Iraq Occupation: What has it accomplished?

 Iraq, Militarism, United States  7 Responses »
Oct 312009
 

What has the US-led Invasion and Occupation of Iraq really achieved? What have the deaths of hundreds of thousands of Iraqis and thousands of American troops really accomplished? If you ask me, a lot of people made a lot of money out of this military adventure – that’s what it has accomplished. Yes, war is all about Big Business for a few: the oil price rockets up, military budgets are pumped up, weapons sales soar, strategic oil pipelines are laid, funds for dubious “reconstruction” are siphoned off and a few favoured corporations reap huge profits for their well-connected share-holders. Leila Fadel of McClatchy reports: I couldn’t understand what thousands of American soldiers had died for and why hundreds of thousands of Iraqis had been killed. I didn’t see a budding democracy in an Iraqi government that was more like Saddam Hussein’s every day. I didn’t see a land long divided [Read more]

Obama in the Notre Dame University controversy

 Christianity, Civil society, Economy, Education and students' rights, Environment, Iraq, United States  13 Responses »
May 202009
 

Obama’s controversial speech at a Catholic university. Parts 2, 3 and 4 below. Full text here. The US president pleads for open hearts, open minds and fair-minded words over some of the bitter debates that divide American society. See also ‘The real scandal of Notre Dame‘ by the head of a Catholic university. Obama, however, doesn’t touch on the US military adventures in Afghanistan (and the rising death toll) and Pakistan and the US Occupation of Iraq. Neither does he mention the massive and scandalous Wall Street bailouts – the result of easy and uncontrolled credit and financial deregulation and liberalisation.

“It never happened. Nothing ever happened”

 Arts, culture and sports, Iraq, Militarism, United States  5 Responses »
Dec 262008
 
"It never happened. Nothing ever happened"

It never happened. Nothing ever happened. Even while it was happening it wasn’t happening. It didn’t matter. It was of no interest. The crimes of the United States have been systematic, constant, vicious, remorseless, but very few people have actually talked about them. You have to hand it to America. It has exercised a quite clinical manipulation of power worldwide while masquerading as a force for universal good. It’s a brilliant, even witty, highly successful act of hypnosis. – Harold Pinter, Nobel Prize winner for Literature, 2005 (Photo credit: Wikipedia) Harold Pinter, who passed away on Christmas Eve, was well known for his plays. But the corporate media have downplayed his role as one of the most prominent opponents of the Anglo-American invasion and occupation of Iraq in 2003. His words on how politicians and the mainstream media often try to blank out monumental or historic events from the public [Read more]

The failed US occupation of Iraq

 Iraq, Militarism, United States  14 Responses »
Dec 162008
 

The front page of today’s Sun shows George Bush ducking as an Iraqi journalist hurls a shoe at him. That may be surprising if you are following the global television stations, which tell us that the situation in Iraq is improving for the occupying powers as the worst of the carnage since the Anglo-American invasion subsides. Some 1.3 million people have perished in Iraq as a result of the invasion – so you can understand why George Bush is not the Iraqis’ most favourite person. The lower level of carnage now does not translate to victory for the United States as this Counter Punch commentary reveals: It’s All Spelled Out in Unpublicised Agreement Total Defeat for U.S. in Iraq By PATRICK COCKBURN

Obama’s slick new “informercial”

 Democracy, Energy resources, Health care, Iraq, Politics, United States, Workers' rights  29 Responses »
Oct 302008
 

This is slick, very slick – and impressive. This ‘informercial’, just released in the US, cleverly tugs at heart-strings. I just hope Obama remembers the ordinary people he talked about if he comes to power.  But I am also sceptical to what extent he can actually reform the private health care industry (yes, its an industry, big business) or push through pro-people economic policies. Too often, populist politicians show a keen interest in the concerns of ordinary people only to disappoint when elected as they invariably pander to the interests of Big Business and lose touch with the hardships of the people on the ground who voted them into power.

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