India is in possession of nuclear weapons as well as England, China, and Pakistan. Russia (the former Soviet Union) remains in possession of a huge nuclear arsenal, only its form of government has changed. France’s nuclear weapons are capable of each inflicting well over 30 million casualties in a theoretical attack on the United States. Israel has silently acquired about three hundred warheads and is the first nation to introduce nuclear weapons into the Middle East. Presently the U.S. possesses the majority of atomic weapons and is the most formidable military power on earth.
Weapons of Mass Destruction
In mid-January of 1991 the United States bragged of bombing Iraq back into the Stone Age (which it did), to free the world of Saddam’s powerful “weapons of mass destruction,” by its own weapons of mass destruction, deadlier even still; this is political psychopathy. What, exactly, led to that merciless overkill of Iraq, and to the persecution of an entire population already oppressed by a cruel and harsh dictatorship – where people had no choice but to obey Saddam, or be executed?
Just what terrible force, asks former Attorney General Ramsey Clark in his book, The Fire This Time, would inspire Americans to actually “celebrate the slaughter of tens of thousands of defenseless human beings” and then “blame those who are dying for their plight.”
Should the U.S. – in possession of a nightmare nuclear arsenal (and the only country, so far, to commit the apocalyptic and moral trespass of using atomic weapons (World War Two) – continue to behave as a political psychopath, suspicious of the insanity of others while simultaneously denying its own raging madness?
U.S. War Crimes
Although the subject was conveniently swept under the proverbial Oriental rug, by the time the 1991 Gulf War had ended, 22 judges of 18 countries (including, among others, Canada, Germany, Malaysia, Puerto Rico, Japan, India, Pakistan, Turkey, Tunisia, Egypt, Jordon, Panama, Tanzania) found the U.S. guilty of war crimes in the Persian Gulf.
The decreed U.S. crimes included the following: Violations of the Nuremberg Charter, the Hague Conventions and Protocols, the International Laws of Armed Conflict, and the (U.S. prescribed) Rules of Engagement.
After the long night of World War Two many new international treaties were brought into being, laws written with blood of millions who had suffered and died, therefore these important treaties must not be taken lightly.
Resolution 678
As mentioned in Clark’s The Fire This Time, in order to pass Resolution 678 (which meant authorization to use any means necessary to force Iraq to withdraw from Kuwait) some nations were bribed, or bullied, into voting affirmatively through very enticing offers of new aid packages, world bank credits, grants and loans. These countries included Ethiopia, Zaire, Turkey, Syria, China (which was awarded 114 million dollars in aid by the American dominated world bank for a yes vote), Egypt (absolved from a 7 billion dollar debt to the U.S.), Malaysia (its vote for Resolution 678 won it over one million dollars per year in U.S. military aid), and the (then) Soviet Union (rewarded four billion in loans and aid by Saudi Arabia and Kuwait).
The U.S. even paid 187 million dollars of past dues as a “show of appreciation” to the United Nations, but when Yemen’s ambassador voted against Resolution 678 he was told it would be the most expensive vote he ever cast; three days later the U.S. canceled its seventy million dollar aid package to Yemen.
The 1991 Persian Gulf War took place during the presidency of George Bush Sr. It was brief and brutal, with additional casualties of over 500,000 and up to one million Iraqis (mostly children) starved by U.N. imposed sanctions. Iraqi birth defects are thought to be the result of mass exposure to toxins, such as depleted uranium. Over a decade later, in 2003, the war against Iraq resumed full fury under George Bush Jr., during a false advertising campaign regarding weapons of mass destruction that Iraq did not possess. Later, the purpose of the war was changed, referred to as a fight to bring democracy into that country (even though democracy - by its very definition - cannot be forced).
Peace with Justice
In the future, the world must learn to become skeptical regarding (unproven) media reports of countries allegedly in possession of unconventional weapons, because false assumptions can be dangerous. Another fair question is why are only certain nations allowed to have nuclear weapons, but not others, and who decides.
If any lesson is to be learned from the tragedy of Iraq (to date, nearly 5,000 U.S. troops have perished, and many more severely and permanently injured), it is to keep very cool collective heads. This means not to rush into wars for emotional reasons, because of sensationalism or fear.
Dialogue between nations should be highly encouraged, with a fair balance of give and take. Compromise can no longer be considered a weakness, because both dialogue and compromise (not warfare) are signs of a civilized world. Andurhati Roy, well-known contemporary activist and writer, believes war should be the last resort in resolving conflicts, and even then must be considered a failure.
An evolved civilization is not based on the number of its armaments.
 |
