Soitellen Sotaan

Miksi sotia?

Alussa Yhdysvallat oli erilainen valtio ja kansa kuin muut. Se oli demokraattinen, oikeudenmukainen ja vanhurskas. Amerikkalaiset eivat halunneet olla kuin englantilaiset tai ranskalaiset, jotka sotivat saadakseet kahmittua itselleen siirtokuntia ja luonnonvaroja. He halusivat olla esimerkkina maailmalle "vapauden valtakuntana"; heita ei kiinnostanut sotkeutua epainhimillisiin ja monimutkaisiin kansainvalisiin selkkauksiin.

Kuitenkin, vuosien kuluessa ja kapitalismin otteen kiristyessa teollisen vallankumouksen jaljilta, amerikkalaisetkin huomasivat, etta kolonialismista on hyotya kansainvalisille markkinoille paasemiseksi. kansalliset arvot oli kyseenalaistettava, ja muokattava uusiksi. Amerikkalaiset paattivat olla "inhimillisia" isantia maailman huono-osaisemmille kansoille; olihan heita siunattu hyvalla uskonnolla, korkealla tyo-etiikalla ja hyvanlaatuisella rodulla. Heidat oli itse asiassa valittu levittamaan rauhaa ja hyvinvointia maailman alkuasukkaille. Tama kutsumus oli "Manifest Destiny" - amerikkalaisten kohtalo ja velvollisuus.

Viimeiset sata vuotta Yhdysvallat on kaynyt pienia ja isoja sotia "Manifest Destinyn" antamalla oikeutuksella. Presidentti McKinley aloitti Yhdysvaltain Imperiumin rakentamisen ottamalla Kuuban ja Filippiinit Espanjalta. Lantisen pallonpuoliskon amerikkalainen hegemonia on jatkunut siita asti. Ehka luukuunottamatta maailmansotia, amerikkalaisten sotiminen on ollut taloudellisesti motivoitua, mutta kaarittyna vanhurskauden vaippaan. (Tietty kommunismin pelko toi aivan oman ulottuvuuden maailman selkkauksiin.)

Myos hyokkaysta Irakiin voi pitaa amerikkalaisten "kohtalona ja velvollisuutena". Bush ja hanen katyrinsa lahtivat soitellen sotaan, silla Jumalalta oli kaynyt kasky pelastaa irakilaiset heidan omasta avuttomuudestaan, ja nayttaa heille demokratian parempi tie. Bush kayttaytyi kuin keisari paattaessaan omavaltaisesti, etta Irakiin on hyokattava. Hanen laheisimmat (neo-konservatiivit) apurinsa ja neuvonantajansa ovat Neuvostoliiton hajoamisesta lahtien suunnitellet Amerikan Imperiumin voittokulkua (Pax Americana). Amerikkalaisen hegemonian saavuttaminen olisi aloitettava Lahi-idasta, silla se on jo pitkaan ollut ruutitynnyri ja murheenkryyni.

Nyt on sodittu kolme vuotta, ja jopa neo-konservatiivien riveissa on alkanut nakya uskon puutetta ja eparointia sodan oikeutuksesta tai viisaudesta. Onko kenties niin, etta demokratiaa ei leviteta pyssynpiipuin ja vakivalloin, vaan sen on tultava kansan sisalta, omasta tahdosta ja oman kulttuurin ehdoin?

Why War?

In the beginning the United States was going to be different from any other nation on earth. It was going to be just, democratic and pious. Americans did not want to become like the British or the French, who fought wars over colonies and resources; they wanted to set an example to the rest of the world with their “empire of liberty”, and not become entangled with messy wars and conflicts as the other nations had done. However, as years passed Americans came to realize that in order to grow economically (=grip of capitalism), they had to adjust their values, build up their military strength and even acquire colonies in order to secure access to the world markets. But America would approach colonies differently: Americans were blessed by the Almighty with good religion, superior race, and a finer work ethic than all others; they were chosen to spread peace and prosperity to the world and save the savages from themselves. This calling was “Manifest Destiny”3; it was seared on the American psyche, making itself known at various intervals in U.S. history.

George W. Bush and his close advisers were bestowed a golden opportunity when al Qaeda terrorists hit the World Trade Centers in the heart of New York City and killed almost three thousand people. According to Jay Bookman, President Bush and his neoconservative friends from the Project for the New American Century had been plotting a reorganization of the Middle East map since the first Gulf War in 1991 1. Their goal was (and continues to be) a new world order with the United States at the helm (Pax Americana). After the Soviet Union’s collapse fifteen years ago, there was only one global force left on the planet: the United States of America. Thus it was natural that America would seize the opportunity for total world dominion. Not only did they have the military muscle and technology to subdue any resistance and maintain peace, but Americans also had the heart (compassion for world’s lost souls), faith (Jesus on their side) and the vision (God’s chosen people) to accomplish it. With the events of September 11^th, 2001 George W. Bush discovered his mission to proselytize the world according to his own image, and the neocons found their justification to execute their master plan.

In their immense wisdom the founding fathers divided American power between the President, the Congress and the Judiciary. All of this great power was based on the consent of the governed. The citizens delegated their power to the elected officials to represent their wishes and have their best interest in mind. This relationship, called democracy, was built on trust and openness. George W. Bush was elected (with the help of the Supreme Court) to the highest office in the country to represent the nation’s electorate. If he were to go to war he would have to consider the will of the people and Congress.

As the United States attacked al Qaeda in Afghanistan after the September 11^th tragedy, the majority of Americans were supporting the decision; in fact, most of the world seemed to support it. But when the Bush administration began to focus on Iraq, Americans began to feel ambivalence and confusion: was Iraq really the enemy? It took a lot of convincing (with deception) and manipulation of people’s fears by Bush and his cohorts to get Americans to go along, and to get the Congress to vote for the use of military force against Iraq. According to Juan Cole “Bush, Rumsfeld, Vice President Dick Cheney and Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice repeatedly made unfounded allegations that led to continuing disaster in Iraq”2. President Bush did not act in accordance with the demands of a democracy and consult the people or Congress, but made a decision to go to war like a king or an emperor. Yes, he did pretend to consult the people and even the United Nations (as required by international law), but he made a mockery of democracy by intentionally deceiving us all. According to Joshua Micah Marshall “there is a startling amount of deception in all this--of hawks deceiving the American people, and perhaps in some cases even themselves” 4. The end justified the means – God had spoken, and we all trembled.

Just today Rupert Cornwell of The Independent writes about what the neocons "failed to foresee about Iraq":

But not only were the neocons too impatient. A second error was to believe that an all-powerful America would be trusted to exercise a "benevolent hegemony." A third was the gross overstatement of the post-9/11 threat posed by radical Islam, in order to justify the dubious doctrine of preventive war.

Finally, there was the blatant contradiction between the neocons' aversion to government meddling at home and their childlike faith in their ability to impose massive social engineering in foreign and utterly unfamiliar countries like Iraq. Thence sprang the mistakes of the occupation period.

But even the extravagant oratory of that icy January day cannot obscure the irony of America's Iraq adventure. The application of a doctrine built upon the supposed boundlessness of U.S. power has succeeded only in exposing the limits of that power.

See full text @:
http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/opinion/262583_neoconswrong12.html

1) Bookman, Jay 2002. The President’s Real Goal in Iraq.

http://www.accessatlanta.com/ajc/opinion/0902/29bookman.html

Cole, Juan 2005. The Lies That Led to War.

http://www.salon.com/news/feature/2005/05/19/lies/print.html

3) Judis, John B. 2004. The Folly of Empire.

A Lisa Drew Book/ Scribner, New York, NY

Marshall, Joshua, Micah, 2003. Practice to Deceive.

The Washington Monthly, Washington D.C.