A Global Crime Spree — What’s NATO Ever Done?
A Global Crime Spree
What’s NATO Ever Done?
by JOHN LaFORGE
(Source: Counterpunch)
Wondering why anyone would confront NATO’s summit in Chicago this month? A look at some of its more well-known crimes might spark some indignation.
Desecration of corpses, indiscriminate attacks, bombing of allied troops, torture of prisoners and unaccountable drone war are a few of NATO’s outrages in Afghanistan, Pakistan, Libya, Yemen and elsewhere. On March 20, 2012 Pakistani lawmakers demanded an end to all NATO/CIA drone strikes against their territory. As reported in The New York Times, Pakistan’s foreign secretary Jalil Jilani said April 26, 2012, “We consider drones illegal, counter-productive and accordingly, unacceptable.” On May 31 last year, Afghan President Hamid Karzai gave what he called his “last” warning against NATO’s bombing of Afghani homes, saying “If they continue their attacks on our houses … history shows what Afghans do with trespassers and with occupiers.”
While bombing Libya last March, NATO refused to aid a group of 72 migrants adrift in the Mediterranean. Only nine people on board survived. The refusal was condemned as criminal by the Council of Europe, a human rights watchdog.
NATO jets bombed and rocketed a Pakistani military base for two hours Nov. 26, 2011—the Salala Incident— killing 26 Pakistani soldiers and wounding dozens more. NATO refuses to apologize, so the Pakistani regime has kept military supply routes into Afghanistan closed since November.
The British medical journal Lancet reported that the US-led unprovoked 2003 bombing, invasion and military take-over of Iraq—which NATO officially joined in 2004 in a ‘training’ capacity—had resulted in over 665,000 civilian deaths by 2006, and 200,000 in the UN-authorized, 1991 Desert Storm massacre led primarily by the US with several NATO allies.
On April 12, 1999, NATO attacked the railway bridge over the Grdelica Gorge and Juzna Morava River with two laser-guided bombs. At the time, a five-car civilian passenger train was crossing the bridge and was hit by both bombs. Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch accused NATO of violating binding laws that require distinction, discrimination and proportionality.
NATO rocketed the central studio of Radio Televisija Srbije (TRS) in Belgrade, the state-owned broadcasting corporation, on April 23, 1999 during the Kosovo war. Sixteen civilian employees of RTS were killed and 16 wounded when NATO destroyed the building. Amnesty Int’l reported that the building could not be considered military, that NATO had violated the prohibition on attacking civilian objects and had therefore committed a war crime.
Headlines chronicle NATO’s crime spree
“U.S. troops posed with body parts of Afghan bombers.” Los Angeles Times, April 18, 2012
“Drones At Issue…: Raids Disrupt Militants, but Civilian Deaths Stir Outrage.” New York Times, March 18, 2012
“G.I. Kills 16 Afghans, Including 9 Children In Attacks on Homes.” New York Times, March 12, 2012
“NATO Admits Airstrike Killed 8 Young Afghans, but Contends They Were Armed.” New York Times, Feb. 16, 2012
“Informer Misled NATO in Airstrike That Killed 8 Civilians, Afghans Say.” (Seven shepherd boys under 14.) New York Times, Feb. 10, 2012
“Video [of U.S. Marines urinating on dead Taliban fighters] Inflames a Delicate Moment for U.S. in Afghanistan.” New York Times, Jan. 12, 2012
“Commission alleges U.S. detainee abuse.” Minneapolis StarTribune, Jan. 8, 2012
“Six Children Are Killed by NATO Airstrike in Afghanistan.” New York Times, Nov. 25, 2011
“American Soldier Is Convicted of Killing Afghan Civilians for Sport.” New York Times, Nov. 11, 2011
“Pakistan: U.S. Drone Strike Kills Brother of a Taliban Commander.” New York Times, Oct. 28, 2011
“Afghanistan officials ‘systematically tortured’ detainees, UN report says.” Guardian, & BBC Oct. 10; Washington Post, Oct. 11, 2011
“G.I. Killed Afghan Journalist, NATO Says.” New York Times, Sept. 9, 2011
“Cable Implicates Americans in Deaths of Iraqi Civilians.” New York Times, Sept. 2, 2011
“Civilians Die in a Raid by Americans and Iraqis.” New York Times, Aug. 7, 2011
“NATO Strikes Libyan State TV Transmitters.” New York Times, July 31, 2011
“NATO admits raid probably killed nine in Tripoli.” St. Paul Pioneer Press, June 20, 2011
“U.S. Expands Its Drone War to Take On Somali Militants.” New York Times, July 2, 2011
“NATO airstrike blamed in 14 civilian deaths.” St. Paul Pioneer Press, May 30, 2011
“Libya Effort Is Called Violation of War Act.” New York Times, May 26, 2011
“Raid on Wrong House Kills Afghan Girl, 12.” New York Times, May 12, 2011
“Yemen: 2 Killed in Missile Strike.” Associated Press, May 5, 2011
“NATO Accused of Going Too Far With Libya Strikes.” New York Times, May 2, 2011
“Disposal of Bin Laden’s remains violated Islamic principles, clerics say.” Associated Press, May 2, 2011
“Photos of atrocities seen as threat to Afghan relations.” St. Paul Pioneer Press, March 22, 2011
“Missiles Kill 26 in Pakistan” (“most of them civilians”) New York Times, March 18, 2011
“Afgans Say NATO Troops Killed 8 Civilians in Raid.” New York Times, Aug. 24, 2010
“A dozen or more” Afghan civilians were killed during a nighttime raid August 5, 2010 in eastern Afghanistan, NATO’s officers said. Chicago Tribune, Aug. 6, 2010
“Afghans Say Attack Killed 52 Civilians; NATO Differs.” New York Times, July 27, 2010
In June 2008, NATO bombers attacked a Pakistani paramilitary force called the Frontier Corps killing 11 of its soldiers. New York Times, Nov. 27, 2011
“Afghans Die in Bombing, As Toll Rises for Civilians.” New York Times, May 3, 2010
John LaForge works for Nukewatch, a nuclear watchdog and anti-war group in Wisconsin and edits its Quarterly.
Bahrain protesters clash with police
[There has been almost no coverage of the brutal crackdowns by the dictatorship in Bahrain in the mainstream media, especially in the United States. This is because the monarchy there is an ally of the Gulf States and the United States. The majority of the population there are Shia. They are ruled over by a pro-Western, sectarian monarch. -- NP]
Bahrain protesters clash with police
(Source: AFP)
Bahraini police fired tear gas and birdshot during overnight clashes with protesters demanding the release of jailed opposition activists, wounding several demonstrators, witnesses said on Friday.
The clashes broke out in Shiite villages around the capital Manama when hundreds of demonstrators flooded the streets chanting anti-regime slogans and calling on the authorities to release the prisoners, the witnesses said.
It was not immediately clear how many people were wounded in the clashes on Thursday night. The sources said the injured could not be taken to hospital for treatment for fear that police would arrest them.
“With our blood and our souls, we will avenge the martyrs,” sang the demonstrators, some of whom were masked. “Down With Hamad,” they chanted in reference to the Shiite-majority Gulf state’s Sunni ruler, King Hamad.
Demonstrators held up pictures of prominent human rights activist Nabeel Rajab, who was arrested last Saturday for tweets deemed insulting to the government.
On Friday, hundreds of opposition supporters held fresh protests in the Shiite village of Karzakan, southwest of Manama, before dispersing without incident, according to witnesses.
“The people have chosen democracy and will not give up,” their banners read.
Amnesty International has urged Bahrain to free Rajab immediately.
“Nabeel Rajab is a prisoner of conscience and he must be immediately and unconditionally released,” said Philip Luther, head of the London-based watchdog’s Middle East and North Africa programme.
Rajab, who heads the Bahrain Centre for Human Rights, was arrested at Manama airport after returning from a trip to Denmark, Sweden and Lebanon.
He is among a number of prominent opposition figures detained by the authorities. Others include leading activist Abdulhadi al-Khawaja, who has been on hunger strike since February.
Khawaja, who has become a symbol of the opposition movement, was arrested in April 2001 shortly after the authorities crushed month-long Shiite protests in a crackdown that killed 35 people, according to an independent inquiry.
Amnesty says in total 60 people have been killed since the protests began in February last year.
‘US military, CIA out of control in Afghanistan’
US coming fire even by their own allies in Afghanistan for their attacks against Afghan civilians.
Syria arms ship impounded, crew held for questioning
[The West toppled the Gaddafi regime over the past year in order to extend their power in Africa and the Middle East, in order to plunder Libya's resources, and restructure Libya's economy along neoliberal lines. The regime in Libya is dependent on the West. It shows its loyalty by exporting pro-Western regime change, especially in Syria. Recently, a shipment of arms from Western-backed Libya was intercepted. This violates the terms of the Syrian peace process. Despite its claims, the West does not care for peace in Syria. It only cares about extending its power by toppling the regime. -NP]
Syria arms ship impounded, crew held for questioning
(Source: The Daily Star)
BEIRUT: Military Prosecutor Judge Saqr Saqr ordered Saturday that the 11-member crew of the Syria-bound weapons ship “Lutfallah II” be held for questioning, sources close to the matter said.
The sources told The Daily Star that the Sierra Leonean-flagged ship was carrying light, medium and heavy weaponry.
Saqr requested that the military police question the suspects and find out at which port the arms were loaded and to whom they were to be delivered.
In a statement released Saturday, the Lebanese army confirmed the confiscation of weapons on board the ship.
“The army intercepted Friday off the northern coast the Sierra Leonean-flagged commercial vessel “Lutfallah II”; the army and relevant authorities inspected the vessel and confiscated three containers with a large quantity of assorted arms as well as heavy, medium and light ammunition.”
The statement added that the eleven detained crew members are of various Arab and foreign nationalities.
President Michel Sleiman praised the army Saturday for seizing the ship, saying the measure is part of preserving civil peace and a translation into action of the Lebanese state’s decision to prevent the country from becoming an arena of conflict for others or a conduit for settling accounts.
According to his press office, Sleiman also stressed the importance of keeping the army and security forces alert to ward off risks that might incite strife, disturb stability, or adversely affect Lebanon’s relationship with its neighbors.
Lutfallah II, headed for Syria, was impounded by Lebanese authorities and transported to the Lebanese Navy base in Beirut port Saturday, after having been intercepted in Lebanese waters Friday and forced to dock at Salaata port.
The ship had left Libya for the Egyptian port of Alexandria and was on its way to Syria when it entered Lebanese waters.
The Lebanese Navy intercepted the vessel and directed it to Salaata in the north, whereupon an inspection of its cargo was carried out and weapons were discovered.
The owner of the ship is a Syrian identified as Mohammad Khafaja and its Lebanese agent is Ahmad Bernard. Khafaja and Bernard have been arrested, as has the customs agent tasked with unloading the ship’s contents — listed as engine oil.
The ship was transported Saturday to Beirut port accompanied by three Navy vessels. There is no confirmation on whether the ship intended to dock in Lebanon.
Syrian authorities have repeatedly charged that weapons are being smuggled from Lebanon into Syria to assist rebels seeking the ouster of President Bashar Assad.
CNN manufactures ‘news’ in Syria
Awhile back, CNN was caught with its pants down. CNN’s “on the scene source Danny” in Syria was caught staging events. CNN’s source and camera operator can be seen ordering gunfire and explosions in an area that is otherwise quiet. They are also heard discussing the script, which is clearly false. The Syrian government has stated that Western media is propaganda. There is certainly violence by both sides in the Syrian conflict, but this shows the class nature of the media.
This isn’t new. During the first Gulf War, similar cases of staged events were uncovered:
“Charles Jaco was the CNN reporter famous for covering the 1990 Persian Gulf War.
The first part of this video shows the stage set he was on, and he was clowning around with fellow CNN staff. The Saudi Arabian “hotel” in the background were fake palm trees and a blue wall in a studio. This clip was leaked by CNN staff.
The second part of this video was a live CNN satellite feed recorded onto VHS showing the final cut. Charles Jaco was wearing a different jacket, but he had the same act. The acting was terrible as Charles Jaco wore a gas mask, and his fellow correspondent Carl Rochelle wore a helmet. The sirens and missile sound effects are part of the stage set. The camera never pans out or shows the sky.”
Other media has also created fake videos:
Bahrain petrol bomb inferno: Video of violent clashes after protester
The people of Bahrain are rising against the US-backed and Gulf Arab-backed monarchy there. There is almost no media coverage in the West about the brutal crimes by the dictatorship there because the US supports Bahrain. On the other hand, in Syria, the US and Gulf Arabs are financing a civil war in order to plunge the country into chaos in order to pave the way for an attack on Iran.
US says “Assad must go,” increases aid to the opposition.. Social imperialists agree
US says “Assad must go,” increases aid to the opposition.. Social imperialists agree
(new-power.org)
At the recent so-called “Friends of Syria Conference,” US and other foreign powers decided to increase their support for the Syrian opposition. “Assad must go,” said Hillary Clinton:
“Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton said that, despite a newly-brokered cease fire agreement with Syrian President Bashar al Assad, his days as president are numbered as his forces continue the bloody clash with Syrian opposition groups.
“We think Assad must go,” Clinton told ABC today after attending the one-day Friends of the Syrian People conference in Istanbul. “The sooner the better for everyone concerned.”
But she added that the process must be multi-pronged.The UN-Arab League peace plan and cease fire negotiated last week by envoy Kofi Annan is a good beginning, she said, but Assad has yet to stop the violence.
“There has to be a timeline,” Clinton said regarding the diplomatic process. “It can’t go on indefinitely.”
Representatives of more than 60 countries attending the conference pledged financial assistance to the Syrian Free Army, the main opposition group, in an effort to encourage further defections from Assad’s forces.
Clinton said the United States has agreed to pledge an additional $12 million for a total of $25 million in aid and to provide communications equipment to help the Syrian Free Army organize.
She met with the Syrian National Congress today to discuss how to document evidence of the atrocities for future investigations or trials in international criminal courts. A sanctions working group was also created to target those who are helping Assad.While some Arab countries have urged western nations to arm Syrian rebels, Clinton said the United States is trying to balance its support of opposition groups without raising expectations that can’t be met.
“We do have a stake in what happens in Syria, we just have to be thoughtful about how we pursue our role,” she told ABC…”
Echoing Clinton, many in the so-called “left” are supporting the imperialist attack against the Syrian people:
“In recent weeks, Egypt’s misnamed Revolutionary Socialists (RS) have stepped up their campaign in support of imperialist war plans against Syria. Since the beginning of March, the RS have published a series of articles denouncing the regime of Syrian president Bashar Al-Assad and criticising the imperialist powers for not launching a military intervention against Syria.
The RS are further attacking China for being complicit in killings in Syria. According to media reports, student members of the RS expelled a representative of the Chinese embassy from a seminar at the University in Alexandria on March 10. They attacked the Chinese representative for his country’s support for the Syrian regime, holding up banners reading: “Your country endorses the killing of our Syrian brothers”. A picture of the incident has since then been prominently placed on the RS’s web site.
China along with Russia vetoed a United Nations Security Council resolution last month that was meant to prepare a Western-backed intervention against Syria.
The principal responsibility for the bloodshed in Syria lies with the US and its allies, not with the Assad regime. By calling for foreign intervention in Syria, the RS are exposing themselves as tools of imperialism, willing to endorse the type of imperialist intervention that devastated Libya, causing 50,000 deaths and installing a far-right Islamist regime in Tripoli…”
The article continues:
“Opposing social revolution at home, they support imperialist aggression abroad. In propaganda articles, they uncritically present Western-backed armed groups as “revolutionaries” and in some cases criticise the imperialist powers for being too hesitant to launch wars of aggression, while uncritically presenting unverified accounts of civilian casualties due to Syrian government intervention.
The RS recently published a piece by Yusef Khalil and the ISO’s Lee Sustar titled “Will Syria’s regime crush the revolution?” The article was first published in English on the ISO’s web site on March 5 and a few days later in Arabic on the RS web site. This article falsifies the events in Syria, gets caught in its own contradictions, and ultimately critiques imperialism from the right, for not being aggressive enough in launching war with Syria…”
More:
“It regards its campaign against Syria as part of a general strategy of confrontation with Iran to control the oil-rich and strategically vital Middle East. This strategy is ultimately bound up with broader plans in Washington to maintain the US’s global hegemony, and in particular to use US military strength to combat the increasing economic influence of China. Manifestly, the RS support these measures…”
Organizations like the ISO and RS represent forces loyal to imperialism and the First World. Lenin called such organizations social imperialist. They claim to be socialist, but in reality, they support imperialism. There are all kinds of forces calling themselves communist and socialist in the world. Scientific communists, Leading Lights, look beneath the surface. Being a communist today means understanding the balance of forces in the world scientifically, it means understanding the principal contradiction, it means understanding global class analysis.
Sources
http://news.yahoo.com/secretary-clinton-says-syrian-president-assad-must-163814047.html
http://www.wsws.org/articles/2012/mar2012/rssy-m26.shtml
Western and Gulf states admit funding anti-Assad forces
Western and Gulf states admit funding anti-Assad forces
(new-power.org)
A coalition of the Western imperialist powers and the Gulf states are engaged in a war against the Syrian and Iranian regimes. The Western imperialists have no interest in democracy in Syria or anywhere else. Their Gulf state allies, like Saudi Arabia, are the most anti-democratic in the region, some of the most patriarchal regimes in the world, restricting even the most basic human rights to women. The Assad regime is highly problematic, but the fall of the regime will increase imperialist hegemony in the region and set the stage for an imperialist war against Iran. Those so-called “leftists” who are cheerleading the destruction of the Assad from the belly of the beast only undermine the anti-interventionist, anti-war, anti-militarist movements. They have aligned with imperialism against Syria, just as they did so in Libya, just as they also do so against Iran. They are what Lenin referred to as “social imperialists.” They are socialist only in name; they are really agents of imperialism.
Mainstream media reports:
“An international coalition said Sunday that it will provide funding and communications equipment to Syrian rebels and opposition activists, reflecting a shift toward military options that might oust Syrian President Bashar Assad after a year of failed diplomacy aimed at stopping his crackdown on dissent.
Participants at a meeting on Syria, held in Istanbul, said Saudi Arabia and other Gulf countries are creating a multimillion-dollar fund to pay members of the rebel Free Syrian Army and soldiers who defect from the regime and join opposition ranks. One delegate described the fund as a “pot of gold” to undermine Assad’s army.
In addition, U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton said the United States is providing communications equipment to help opposition members in Syria organize, remain in contact with the outside world and evade regime attacks.
“We are discussing with our international partners how best to expand this support,” Clinton said.
The large-scale plan by Gulf countries to help Syria’s badly overmatched rebels offers a solution to the international divide over whether to arm the rebels or support them through only non-lethal or humanitarian means. It also reflects frustration with appeals to Assad to stop his crackdown on dissent, as well as hopes of forcing his ouster by shifting the military balance on the ground.
Conference participants confirmed the Gulf plan on condition of anonymity because details were still being worked out. It was unclear how the fund would be set up and monitored, or how the money, allegedly earmarked for salaries, would be guaranteed. A participant said the fund would involve millions of dollars every month.
The Saudis and other Arab Gulf states have proposed giving weapons to the rebels, while the U.S. and other allies, including Turkey, have balked out of fear of fueling an all-out civil war. Washington hasn’t taken any public position on the fund, but it appears that it has given tacit support to its Arab allies.
The salaries would aim to entice reluctant servicemen in Assad’s military to break ranks and join the insurgency. With Syria’s economy in a spiral, the Syrian opposition and U.S. and Arab officials hope soldiers will desert in large numbers and accelerate the downfall of the Assad regime.
At the meeting in Istanbul, delegates from dozens of countries also sought to increase pressure on Assad by pushing for tighter sanctions and increased diplomatic pressure, while urging the opposition to offer a democratic alternative to his regime.
Yet the show of solidarity at the “Friends of the Syrian People” conference was marred by the absence of China, Russia and Iran — key supporters of Assad who disagree with Western and Arab allies over how to stop the bloodshed. A peace plan by U.N.-Arab League envoy Kofi Annan has so far failed to take hold amid fresh reports of deadly violence.
“The Syrian regime should not be allowed at any cost to manipulate this plan to gain time,” Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan said in an opening address.
Erdogan also indicated military options might have to be considered, if Syria does not cooperate with Annan’s plan and the U.N. Security Council fails to unite in opposition to Assad. He referred to the vetoes of U.N. censure of Assad by Russia and China, which fear the measures could lead to foreign military intervention.
“If the U.N. Security Council fails once again to bring about its historic responsibility, there will be no other choice than to support the Syrian people’s right to self-defense,” Erdogan said.
Clinton also expressed skepticism that the Syrian government would observe Annan’s plans, which call for an immediate cease-fire and a Syrian-led negotiation process.
“Nearly a week has gone by, and we have to conclude that the regime is adding to its long list of broken promises,” Clinton said. “The world must judge Assad by what he does, not by what he says. And we cannot sit back and wait any longer.”
Clinton urged unity behind a plan that includes more sanctions, humanitarian aid, support for the opposition and the promise of justice one day for regime figures involved in atrocities.
Burhan Ghalioun, leader of the opposition Syrian National Council, called for the strengthening of Syrian rebel forces as well as “security corridors” inside Syria, a reference to internationally protected zones on Syrian territory that would allow the delivery of aid to civilians. However, the nations meeting in Istanbul have so far failed to agree on such an intervention, which could involve the risky deployment of foreign security forces.
“No one should allow this regime to feel at ease or to feel stronger by giving them a longer maneuvering area,” he said, reflecting fears that Assad would try to use the Annan plan to prolong his tenure. “It’s enough that the international community has flirted with the regime in Syria. Something has to change.”
In a statement, the Syrian National Council said weapons supplies to the opposition were not “our preferred option” because of the risk they could escalate the killing of civilians, but it appealed for technical equipment to help rebels coordinate.
“For these supplies to be sent, neighboring countries need to allow for the transfer via their sea ports and across borders,” the council said.
The one-day meeting followed an inaugural forum in Tunisia in February. Since then, Syrian opposition figures have tried to convince international sponsors that they can overcome their differences and shape the future of a country whose autocratic regime has long denied the free exchange of ideas.
Syria blasted the conference, calling it part of an international conspiracy to kill Syrians and weaken the country.
A front-page editorial in the official Al-Baath newspaper called it a “regional and international scramble to search for ways to kill more Syrians, sabotage their society and state, and move toward the broad objective of weakening Syria.”
In Istanbul, police used tear gas and batons to disperse a group of about 40 Assad supporters who tried to approach the conference building. Many held portraits of the Syrian leader. One man waved Chinese and Russian flags.”
Source: http://news.yahoo.com/syria-conference-gulf-countries-fund-rebels-123236191.html
Libya offers to pick up oil slack in case of war against Iran
Libya offers to pick up oil slack in case of war against Iran
(new-power.org)
The US, Israel, and the Gulf states are involved in a covert war against Iran and its close allies. The US and its allies have already imposed sanctions against Iran to weaken its economy. Israel has said it would be willing to act militarily against Iran. The current efforts to topple the Assad regime in Syria, an Iranian ally, is part of this effort. Claims that the US is interested in human rights are completely false. After all, the US and its proxies have been supporting the brutal crackdowns against the protests in Bahrain. The US has also been bankrolling the genocide against the Palestinian people for decades. The US, Israel, and the Gulf states worry that Iran is emerging as a regional power capable of interfering with their interests. As the US prepares for war against Iran, the oil markets will be threatened. In the event of a war, Iran has the power to disrupt oil traffic in the Straight of Harmoz, which sees 20 percent of the world’s oil in danger. Oil prices could double. (1) This could drastically hurt the global capitalist economy, which is already in a state of recession and crisis. Recently, the new Libyan regime, along with Saudi Arabia, have stated that they can increase production in order to help the global economy in such a scenario. (2)
When the West began its campaign to topple the Gaddafi regime in Libya, many so-called leftists , “radicals,” and social-democrats, and other revisionists ran to cheer the effort. They cheered the US-supported regime changes, “color revolutions,” worldwide. Their regime in Libya is now in the pocket of the US and other Western imperialists, actively supporting the war against Syria and Iran. These social imperialists need to be held accountable for their acts. Just because someone claims to be a leftist, anarchist, socialist, or communist does not make them on the side of the global masses. Just because someone uses a Marx or Mao-flavored rhetoric does not make them an ally of the people. Revisionism is very real.
Notes
1. http://www.usnews.com/news/blogs/rick-newman/2012/03/21/how-a-war-with-iran-would-cause-7-gas
2. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kkfdWJ1U9Ic&list=UUpwvZwUam-URkxB7g4USKpg&index=6&feature=plcp
US troops massacre 16 Afghan civilians
US troops massacre 16 Afghan civilians
(new-power.org)
US troops have massacred 16 civilians, including women and children, in Afghanistan. The massacre began around 3 am in two villages in Panjwai district, a rural suburb of Kandahar and a traditional Taliban stronghold. The villages — Balandi and Alkozai — are about 500 yards (meters) from a US base. US troops entered three houses and opened fire on families, said a village resident of Alkozai, Abdul Baqi:
“When it was happening in the middle of the night, we were inside our houses. I heard gunshots and then silence and then gunshots again.”
The mainstream media reports that:
“An American soldier opened fire on villagers near his base in southern Afghanistan Sunday and killed 16 civilians, according to President Hamid Karzai, who called it an ‘assassination’ and furiously demanded an explanation from Washington. Nine children and three women were among the dead.
The killing spree deepened a crisis between U.S. forces and their Afghan hosts over Americans burning Muslim holy books on a base in Afghanistan last month. The Quran burnings sparked weeks of violent protests and attacks that left some 30 dead. Six U.S. service members have been killed by their Afghan colleagues since the burnings came to light, and the violence had just started to calm down.”
Even Hamid Karzai, a US puppet has been forced to condemn the massacre:
“This is an assassination, an intentional killing of innocent civilians and cannot be forgiven.”
The imperialists have turned Afghanistan into a killing field for decades. The Soviets and Americans, along with their local agents and reactionaries, have brutalized the population there for decades. The brutality continues today. Afghanistan is occupied. The people have every right to resist. These killings will create further anti-American feeling in Afghanistan, especially after US personnel were found burning Korans. These killings reveal the brutality of the US and its agents. These deaths will help fuel the struggle against imperialism there. Let us hope for a quick defeat to US imperialism.
From the Onion: Iran Worried U.S. Might Be Building 8,500th Nuclear Weapon
From The Onion:
Iran Worried U.S. Might Be Building 8,500th Nuclear Weapon
TEHRAN—Amidst mounting geopolitical tensions, Iranian officials said Wednesday they were increasingly concerned about the United States of America’s uranium-enrichment program, fearing the Western nation may soon be capable of producing its 8,500th nuclear weapon. “Our intelligence estimates indicate that, if it is allowed to progress with its aggressive nuclear program, the United States may soon possess its 8,500th atomic weapon capable of reaching Iran,” said Iranian foreign minister Ali Akbar Salehi, adding that Americans have the fuel, the facilities, and ”everything they need” to manufacture even more weapons-grade fissile material. ”Obviously, the prospect of this happening is very distressing to Iran and all countries like Iran. After all, the United States is a volatile nation that’s proven it needs little provocation to attack anyone anywhere in the world whom it perceives to be a threat.” Iranian intelligence experts also warned of the very real, and very frightening, possibility of the U.S. providing weapons and resources to a rogue third-party state such as Israel.
http://www.theonion.com/articles/iran-worried-us-might-be-building-8500th-nuclear-w,27325/
Hands off Syria!
Hands off Syria!
(new-power.org)
Syria is under attack by the imperialists and their agents. The Arab spring, which started out as a popular movement against comprador regimes that sell out to the imperialists, has been transformed and co-opted in many places by the imperialists themselves. The imperialists, especially the US and NATO, have sought to use the Arab spring to create color revolutions in places like Libya, Syria, and, eventually, Iran. At the same time, Gulf Arab states, like Saudi Arabia and Qatar, are seeking to spread their own hegemony in the region, often though the support and financing of Sunni Jihadi groups, in order to challenge Iran. The Zionists in Israel also seek to weaken Syria because to do so weakens Hamas, Hezbollah, and the Iranian regime. Turkey, a Western ally, also seeks to extend its influence. Here are points to consider.
1. Several forces are coming together to undermine the Assad regime in Syria. The Western imperialists seek to undermine the regime as part of its war against growing Iranian power in the region. The Assad regime is part of a regional alliance that includes the Islamic Republic of Iran and Hezbollah in Lebanon. When the United States pulls out of Iraq, pro-Iranian forces hope to fill the vacuum and seek to solidify the alliance with the Islamic Republic of Iran with Iraq. Thus Iranian influence will increase. At the moment, many are biding their time in Iraq.
2. The Gulf states, especially Saudi Arabia and Qatar, are financing the anti-Assad forces in Syria. The Sunni Gulf states fear the emerging power of Iran, which they seek to stop in Iraq. In addition, it would not be surprising if Qatar is putting boots on the ground against Assad as it did against Gaddafi in Libya. While they are close allies with the West, the Gulf states are willing and able to use the Sunni-Islamist forces that the West keeps at arms length.
3. The Assad regime is a secular one. However, many of the top officials of the regime come from the Alawi, a religious and cultural minority that has suffered terrible oppression in the past. The Alawi were some of the poorest and most discriminated in the region. One of the reasons that the Syrian regime has a greater degree of religious tolerance than other regimes in the region is due to the Alawi origins of the Assad family. Hafez al-Assad, after taking power, removed the provision of the Syrian constitution that only allowed Sunnis to occupy the office of President. The Alawi will not willingly give up their position in society to become lower caste again. This means they will fight tooth-and-nail to keep power. This means that those seeking to take power from them may end up resorting to ethnic terror. There is much potential for Syria to descend into a bloodbath.
4. The Zionists in Israel also seek to weaken Syria because to do so increases their hold on Palestine and increases their power in the region. In Palestine, Hamas, a Sunni organization, has maintained close ties with both the Iranian regime and Gulf states. Because of the ethnic and religious nature of the conflict in Syria, Hamas is in a tough spot. As of now, they have said the conflict in Syria is an internal matter to be resolved by Syrians, but have not come out publicly to back Assad. Hamas has backers in the Gulf states that are coming more and more into conflict with the Iranian state and Iranian-state-aligned forces. In addition, Hamas is religiously and culturally closer to those who oppose Assad. The conflict in Syria will undermine Hamas in Palestine. The West benefits greatly by placing Hamas in such a difficult situation. This is one reason that the Zionists in Israel are moving to destabilize Syria. In addition, a weakened Syria means a weakened Hezbollah in Lebanon. Also, Israel has an interest in isolating and toppling Iran.
5. The Russian state has a longstanding commitment to the Assad regime. The Assad regime had been an ally of the Soviet Union in its revisionist days. Unlike with Libya, at present, the Russian state is seeking to actively block the West from taking down the Assad regime. The Russian state is moving to impede Western efforts to undermine Syria diplomatically and in the UN. Also, the Russian state recently stated it would honor its arms deals with the Syrian regime. The Russian regime is pushing for a peaceful resolution that keeps Assad in power, rather than throwing the regime to the Western wolves. At the same time, if push comes to shove, or if the West cuts the Russian state a deal, it is very possible that the Russian state will cut its losses and abandon its ally. We should not expect the Russian state to go to war with the West over Syria. As broader efforts by the West unfold to isolate the Iranian state, the Iranian state will try to turn to the Russian state too.
6. Despite the left rhetoric or anti-imperialist Jihadi rhetoric of the anti-Assad forces, the reality is that, at this moment, such forces are playing into the hands of the West’s efforts to gain control of the region and the West’s aim of eventually toppling the Iranian regime. The Assad regime, for all its flaws, should be defended against Western intervention.
Hands off Syria! Hands off Iran! No war! No sanctions! No intervention of any kind against Syria and Iran! Uphold the Broad United Front! Hold the Red Flag High!
US pigs urinate on Taliban
US pigs urinate on Taliban
(new-power.org)
A recent video has surfaced that depicts several US marines standing above the bodies of their dead Taliban adversaries. The dead are aligned as trophies while the US soldiers urinate on them. In the video, marines from Scout Sniper Team 4 laugh and mock the dead. One says “golden like a shower.” Another says, “have a great day buddy.” This graphically shows the US military violating the Geneva Conventions that state that the dead must be treated with respect. The video was posted to youtube by a whistle blower, “SimperfiLoneVoice,” who made his intentions known with the caption: “i thought marines were suppose to do the right thing when no one is watching.”
No matter how the US responds, this video is a major propaganda coup for those resisting imperialism. It has the potential to have an effect similar to Abu Ghraib in Iraq. The video has more sensational potential than the video of US troops executing a wounded combatant in Iraq. Even though the bodies appear to be corpses, all of the US crimes in the region can be symbolized in this simple, disrespectful act. Even though the dead do not feel, every living Muslim, even living Afghanistani, will see this as US marines urinating on their loved ones.
Uphold the united front from attacks by fake leftists
Uphold the united front from attacks by fake leftists
by cherokeetears
(new-power.org)
There are those who say that it is acceptable to support imperialism on some occasions. This opportunism has plagued revolutionary politics since their inception. From the anarchists of Marx, to the social-imperialists of Lenin, and through the capitalist roaders of Mao’s China, every revolutionary period has had its opportunism. The Left has been infected by the liberalism and idealism of identity politics, and too often it has succumb to the pressure of this idealism. Individuals have embraced imperialism for their own prejudices, they aligned against national liberation in places like Libya and Afghanistan. They have set themselves up as shills for so-called “progressive imperialism.” They enable oppression from the shores of their imperial homelands. This is the case today with the US assault in the Middle East.
Mao Zedong saw the principal contradiction as between imperialism and oppressed nations. The main enemy on the world’s stage was imperialism. There can be no liberation without the defeat of imperialism. The struggle against imperialism is the struggle that unlocks the possibility of other social liberation. In this way, the struggle against imperialism is the most important one today. The so-called “left”in the First World has often exhibit a liberal naïveté that supports imperialism when the imperialists present their projects in the liberal and activist language of the “left.” It will yield when the imperialists present themselves as champions of idealistic and unscientific ideas such as bourgeoisie “democracy” or when the imperialists present themselves as supporting Third World peoples against totalitarian dictators or when the imperialists present themselves as the saving Third World women from Islam. The illusion of progressive imperialism is just that, an illusion born of successful propaganda by the imperialist themselves. This propaganda allows opportunists on the so-called “left” in the First World to support the export of imperialism with a liberal, democratic face. Such opportunism is idealistic and unscientific. It assumes that imperialism brings “democracy” and “freedom” when in fact it only brings exploitation and oppression. The institutions placed in countries by the imperialists are rarely better, and are often worse, than the institutions that imperialists condemn. Imperialism is not a better option, it yields nothing but open markets for capitalism. When the US’s pocketbook is threatened, when its hegemony in the world market is threatened, it acts: economic sabotage, destabilization, sanctions, bombs, invasions. The imperialists intervene “on behalf of the people,” but the reality is that these interventions only provide instability and violence against people.
When facing the threat of the invading Japanese forces, the Communist Party of China (CCP) allied with the reactionary Guomindang (GMD) in order to defeat the imperialist aggressors. The GMD was made of of several elements ranging from the nationalist bourgeoisie, feudalists, to compradors. The GMD had waged war against the CCPfor decades. The GMD had tried to annihilate the CCP. The long march, led by Mao, was begun as a breakout by the CCP from an anniliation campaign by the GMD. However, there was a bigger enemy than the GMD. The Japanese invaded and occupied China. If the Communists had continued fighting the GMD, both groups would have more easily been defeated by the Japanese. It was by upholding the Broad United Front Against Imperialism that the CCP won support of the masses. The CCP took up the national banner against the Japanese. This not only won them the support of the masses. This also won more progressive elements within the GMD to their cause. We must learn from history.
Imperialism cannot be justified in any aspect. Bourgeois so-called feminists try to justify imperialism by appealing to “women’s rights.” They try to justify imperialist aggression against Iraq and Afghanistan. Women’s rights have not significantly improved under the pro-US governments. Any improvement in women’s rights on the ground is coupled by religious, ethnic, and sectarian violence. Social programs in many cases have been destroyed, people have been forced into exile for fear of persecution on religious, ethnic, or political grounds. Resources are taken from the people by multinational corporations. This is not better than the current regime. Iraq is being destroyed by religious violence, and Sunni-Shia infighting is killing innocent civilians every day. This was not an issue under the previous government. Afghanistan is involved in a brutal tribal war, one in which there are still remnants of Taliban supporters, along with other tribes and ethnicities, all fighting one another. Imperialism has not made life better in these areas by any means. In addition, when the imperialists cannot put in a boot-licking, pro-Western moderate, they often cut a deal with those who are the most socially conservative. The imperialists are about power, not about human rights.
In light of recent events, attention has turned towards the tensions between the imperialists and Middle Eastern and African countries, most recently Libya and Syria. The US is setting the stage for a confrontation with Iran also. If imperialist aggression occurs with Iran in any aspect, the imperial so-called “left” will remain divided on the issue. Some — Leading Lights, anti-imperialists, and others — will oppose the attacks against the Third World. Many others — Democrats, opportunists, revisionists, and other First Worldists — will support the imperialists in the name progress. A “left” that supports imperialism is an enemy of the Third World masses and the revolution. They are social-imperialists. They may claim to be socialist, communist, anarchist, democratic, or progressive, but they line up with the imperialists. They do not understand the balance of social forces in the world. They do not correctly answer Mao’s famous question “Who are our enemies? Who are our friends?” Not only does their opportunism and idealism lead them to their incorrect position, but their privilege as First World peoples also leads them to align against the Third World. They desire more for themselves. They are consumers. They have a class interest in supporting a system that provides them with a relatively comfortable life.
The most deliberate opportunists will qualify their support, as they did with Afghanistan, Iraq, and Libya, stating that they “don’t support the imperialist support, but they support the movement of the people.” The reality is that they do not support the people. The media portrays these civil wars as one-sided, they portray US invasions as domestically popular, but this is not the case. Few support the invasion of their country by an occupying force. To do so is consider treason by most. Civil wars are civil wars because they are struggles between antagonistic groups. No coup d’etat, no civil war, no dissenting action is unchallenged or undisputed. Libya was a civil war. Tribal and religious opportunists took advantage of opportunities presented to them. They manipulated Libyan people to fight the government, the people did not act unanimously to destroy their governments, this was done for them. The Libyan regime was only defeated with massive support from the US, NATO bombs, MI6 and CIA operations, etc. Even other Arab states put troops on the ground in what amounted to a de facto invasion to oust Gaddafi. This imperialist act was cheered by the opportunist and movementarian so-called “left” in the US.
The same will be true of the actions in Syria and Iran. US aggression in Syria and Iran will face support from the corporate media. The media will portray one-sided views of unanimous support for imperialist aggression, and many self proclaimed “leftists” will support the imperialists. Be warned: these opportunists are effectively supporting imperialism and denying self-determination of peoples. They are serving up the people and resources of the Third World to the imperial butchers. Those who align with imperialism are lackeys. They are idealists. They are liberals. They do not uphold Marxism, they uphold liberalism. Their approach is not scientific. It will not bring socialism. Only by acknowledging the enemy of imperialism, will we be able to end imperialism. Embracing science will bring socialism, not idealism and liberalism.
Oppose US intervention in the Middle East. Fight against imperialism and its lackeys. Syria and Iran are the next targets in the imperialist’s crosshairs. We must not support imperialism against Syria and Iran, we must oppose imperialist aggression and uphold Leading Light Communism. Revolution is the only solution, imperialism will only delay the revolution.
Muammar al-Gaddafi dead – What does this mean?
Muammar al-Gaddafi dead – What does this mean?
by modernmarxist
(new-power.org)
It has been reported that the NATO-supported “rebels” of the NTC have overrun Sirte (after repeated bombings of Sirte from NATO, of course) and captured Mummar al-Gaddafi. On the way to Misrata, it is reported that the Libyan leader has died of his wounds.(1) Pro-imperialist tri-color flags from the Kingdom of Libya era are flying to represent the coming return of the old Libya, a Libya which was one of the poorest countries in Africa until Gaddafi took power.(2) While flags alone rarely are able to describe the whole nature of a movement, it is clear that NATO’s involvement and the NTC’s willingness to work with the imperialists mean that this “revolution” is not one designed to prevent Libyans from becoming victims of oppression and exploitation.
Gaddafi certainly wasn’t a Leading Light Communist, but his record of anti-imperialism far outweighs his comprador aspect. Gaddafi worked with many pan-Third World organizations and partnerships including SATO with Hugo Chavez, the Great Man-Made River which brought fresh water through parts of the Saharan, attempts at a unified Africa, attempts at pan-Arab unity including a movement to introduce a pan-Arab, pan-African, and pan-Islamic currency, the gold Dinar, that would have allowed for easier transaction between other Middle Eastern economies as those of the entire of Africa. This proposal would have irrevocably damaged imperialist economic recovery and the supremacy of their markets. Gaddafi also took decisive steps against the bourgeoisie in his country including nationalizing oil fields, and seizing key industries from the multinational corporations and imperialist powers that had previously exploited the country’s resources.
We should not allow ourselves to be fooled by pro-imperialist and imperialist-owned, sensationalist media reports. The NTC couldn’t even take Sirte without NATO intervention. NATO was the deciding factor in these events.(3) NATO directed the NTC, provided weapons for them, and thoroughly bombed areas which the NTC “rebels” were supposed to take control of, resulting in the deaths of many civilians.(4)(5)(6) It is no coincidence that Libya has the largest oil reserves in Africa,(7) and while there were times when Gaddafi’s anti-imperialism wavered and he acted as a comprador to benefit the imperialists, his comprador role was shaky at best and unreliable. In the end, he refused to bend to the will of the First World imperialists. MI6 threatened Gaddafi’s generals with the First World’s message of “Obey us or die”.(8.) In typical imperialist fashion, the forces of NATO countries and those backed by NATO attempted to assassinate Gaddafi many times before.(9)
The First Worldists, especially the Trotskyists, have very clearly shown their true colors in this conflict. They have acted like true social-imperialists, siding with NATO and the rebels instead of joining the broad United Front against imperialism. Many self-proclaimed communists claimed that they supported the “Libyan people” in their struggle against Gaddafi, however there is no “Libyan movement” against Gaddafi without NATO airpower and support. There would have been no victory without the assistance of NATO, who’s firepower made the assault on Tripoli possible. There is no doubt that without the imperialists, Gaddafi would have never been defeated. Therefore there is no option for “siding with the Libyan people” against Gaddafi, the people themselves have been divided on the issue. The Trotskyists sided with the neoconservatives on this issue, Gaddafi’s blood is certainly on the hands of these “communists.” The various groups battling over control of the country have their own tribal interests and will surely honor those interests rather than the interests of the Libyan people. There is no excuse for communists to oppose Gaddafi and side with the imperialists.
NATO and the First World have much to gain upon Gaddafi’s death. Libya has oil, natural gas, and gypsum.(10) The NTC’s role in Gaddafi’s death was minimal. They were and still are merely NATO puppets on the world stage. Gaddafi will be sorely missed by the Libyan people…especially after the First World sucks their country dry for all it has.
Sources:
Mummar Gadaffi Killed As Sirte Falls http://english.aljazeera.net/news/africa/2011/10/20111020111520869621.html (1)
Human Development Index Trends http://web.archive.org/web/20061027013029/http://hdr.undp.org/statistics/data/indicators.cfm?x=10&y=1&z=1 (2)
Clarity on Libya: MI6 is not part of the United Front http://new-power.org/2011/08/29/clarity-on-libya-mi6-is-not-part-of-the-united-front/ (3)
ibid. (4)
France supplying weapons to Libyan rebels http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/africaandindianocean/libya/8606541/France-supplying-weapons-to-Libyan-rebels.html (5)
Libya: exodus from Sirte as thousands flee rebel offensive http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/africaandindianocean/libya/8794617/Libya-exodus-from-Sirte-as-thousands-flee-rebel-offensive.html (6)
Oil reserves in Libya http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oil_reserves_in_Libya (7)
ibid 3. (8.)
Muammar Gaddafi – Assassination attempts http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gadaffi#Assassination_attempts (9)
FIELD LISTING :: NATURAL RESOURCES https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/fields/2111.html (10)
The death of Anwar al-Awlaki
The death of Anwar al-Awlaki
(new-power.org)
The death of Anwar al-Awlaki is not only another murder at the hands of imperialists, but it also reveals that the First World “legal system” is a sham. We often see the United States violate their own international “law,” however they are usually not so blatant about the violation of domestic law. This is an exception. Anwar al-Awlaki was an American born citizen. The drone attack against Awlaki is a deliberate attack against an American citizen without “due process.”
Liberal ideas of “moral superiority” hold no weight when the Unites States condemns others for “human rights violations” while simultaneously firing hellfire missiles at American citizens. The United States easily gets away with the murder of non-American citizens, including noncombatants, but it is obvious now that the United States can kill its own without condemnation. This is not a war on terrorism, it is a war of the First World against the Third World.
This was not collateral damage either. Awlaki was not the tragic casualty of a carpet bombing. Awlaki has been deliberately targeted in the past. His death was at the hands of two predator drones. Not only was he targeted, but his murderers were hundreds of miles away, deliberately ending his life as if it were a video game. Predator drones are the newest dehumanizing weapon in the imperialist arsenal, successfully separating assailants from their victims both physically and emotionally.
Awlaki’s father and the ACLU had been working on removing his son from the US “targeted killing” list since 2010. They stated:
“The United States is not at war in Yemen, and the government doesn’t have a blank check to kill terrorism suspects wherever they are in the world. Among the arguments we’ll be making is that, outside actual war zones, the authority to use lethal force is narrowly circumscribed, and preserving the rule of law depends on keeping this authority narrow.” (1)
This is an instance of the United States violating its own self-serving “legal code” and sense of morality. The United States only upholds its laws when those laws suit the needs of imperialists. Awlaki’s rights didn’t assist the needs of imperialists, but the rights of Sarah Shourd, Shane Bauer, and Josh Fattal in Iran certainly did. The United States was quick to denounce the Iranian government for “violating human rights” but allegations against the United States fall on deaf ears.
The imperialists will stop at nothing to exploit the Third World masses. Not only will they kill and remove all that oppose their rule, like Saddam Hussein, Muammar Gaddafi, and Osama bin Laden, but they will even kill their own citizens without arrest, charge or trial. Imperialism knows no categorical imperative, only death and destruction. The United States claims to uphold law and order. They claim to fight the good fight. The reality is that they plunder and murder wherever it is strategically convenient.
The United States will never win the “war on terror,” they will only use it as an excuse to continue to exploit the 5 billion people of the Third World. They will use the war to continue their consumerist lifestyle. The First World bleeds the Third World. Anti-imperialists like Awlaki are many, and where one falls, another picks up his gun and continues fighting. We uphold the broad united front. The global struggle will have casualties, but our allies outnumber the assassins. We will win. There is a revolutionary saying that the physical atom bomb is no match for the spiritual atom bomb. No amount of predator drones will ever hold down the spirit of the masses. Leading Light Communism will lead the way to a world free of oppression.
Sources:
[1]http://seerpress.com/cia-on-the-verge-of-lawsuit/3341/
Qatar reveals it invaded Libya to aid so-called “rebels”
Qatar reveals it invaded Libya to aid so-called “rebels”
(new-power.org)
It is now being reveled for the first time publicly that armed forces from Qatar were operating against Gaddafi in Libya. Qatari chief of staff Maj. Gen. Hamad bin Ali al-Atiya stated:
“We were among them and the numbers of Qataris on ground were hundreds in every region.”
It was long known that Qatar, the West, and other Gulf States, among others, had financed the so-called rebellion. It has been known that Al Jeezera, Qatar state-owned media company, had been the mouthpiece of the so-called “rebels.” Not only was Gaddafi faced with NATO and MI6 intervention, but Qatari military forces had boots on the ground too.
Even with all these forces arrayed against the Gaddafi regime, the regime fought tooth-and-nail for months. In fact, the regime was easily sweeping aside the so-called rebellion until NATO bombings changed the equation. This admission shows that what occurred in Libya was not simply a popular revolt by Libyans or a civil war, but an orchestrated plot that involved Western airpower, MI6, CIA, Gulf-state financing, and, now, even Qatari troops.
Source:
http://www.dailystar.com.lb/News/Middle-East/2011/Oct-26/152269-qatar-admits-it-had-boots-on-ground-in-libya.ashx#axzz1cRBxL4wo
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