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September 21, 2003
Review: Suppression of terror
THESE are Open Media publications, representing an anti-war lobby, consisting of intellectuals and scholars, who have been actively opposing the aggressive policies of the United States that seek military solutions to all disputes. The American neocons reject peaceful approaches. Since the 9/11 events, Open Media has produced quite an array of anti-war works that focus on terrorism. The sum total of the arguments against war as a means of countering terrorism is contained in a quote from Eqbal Ahmad, a highly regarded Pakistani member of this group, who stated. “You do not solve social problems by individual acts of violence. Social problems require social and political mobilization.”
Terrorism and War is based on a series of interviews with Howard Zinn, a prominent member of the group, who points out that the United States’ high military expenditure exceeding $300 billion a year has had no effect on terrorism. A Defence Science Board Report in 1997 came to the conclusion that the search for military solutions “leads to terrorist attacks on the US”. He states, “If we want real security, we will have to stop being an intervening military power, and stop dominating the economies of other countries.”
Zinn’s interviews cover a wide ground, ranging from the post-9/11 scenario, the relevance of the attack on Afghanistan for the suppression of terrorism, to the real motives behind the planned war against Iraq. He also exposes many propagandistic arguments by the Bush Administration to ensure popular support for the war on terror. Opposition to war has been equated to anti-Americanism, and President Bush’s claim that the “US is a peaceful nation” is refuted by tracing the long history of US military intervention in various parts of the world. Zinn ascribes the US opposition to an International Criminal Court or war Crimes Tribunal to this factor.
In various interviews, he defends the need for dissent in a democratic society, and for resisting the pressure for the people to stand behind the President. He also argues that the capitalist system provides the logic for war. In this work that appeared before the war on Iraq, Zinn expresses confidence that the high popularity of Bush after the war on Afghanistan will go down, partly because of economic consequences, but mainly because war is immoral and counter productive in the long run.
The second book Against War with Iraq that was published before the war against Iraq, focuses exclusively on opposing what was then the proposed war against Iraq. As such its contents are more topical, since they go beyond the anti-war generalities of the Zinn book. The dedication at the beginning states, “Let it not be said that people in the US did nothing when their government declared a war without limit and instituted stark new measures of repression.”
The Centre for Constitutional Rights which sponsored this slim book has existed since 1966, and is a non-profit legal and educational organization dedicated to advancing and protecting the rights guaranteed by the US Constitution and the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. Lately, as the neo-conservatives have assumed power under President Bush, it has stepped up its activities to arouse public opinion against their expansionist agenda in violation of international law. This publication argues forcefully against the war, stressing that apart from high costs in cash and casualties, the resort to pre-emption might encourage other states to follow this illegal path.
The work is primarily an analysis of the Bush doctrine made public on September 20, 2002, which asserts that the US can employ “pre-emptive strikes” even if there is no threat. This concept is seen as violating the UN Charter, and a fundamental principle of international law, namely prohibition of aggressive war. Its various sections take up the major issues relating to the proposed war against Iraq. These are whether there is need for war, whether there is legal authority, whether alternative courses are available, and finally what would be the consequences of a resort to war.
Taking up the question whether the war was necessary, the allegation that Iraq possessed weapons of mass destruction (WMDs) posing a threat to the West is held unproved. The reports of UN Inspectors were clear, and even the CIA had stated in October 2002, that there was no threat to the US from Iraq. Allegations that Iraq had supplied weapons to other terrorist organizations, or had links with Al Qaeda remained unsubstantiated.
It is argued that there was no clear legal authority for the coalition under the US to launch a war against Iraq. Though the US Congress had gone along with the Bush agenda that was seen as a part of the war against terrorism, the UN Security Council Resolution 1441 passed in November 2002 did not call for continued inspections by the UN.
Several alternative courses of action to a war have been identified. These include continued weapon inspections by the UN, to establish whether Iraq had WMDs, measures to build respect for international law, universal disarmament, creating WMD-free zones, and finally, diplomacy.
The consequences of the war, once launched have also been spelled out in considerable detail. First is loss of life, on both sides that could be quite high. There would be a risk of a wider war, and making the US and the world less safe. The effect on the US economy would certainly be negative, with estimated monthly expenditure of $9 billion, though control of oil and higher arms production might eventually have a positive effect. Finally, the cavalier resort to force, in defiance of world opinion would adversely affect US influence in the world.
With its goal of building up public opinion against the war in Iraq, the book suggests rallies, letters to Congressmen, letters to editors, and lobbying to create a support group in the UN Security Council that would withstand US pressures. It does not mince words about its opinion regarding the Bush administration’s rush to go to war that would be “illegal, hypocritical, politically expedient and dangerous”.
The publication has also written with brutal frankness about the real aims of the Bush administration’s apparent mindset to start its pre-emption with Iraq. These were to control the second highest oil reserves found in Iraq, dominate the Middle East, and to redraw its map in the manner done following the two world wars.
Looking at the situation four months after the end of the conflict at the start of May, pre-emption in Iraq has so far compounded America’s problems. All the adverse consequences visualized have made their appearance, with US economy in recession, and funds lacking for domestic welfare programmes. The security situation in Iraq has been deteriorating, with the coalition forces and even the UN suffering casualties at a rising tempo. There is mounting criticism of the US all over the world, and neither the US nor the world are more safe after this pre-emption.
Few of the benefits anticipated from “regime change” have been achieved, and a soul searching has started as the harmful consequences forecast from a resort to war have made their appearance. Liberal intellectuals from all over the country have stepped up their efforts, among whom Noam Chomsky is well known in Pakistan. President Bush himself is showing signs of softening his “pre-emptive” rhetoric, and is giving greater attention to winning over the people of Iraq and Afghanistan by stressing reconstruction, and promising democracy. What is more significant, the prospects of the US using “pre-emption” against other countries such as Syria and Iran have receded as it faces problems in managing Iraq and Afghanistan.
Terrorism and War
By Howard Zinn
Seven Stories Press, New York
ISBN 1-58322-493-9
159pp. Rs688
Against War with Iraq: An Anti-War Primer
By Michael Ratner, Jennie Green, Barbara Olshansky
Seven Stories Press, New York
ISBN 1-58322-591-979pp. Rs480
Available at Liberty Books (Pvt) Ltd, 3 Rafiq Plaza, M.R. Kayani Road, Saddar, Karachi
Tel: 021-5683026
Email: libooks@cyber.net.pk. Website:
www.libertybooks.com
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