As a Cuban spokesperson put it, presidential elections in the
U.S. are dangerous for human beings. He was referring to the air
strikes conducted by the U.S. against Iraq last week. Even if elections
are the prime mover behind actions such as the Helms-Burton Act against
Cuba, the bills against companies trading with Iran and Libya, and
the attacks on Iraq, by continuing this style of gangster politics
it is establishing a dynamic where "might makes right," and nobody
is to question its actions. It is also fairly self-evident that the
world does not see things this way at all.
Even countries normally muted in their criticism of the U.S.
have come out openly against it, and there is a sense that the U.S.
has crossed the line in the sand with its recent actions. The
Russians have made sure a UN resolution condemning Iraq for its
actions against the Kurds was withdrawn. In Russia there was
condemnation of the attack from all sides. "There is one big strong
master (in the world) who spits on everybody," Interfax news agency
quoted Russian security chief Lebed as saying. "This is the essence
of true democracy - carry out air raids and then gather the
journalists to applaud," Lebed said.
France declared last week it would stay in the Gulf War
alliance patrolling Iraq's skies, but its planes would not cross
the 32nd parallel to police the enlarged no-fly zone decreed by
U.S. President Bill Clinton.
Arab countries, even those inimical to Iraq, have realized
that if the U.S. can raise its hand against Iraq without
justification then the U.S. can do so against them as well. Egypt
hoped that the territorial integrity of Iraq would be respected.
Pakistanis vented their anger at the U.S. by stoning its embassy.
The Karachi-based daily Dawn said the U.S.-Iraqi showdown was
"popular theater" in the United States at election time, but had
blurred the distinction between a country's internal affairs and
its offenses against the world community. Hundreds of Bangladeshis
last week burned U.S. President Bill Clinton in effigy to protest
American missile attacks on Iraq. Organized by the Bangladesh
Patriotic Party, the protesters in Dhaka called for an immediate
end to "American barbarity" against the Iraqi people and urged the
United Nations to punish the "American hegemonists." In India, its
Foreign Minister Inder Gujral told parliament, "It is highly
regrettable. We call upon the United States to refrain from any
other attacks on Iraq and to respect its sovereignty and
integrity....The government of India is unable to accept the
justification for the U.S. bombing."
But the United States seems to be completely ignoring world
reaction. "We are reserving the right to go back again if we need
to go back again," U.S. Defence Secretary Perry said.
Madeline Albright, U.S. Ambassador to the UN said, "We stand
by what the U.S. did to deal with the problem in the Northern
areas, and it's unfortunate that, at this stage, the council (UN
Security Council) was not able to speak."
Meanwhile, U.S. Commerce Undersecretary Stuart Eizenstat is
on a round of visits to win support for the Helms-Burton Act. So far
his visits have been a complete failure. He said his tour of
Canada, Mexico, Belgium and Ireland was a "lightning rod" for
criticism of the Helms-Burton Act. "At the government level, quite
frankly, it was quite difficult to get them to work through their
anger at the Helms-Burton Act", Eizenstat said. Many countries are
preparing "antidote" laws to override the statute.
Each brazen action by the U.S. makes the world a more
dangerous place and as Russia's Ambassador to the UN hinted, this
could be the path to the next world inter-imperialist war.
The "New World Order" was hatched by the "West" under the
dictate of U.S. imperialism but the imperialist powers of Europe
and North America have their own designs. Germany, France, Russia
and other imperialists have their own schemes and so do the Asian
imperialists as well. Thus, the quicksand on which the "New World
Order" of U.S. imperialism was to stand has shifted and the "order"
is crumbling as it will continue do so at an even faster pace in
the near future.
Shawgi Tell
University at Buffalo
Graduate School of Education
[EMAIL PROTECTED]
