, and so >>deliberately confused with the interests of the world >>economy. >> >> >>Occupation Government >> >> >>The talk about Iraq's oil for Iraqis and a war of >>liberation and democracy and representative government >>had its time and place. It had its uses. But things >>have changed now.... >> >> >>Having escorted a 7,000-year-old civilization into >>anarchy, George Bush has announced that the US is in >>Iraq to stay "indefinitely." The US, in effect, has >>said that Iraq can only have a representative >>government if it represents the interests of >>Anglo-American oil companies. In other words, you can >>have free speech as long as you say what I want you to >>say. >> >> >>On May 17, the New York Times said, "In an abrupt >>reversal, the United States and Britain have >>indefinitely put off their plan to allow Iraqi >>opposition forces to form a national assembly and an >>interim government by the end of the month. Instead, >>top American and British diplomats leading >>reconstruction efforts here told exile leaders in a >>meeting tonight that allied officials would remain in >>charge of Iraq for an indefinite period." >> >> >>Jackals Feeding Frenzy >> >> >>Long before the invasion began, the world's business >>community was tingling with excitement about the scale >>of money that the reconstruction of Iraq would >>involve. It has been billed as "the biggest >>reconstruction effort since the Marshall Plan rebuilt >>Europe after World War Two." >> >> >>Bechtel Corporation, based in San Francisco, is >>leading the pack of jackals moving into Iraq. >> >> >>Coincidentally, former Secretary of State George >>Schultz is on the Board of Directors of the Bechtel >>Group, and happens also to have served as the chairman >>of the advisory board of the Committee for the >>Liberation of Iraq. When asked by the New York Times >>whether he was concerned about the appearance of a >>conflict of interest, Shultz said, "I don't know that >>Bechtel would particularly benefit from it. But if >>there's work to be done, Bechtel is the type of >>company that could do it. But nobody looks at it as >>something you benefit from." >> >> >>Bechtel already has a contract for $680 million >>dollars, but, according to the New York Times, >>"Independent estimates are that the final cost for the >>reconstruction effort of the extent outlined in >>Bechtel's contract with USAID would be $20 billion." >> >> >>In an article appropriately headlined "Feeding Frenzy >>Under Way, as Companies From All Over Seek a Piece of >>the Action," the Times notes (without irony) that >>"governments around the world and the companies whose >>causes they support have besieged Washington in a >>campaign to win a piece of the reconstruction action >>in Iraq." >> >> >>"The British," the article notes, "though their >>appeals are understated, offer what some Bush >>administration officials argue is the most convincing >>case: that they shed blood in Iraq." >> >> >>Whose blood was shed has not been clarified. Surely >>they didn't mean British blood, or American blood. >>They must have meant the British helped the Americans >>to shed Iraqi blood. >> >> >>So "the most convincing case" for reconstruction >>contracts is when a country can argue that it is a >>co-murderer of Iraqis. >> >> >>Lady Simmons, the deputy leader of the UK House of >>Lords, recently traveled to America with four leaders >>of British industry. Apart from staking their claim to >>contracts based on their status as co-murderers, the >>British delegation also invoked the their colonial >>past, again without irony, making the case that >>British companies "had a long and close relationship >>with Iraq and Iraqi business from the imperial days in >>the early 20th century until international sanctions >>were imposed in the 1990s." Glossing over, of course, >>that this meant Britain had supported Saddam Hussein >>through the 1970s and 1980s. >> >> >>Relax and Enjoy It >> >> >>Those of us who belong to former colonies think of >>imperialism as rape. So you rape. Then you kill. Then >>you demand the right to rape the corpse. That's >>usually known as necrophilia. >> >> >>Extending this horrible analogy, Richard Perle said >>recently, "Iraqis are freer today and we are safer. >>Relax and enjoy it." >> >> >>A few days into the war, the news anchor Tom Brokaw >>said: "One of the things we don't want to do ... is to >>destroy the infrastructure of Iraq because in a few >>days we're going to own that country." >> >> >>Now the ownership deeds are being signed. Iraq is no >>longer a country. It's an asset. >> >> >>It's no longer ruled. It's owned. >> >> >>And it is owned for the most part by Bechtel. Maybe >>Halliburton and a British company or two will get a >>few bones. >> >> >>Our battle has to be against both the occupiers and >>the new owners of Iraq. >> >> >>Arundhati Roy lives in New Delhi. She is the author of >>"The God of Small Things" and "Power Politics" (South >>End Press). >> >>__________________________________
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