In
2005 in the basement of the United States Capitol at a meeting convened
by Congressman John Conyers on the subject of the "Downing Street
Memo," Ray McGovern uttered the following truth: he testified that "the
United States went to war in Iraq for oil, Israel, and military bases
craved by administration neocons" so that "the United States and Israel
could dominate that part of the world." McGovern went on to testify
truthfully that " Israel is not allowed to be brought up in polite
conversation. The last time I did this, the previous director of Central
Intelligence called me anti-Semitic."
The routine condemnations of McGovern could be
heard from all of the sources inside the U.S. political structure that
has at its base finance from pro-Israel sources; that included from Dr.
Howard Dean who was Chair of the Democratic National Committee at the
time. This finance nexus has been thoroughly identified by Dr. James
Petras, for those who want to do further reading.
Condemnations, however, do not disprove
McGovern's statement, but point, instead, to the political
untouchability of the topic. However, if one wants to truly understand
the formulation of U.S. foreign and military policies, one must
carefully consider McGovern's testimony.
On December 7, 1988 Mikhail Gorbachev described the
need for a "universal human consensus" and he called that a new world
order.
And on September 11, 1990, President George Herbert
Walker Bush characterized the crisis that led to his intervention in the
Persian Gulf in Operation Desert Storm as an opportunity to move toward
"a new world order." Every President since Bush, including President
Obama, has expressed some fealty in one way or another to the idea of a
"New World Order" which represents the ultimate goal of
internationalizing rule by a few oligarchs and the dissolution, by every
means available, of dissent.
On March 19, 2011, exactly eight years after George
W. Bush launched "Operation Iraqi Freedom," President Obama savagely
bombed Libya .
One can begin to gain an understanding of exactly who
these oligarchs are by investigating the financial winners in the
oligarchization of the U.S. economy, in much the same way that the
Russian oligarchs were created and eventually identified.
Israel was an important beneficiary of these economic
operations and Israel has been an important beneficiary of certain U.S.
military operations, exactly as McGovern testified.
The clear losers in this process are the people
struggling globally for truth, justice, human rights, and peace. And
there are clear and identifiable winners--if one dares to look.
Understanding who the winners are is necessary if one
is to be able to decipher what they do and why. Therefore, it is
necessary to understand that a new type of language has been adopted
where war is peace, freedom is slavery, lies are truth, and ignorance is
strength: we already know this as Orwell Speak. Our job is to pierce
the intentional propagandistic obfuscations and expose the truth for
those less aware of the modus operandus of the crafters of this new
international order.
Nowhere should McGovern's testimony be weighed more
than in the context of the US-led "Global War on Terror," the more
recent "revolutions" of North Africa and West Asia, and more
specifically for this paper, events unfolding in Libya.
Initially, the U.S. effort against Qaddafi's
Administration in Libya was termed a "humanitarian intervention" to
protect the people. But, when since September 11, 1990 have U.S. troops
been mobilized to innocently rescue civilians in danger? In reality, the
U.S. military has been selectively called into action to cause civilian
pain, suffering, destruction, and death since September 11, 1990 and to
further unstated objectives.
The U.S. military was not called into action after
its ally, Paul Kagame, oversaw the murder of two democratically elected
Presidents, when their plane was shot from the air by a U.S. missile
left over from Operation Desert Storm that found its way to Uganda and
from Uganda into Kagame's possession. The murder of the two sitting
Presidents by way of shooting down their plane was an act of terror.
In the human conflagration that followed, the tragedy
that has become known as the Rwandan Genocide, 100,000 innocent
civilians were murdered every day for the next 100 days while the
Clinton Administration, National Security Council Advisor Susan Rice,
nor United Nations Ambassador Madeleine Albright did anything to provide
humanitarian intervention because regime change was the accepted policy
and if it meant the deaths of one million Africans, then so be it.
The Clinton Administration women who justified this
non-intervention, later had an opportunity to stop the carnage in Sierra
Leone, Ethiopia , Democratic Republic of Congo, Ivory Coast since 2000,
Sudan and they did nothing because what was happening in those areas,
despite the tremendous human toll, was consistent with unstated U.S.
policy.
Today, the Obama Administration is responsible for
its own war crimes, torture, crimes against humanity, and crimes against
the peace and defends in U.S. Courts those from the Bush Administration
who bear responsibility for having approved or justified them in the
past. Yet, this Administration will not even agree to investigate the
violation of Mumia Abu Jamal's civil rights in his first trial rife with
racial innuendo, judicial misconduct, and a lack of evidence. Or in the
case of Troy Davis where seven of nine witnesses recanted their
testimonies and cited prosecutorial misconduct. But it did go to court
to defend military commissions and insulted Native Americans in the
process!
In addition, what the United States is responsible
for in Afghanistan and Pakistan just since President Obama came to
office is unthinkable and is despicable. And U.S. taxpayers continue to
foot the financial and moral bill for the continued subjugation of
Palestine , especially the people of Gaza who are still being bombarded
by Israeli warplanes, all made possible by every one of us that pays
taxes. And let us not forget this Administration's efforts to quash the
Goldstone Report (the United Nations Report on Israel's Operation Cast
Lead against Gaza) and criticism of Israel after nine Turkish citizens
attempting to take humanitarian supplies to Gaza were brazenly murdered
by Israeli forces attacking the humanitarian aid ship, Mavi Marmara.
But, amazingly, when the Obama Administration puts
the U.S. war machine in action in a new front in Africa and
characterizes it as a "humanitarian intervention," the peace community
seemingly accepts the obfuscation and forgets the facts.
But the peace community knows full well that the
Obama Administration is continuing the longterm U.S. policies of
dismemberment, Balkanization, carefully crafted chaos, and death and
destruction to achieve its unstated objectives. Every possibility of
dissent is being obliterated--for a reason.
The FBI raids in Minnesota, Wisconsin, and
elsewhere targeting activists who support peace and the human rights of
Palestinians is no accident. Politically-motivated prosecutions of
politically active Palestinians came first, from Sami Al-Arian and his
brother-in-law to the Holy Land Five. These raids, combined with the
Administration's unstated military objectives, undergird the economic
transformation to which this Administration is fully committed. That is
why the average taxpayer pays more taxes than General Electric or Bank
of America, but shouldn't expect any kind of bailout from this
Administration.
Now, let's explore Libya with respect to McGovern's remark.
Oil: Well Libya's got lots of it: the most on the African Continent.
Israel: Preparing Israel to make "a clean break" from
the past and establish a new relationship with the U.S. based on
"maturity," by "securing the realm" as written by the Project for a New
American Century Study Group on "A New Israeli Strategy Toward 2000"
with Richard Perle as its leader. This should be seen as the operative
strategy defining events in the region: " Israel --proud, wealthy,
solid, and strong" can "shape its strategic environment." France can be
seen as an additional proxy for Israel in this action; France which
announced that it was taking the lead in the anti-Qaddafi operation, is
led by Nicholas Sarkozy whom the French media, Le Figaro newspaper,
identified after his election as a Mossad asset. 99% of the population
of Libya is Muslim. As long as Muslims are fighting each other they
won't have time to focus on Israel or Palestine; And as for logistics,
AFRICOM, the United States military's Africa Command, was not created
for nothing: it was created to deepen the U.S. military presence and
control over a Continent rich in land, water, strategic minerals, former
preserve of U.S. allies and now facing aggressive penetration by China.
Situated on the Mediterranean littoral, with oil money, and a
revolutionary leader, I need not say much more about Libya and logistics
useful for neocon objectives.
The reason Muammar Qaddafi is a target is because he
has been a thorn in the side of anti-revolutionary forces since he took
power in Libya, overthrowing the King and nationalizing the oil industry
so that the people could benefit from their oil resources.
Libya's Revolution brought free health care and
education to the people and subsidized housing. In fact, students in
Libya can study there or abroad and the government gives them a monthly
stipend while they are in school and they pay no tuition. If a Libyan
needs a surgery that must be done overseas, then the government will pay
for that surgery. That is more than the soldiers of the United States
military can say. While Libyans enjoy subsidized housing, members of the
U.S. military risk foreclosure while they serve their country abroad.
Money from oil is directly deposited into the accounts of every Libyan
based on oil income. As one Libyan told me recently, the idea is that if
people have what they need, then they don't have to deny rights to or
harm others and the Revolution believes that it is the responsibility of
the government to provide the basic needs of its citizens.
Now, as for democracy, a country that has never
practiced it is a poor trumpet for it. From genocide of indigenous
Americans to enslavement of stolen Africans to disfranchisement of
women, ours has been a less than perfect union. Now, it has turned the
administration of its elections over to private voting machine companies
and the finance of those elections to individuals and organizations
that can mobilize vast sums of money; thus the United States is not in
the best position to dictate the terms of another country's
democracy. But, Libyans govern themselves by The Green Book, a form of
direct democracy based on the African Constitution concept that the
people are the first and final source of all power. Clearly, the U.S.
move is counter-Revolution.
In addition, I remember watching the proceedings of
the House of Commons on television about ten years ago and I was shocked
by what I was hearing: a member of Parliament saying that the evidence
was actually planted by the U.S. C.I.A.! So, I searched for the article
and there it was. A Member of Parliament had done his own investigation
and discovered to his satisfaction that "the [timing] device was a
C.I.A. plant." Kind of like the investigation I did, myself, to conclude
that the Bush Administration was not telling us the truth about
September 11th.
There is so much more on this to write. But I will
leave that for another article. Let me just add this: Earl Hilliard was
kicked out of Congress in 2002 by the pro-Israel Lobby because he was
getting close to Libya and would learn some of the secrets that have not
yet been revealed. What business was it of Israel and their U.S.
supporters that an African American Member of Congress was reaching out
to an African leader who has always been supportive of Black liberation
in the United States ?
Muammar Qaddafi's daughter was murdered by U.S. bombs
targeting him. I have visited the compound. Unfortunately, it has since
been revealed by Victor Ostrovsky, a Mossad defector living in Canada,
that the bombing took place as a result of faked intelligence and that
Qaddafi was set up by Israel in Operation Trojan, that wanted him
targeted. According to Ostrovsky, Ronald Reagan was tricked into bombing
Libya by means of a "radio transmitter smuggled into Tripoli by the
Mossad, which broadcast messages designed to fool the United States into
thinking Libya was about to launch a massive terror attack on the West.
On the basis of this bogus evidence, the US bombed Libya , killing
Gaddafi's daughter." I have met with former members of MI-5 who were
tasked with assassinating Qaddafi and refused.
At any rate, I must put this on the record, too.
Muammar Qaddafi has long been a friend to African people.
Pan-Africanists have travelled to and from Libya since the beginning of
Qaddafi’s role as Libya’s leader, including Black Panther Party,
Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee, All-African People's
Revolutionary Party, and Nation of Islam members. I once defended Nation
Of Islam leader Louis Farrakhan in the House International Relations
Committee when the late Tom Lantos--on behalf of Israel --challenged The
Nation's relationship with Libya and wanted to dash Qaddafi's desire to
give The Nation several billion dollars to help Black people.
Unfortunately, in an effort of goodwill, Mr. Qaddafi
on at least one occasion, was also prepared to assist those who
presented themselves as servants of the people but in fact were not: the
Blackstone Rangers in Chicago. More importantly, hundreds of unnamed
Black Americans have made the sojourn to Libya – all striving for the
unification of Africans in Africa and the Diaspora. Black people who
would have not otherwise ever connected with one another have been able
to do so for more than forty years because of the educational and
cultural conferences that Qaddafi has sponsored. The only requirement
for participation was that they be willing to commit to work towards the
ongoing development of Africa--all of Africa and wherever Africans are.
Mr. Qaddafi to this day continues to assist Black political
organizations in an effort to keep people of African descent able to
exercise their right of self-determination.
Meanwhile, on the Continent, Africans not ready to
kowtow to France , the United States, or other former colonial powers
maintain their independence thanks to Qaddafi, the former head of the
African Union. Qaddafi was named African Leader of the Year in 2009.
Qaddafi provided the African National Congress and Nelson Mandela the
wherewithal to defeat apartheid in South Africa. In short, if you want
to stop Black people, then one key move is to stop Colonel Qaddafi.
Finally, I have led two delegations to Tripoli. Among
those I took with me are KPFK's Dedon Kamathi, Black Agenda Report's
Glen Ford, WBAIX.com's Don Debar, WayneMadsenReport.com's Wayne Madsen,
National Hip Hop Political Caucus's Troy Nkrumah, Block Report's
Minister of Information J.R. Valrey, Bob Fitrakis of FreePress.org,
Keith Harmon Snow of allthingspass.com, and Malcolm Shabazz, the
grandson of Malcolm X.
Chicago's Pat Hill traveled with me twice and is in
regular contact with people on the ground in Libya. You have heard them
giving their impressions of what they saw and what they know on radio,
television, and the internet. The information I have included in this
article is public information. Therefore, I am amazed that activist
"leaders" who ought to know better accept special interest propaganda as
the truth and then knowingly or unwittingly become tools of the
disinformation artists. Responsible news outlets will search for those
who know. I ask the readers of this article to trust no one who is
merely a talking head, search for those who have experience and a track
record for telling not a part of the truth, but the whole truth, and then
finally do your own research and learn more about your government. And
maybe, finally, then candidates who don't deserve our votes won't get
them.
In conclusion, the United States, France, and Britain
together have killed hundreds of thousands of civilians in Iraq and
Afghanistan and their collective wars elsewhere without any punishment
or any action from the U.N. Their action in Libya is illegal and Libya
should launch a legal action in the International Court of Justice to
obtain an injunction against this military action and I know just the
right team of unbought international lawyers to do it. The claim that
military actions against Libya protect civilians is a mockery and
Presidents Obama and Sarkozy and Prime Minister Cameron should be called
on it.
Interestingly, the National Front for the Salvation
of Libya held its most recent meeting in the United States in July 2007.
However, Libyans should be able to solve their own problems without
foreign interference.
Venezuela President Hugo Chavez has put forward a mediation proposal which I have endorsed.
In addition, the Hugo Chavez International Foundation
for Peace, Friendship and Solidarity released a communiqué stating that
the "Arab League endorsements of Al-Qaida terrorism in Libya , [the
U.S./NATO minus Germany and Turkey , plus the United Arab Emirates
allies] is a racially-motivated hatred since the obnoxious slave trade
centuries back." The communiqué continues that opening contacts with
terrorists amounts to nothing less than promoting international
terrorism and characterizes the Arab League move as both anti-African
and anti-Black. The Hugo Chavez Foundation communiqué concludes: Long
live Muammar Al-Qathafi! Long live the African Union! Long live
Pan-Africanism! Solidarity with Blacks everywhere!
Cynthia McKinney is a frequent contributor to Global Research. Global Research Articles by Cynthia McKinney
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