We're There Because We're There!

The first impression of a hypothetical extraterrestrial observer, listening to yesterday's presentation by Gen David Petraeus before the American Senate, would much probably be: "there is a troublesome country on this planet called Iraq, where another country called the US of A, is trying to help.
"The USA, also known as America, is very compassionate and altruistic: they went into big trouble sending their troops to help those barbaric, sectarian Iraqis get out of their nightmare and become civilized. How nice, how charitable!"

One might want to yell at the ignorant alien..."It's the oil, stupid!"

The American administration's propaganda, has taken a step forward with yesterday's presentation: manipulating the facts and figures and producing an image of Iraq that Petraeus himself, in his deepest conscience, must not believe is accurate.

Now the American people, and indeed, the Iraqi people must accept the illegal occupation of Iraq and the stooge government of Baghdad, because victory is "still possible" where total failure is obvious for anybody who wants to see.

The real assessment of the 'cauldron of animosities,' to use the Chomsky's phrase, that Iraq has become since the Bush-Blair invasion, is the figure of refugees: four million Iraqis have now fled their homes, leaving everything behind. The luckiest will get some help from relatives or friends in neighbouring countries, others (most of them) will end up begging in the streets of Damascus or Amman. According to the UN HCR (High Commission for the Refugees), the number of refugees has now risen to 60,000 a month! And some NGOs monitoring the death toll in Iraq since March 2003 are now suggesting the horrific number of 1 million deaths, many of them civilians.

Those grim figures were nowhere to be heard in Petraeus' report. He rather kept focusing, unscientifically on his chimeric "progress," interrupted alternatively by some courageous antiwar activists who succeeded in entering the hearing room.

To make things even worse, many of those who leave Iraq today, are the elite of the nation; people badly needed in these dire circumstances: doctors, nurses, engineers, university professors. Iraq, which was the leading Arab country in health and education, has now been transformed into a bloody quagmire as a result of a criminal invasion and an idiotic vision based on the "creative chaos" doctrine.

A poll commissioned by ABC-BBC-NHK ahead of the hearing revealed, unsurprisingly that 70% of Iraqis think their security has worsened since the so-called "surge," and 50% thought attacks on the occupation forces were justified.

Iran and Syria were, as expected, singled out as the culprits and the General announced a reduction of troops to the "pre-surge levels." No word will be heard on the basic reasons that led America to lie, manipulate, veto, invade, occupy, torture and kill: OIL.

Well, we better keep this three letters word in mind because we're going to be asked to believe that Americans are there because they're there, because they're there... and once we've forgotten about the real motives of the last war, we maybe asked to support the next one.

Finaly this enlightning quote from Professor Gary Leupp (Professor of History at Tufts University, and Adjunct Professor of Comparative Religion, and who's articles can be read on CounterPunch):

The world's most reckless gambler sits at the table, playing Texas Hold 'Em. At his elbow are his recent winnings: Afghanistan and Iraq. But he can't take them home yet and may very well yet lose them. In his sights lie Iran, Syria, Lebanon, Somalia, Sudan. Since 9-11 he's cherished the desire to reshuffle the cards. His greed is boundless. Behind him sit supporters eager to share his winnings, biting their nails nervously, praying he'll win the whole pot and maybe inclined if he doesn't to tip over the table. Crazy people.

(picture by"Lakarae")