X-WebTV-Signature: 1 ETAtAhQ/GBBhtE/2HKkls8qNxPzN5KpH8wIVAMMvY7t5ppHhRX4/dm3W1Q5xTue5 From: xcruz@webtv.net (Robert Chavez) Date: Thu, 12 Nov 1998 02:11:10 -0700 (MST) To: Labor-Rap@csf.colorado.edu Subject: Iraq: Will Pentagon Defy World Opinion? (fwd) From:    janet@wwpublish.com To:    "Workers World News Service" Subject:    Iraq: Will Pentagon Defy World Opinion? Date:    Wed, Nov 11, 1998, 11:09pm (MST+2) Sender:    listserv@wwpublish.com WILL PENTAGON DEFY WORLD OPINION? U.S. THREATENS IRAQ AGAIN By John Catalinotto The Clinton administration, as of Nov. 11, appears poised for a terrorist military strike against the Iraqi people. Anti-war forces are also gearing up for a new round of protests. The Pentagon has ordered a second aircraft carrier and an additional 84 combat aircraft and 45 support aircraft to the region. It evacuated inspection teams from Iraq, clearing the way for bombing. And Clinton threatened the Iraqi government in his Veterans' Day speech. Once again, the propaganda machine is being cranked up to portray Iraq as a menacing aggressor. An additional 3,000 U.S. combat troops are being sent to Kuwait, as if that little sheikdom were threatened. The truth is, however, that Iraq is the one being menaced- -by the world's most formidable superpower--and it has actually been invaded by Turkey in recent days. Turkish troops have once again penetrated northern Iraq--an area designated by the U.S. as a "no-fly zone," meaning U.S. and British planes can fly there, but Iraq's can't. Turkey, a close U.S. ally, claims to be pursuing members of the Kurdish Workers Party (PKK), a progressive organization fighting for autonomy for the Kurdish people. A U.S. attack on Iraq runs the risk of provoking a regional upheaval in the Middle East. Yet on Nov. 8, U.S. officials openly discussed two such scenarios proposed by the Pentagon. One was an immediate strike of short duration. The other was a rapid military build-up followed by a longer bombing campaign. The Pentagon says less than half the planes and warships it had in the Gulf last winter are now in the region. This is still 173 planes and 13 ships, including the aircraft carrier Dwight D. Eisenhower. It has also doubled the number of cruise missiles carried on the ships. This new threat of military action follows eight years of U.S.-led sanctions that have already killed more than 1.5 million Iraqis, including more than half a million children. In an attempt to force the end of these murderous sanctions, the Iraqi government finally announced on Oct. 31 that it would not cooperate with U.S.-controlled United Nations inspection teams. IRAQIS ALREADY DYING FROM SANCTIONS Iraqi officials have said they don't fear U.S. military strikes, since the sanctions are already killing their people at such a high rate. The last time Washington prepared for attack it faced diplomatic isolation, the danger of arousing mass rebellion in its Middle East client states, and--last February--the possibility of widespread protest at home. U.S. policy toward Iraq still gets little to no public support from governments worldwide--except for London, once the dominant colonial power in the Middle East. The UN Security Council will back no resolution calling for an attack on Iraq. But the Clinton administration has arrogantly stated that it has "ample authority" to make such an attack on its own. Despite U.S. isolation and lack of support at home, the prospect of Pentagon military aggression against Iraq-- especially a terrorist missile strike with little likelihood of U.S. casualties--has to be taken seriously. Just this August, with no justification, the Pentagon launched a sneak missile attack on defenseless Sudan and Afghanistan. Unlike the scenario last February, this time Clinton and company have announced no plans for a "Town Meeting" to whip up popular support. The last such meeting, at Ohio State University last Feb. 18, turned into a fiasco for the administration and sparked protest actions all over the country. But, with less fanfare, the administration is taking steps that could lead to war. Defense Secretary William Cohen, traveling with Undersecretary of State Thomas Pickering and Gen. Anthony Zinni--commander of U.S. forces in the Persian/Arabian Gulf- -visited Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Oman in an attempt to win support before meeting with Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak on Nov. 5. All these Gulf states are U.S. clients. They are isolated regimes without popular support. They depend on the U.S. government for their military hardware and on U.S.-based oil monopolies for the riches of their royal families. NO SUPPORT FOR U.S. ATTACK Despite this dependence, none made a public statement backing U.S. policy. There is so much popular sympathy in the region for the Iraqi people that none of these regimes want to identify with a murderous U.S. assault on Iraq. Jordanian Crown Prince Hassan said his country was not keen on a military strike, according to a Nov. 6 Associated Press report, and officials in Saudi Arabia, Oman and the United Arab Emirates made similar statements. Last February, Mubarak warned on worldwide media that a U.S. attack would arouse such mass anger in the Middle East that it could leave U.S. clients in danger of upheaval. This time, Cohen didn't even publicly ask the Gulf states for open support. Clinton claimed Nov. 5 that these states pledged backing for "whatever decisions we ultimately make," but neither the administration nor the Pentagon would say what support they asked for. Anti-war forces, especially the International Action Center which has led the struggle against U.S. aggression and sanctions since the Gulf war, are gearing up to respond to this latest crisis. An emergency demonstration has been called for Tuesday, Nov. 17, in New York. Other cities are also planning actions. For information on nationwide emergency actions, phone the IAC at 212-633-6646 or check out their web site at www.iacenter.org.                                                  - END - (Copyright Workers World Service. For more information contact via e-mail: ww@workers.org. Web: http://www.workers.org)