Preamble: The following essay is an effort to expunge the frustration that wells-up within as I make an effort to discern with the view to understand, the war-driven evil that is eroding civil and free social-order not only here in Canada but, throughout global civil-society.
Unfortunately, to approach an understanding of the current state of affairs in the context of heightened national security, challenges to freedom of expression and, migration of the so-named `war on terror’ throughout western democratic nations; it is essential to delve into the relative, contemporary roots of these developments. In truth, a comprehensive examination would demand unearthing contributing factors arising well back into modern, human history at least to the beginning of the 20th century.
The complexity of what has materialized to-date is enormous given that many elements contribute to current manifestations of conflict primarily in the Middle East, that now appear to be migrating toward Europe, the United States and Canada. However, ultimately, the genesis to these conflicts rests solely with the collective alliance of these same named national governments. Their principal motivations being expansionism for the security and control of global natural resources namely but, not limited to Oil to ensure their economic and military dominance against their perceived enemies: China, Russia and lesser nations that are equally competing for such power of dominance.
The former Soviet Union’s attempt to secure Afghanistan beginning in 1979 became a threat to western commercial interests in that its success would impede installation of oil and natural gas pipelines from resource-rich, land-locked nations such as Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan to flow ultimately through western ally nation Pakistan to coastal ports of the Indian Ocean. The United States with the acquiescence if not participation of its coalition of nation-partners, funded and trained local tribesmen to counter the Soviet insurgence. These fighters, under the leadership of now deceased Osama bin Ladin, known as al-Qaida, after nine-years of conflict ending February, 1989, successfully routed-out the Soviets. This left war-torn Afghanistan essentially, under the influences of western-nations’ political and corporate interests.
Shortly thereafter, in 1990, Saddam Hussein of Iraq attempted to invade Kuwait for the purported purpose of securing its oil reserves. The United States saw this as a direct threat against an ally nation and source of its oil imports, launched a major counter-offensive literally obliterating the Iraqi army and air-force. Though the war lasted only a matter of weeks, rightly or wrongly, President Hubert-Walker Bush decided not to overthrow and/or remove Saddam Hussein from power.
The next major international event to occurred happened September 11, 2001 (9/11) with the downing of the World Trade Centre towers. Blamed for the attack yet never fully investigated were a group of nineteen named terrorists purportedly operating under direction of Osama bin Laden orchestrating the attack from inside Afghanistan.
The 9/11 event spawned a reaction that is felt to this day commencing with the pronouncement by President George W. Bush: a `war-on-terror’ against`axis-of-evil’ countries; countries the United States claim finance and support terrorist groups; a `coalition-of-the-willing’ namely western, democratic States of Britain, majority of European Union countries and Canada. What ensued as result, is the relentless bombing of Afghanistan to rout-out bin Laden and, in March, 2003, outright war against Saddam Hussein based on what will ultimately be found to be false accusations Saddam harbored terrorist groups and attempts to acquire `weapons of mass destruction’ (W.D.M.’s).
In concert with these military initiatives; the early part of the 21st century witnessed the unbridled legalizing of limitations imposed on the freedoms of United States citizens by way of the Patriot Act and creation of the Department of Homeland Security and Transportation Security Agency (T.S.A.) for implementation of a variety of draconian legislation premised on the need to tighten boarder security from outside terrorist threats. The occurrence of three well-known terrorist acts in Detroit, New York and Boston respectively, over a period of several years, has heightened the level of pubic fear infused by government propaganda and escalated, mainstream media coverage, substantiating expenditure of billions of dollars to essentially create a national security state broaching that of a military-state. The same initiatives to varying degrees, continue to be implemented within countries allied with the United States in their combined efforts to rid the world of the perceived and limited terrorist menace.
As to who or what was ultimately responsible for the attack on the WTC towers is yet to be determined. Comprehensive analysis of the events leading up to and post the buildings’ collapse has created more questions then has been answered. And, as with the questions arising from the assassination of John F. Kennedy and subsequently his brother Robert, they are likely never to be fully resolved. However, as to the other part of the Middle East war-equation: it is widely known claims of WDM’s held by Saddam Hussein was false and misleading resulting in an illegal and unnecessary destruction of a nation and killing of millions of innocent Iraqi citizens.
The fourteen, now approaching fifteen, years since the 9/11 event, matters have worsened. The failure of the United States and its allies to successfully democratize either Iraq or Afghanistan has these nations mired in a constant state of civil war between sectarian and religious factions of the Suni, Kurd and Shia dominated regions of Iraq; and, various tribal-families of Afghanistan siding with al Quida and/or various factions fighting under the flag of the Islamic State (ISIS/ISIL) fundamentalist groups.
Compounding and convoluting the chaos in the region is the western-ally supported rebellion in Libya by `revolutionaries’ resulting in the overthrow and death of its notorious dictator-leader, Muammar Gaddafi in October, 2011 leaving Libya fractured and in a continual state of civil-war between various militant and revolutionary forces vying for control. What is not clear: who the western nations look to be victorious since they seem to be militarizing all parties in the conflict in their attempt to destabilize the Syrian regime of Bashar al-Assad, deemed by the West a ruling dictator suppressing the democratic and human-rights of Syrian citizens.
Ultimately, the United States and its allies’ intervention in the region of the Middle East commencing with Iraq and Afghanistan, expands southward to include Yemen and eastward to Pakistan (though Pakistan is deemed an ally of the west, it is a known haven and fund various extremist deemed terrorist factions). Beyond these countries and throughout the Middle East including Egypt, Palestine, Lebanon, Jordan and those of the Sinai Peninsula, Emirate States and Saudi Arabia have become increasingly embroiled either directly or at arms-length, in the conflict(s) of present day and, not to the exclusion of Israel’s participation.
As eluded to earlier, the complexity of this important matter is beyond the capacity of this essay to comprehensively encapsulate however, it should be sufficient to emphasize the importance of everyone, of all nations, to make an effort to enquire and question the actions and motivations of its political elite in their pursuance of tighter and more stringent legislative powers to inhibit the freedoms of its citizenry. Periodic manifestation of so-called `terrorist’ acts on `home-soil’ or, domestic-terrorism, should not lead to questions of `what manner of tighter security need be implemented?’ but, more importantly: `why did the terrorist(s) feel it necessary to commit such acts of death and destruction on home-soil?’.
The mainstream-media fail in pursuing this line of questioning of legislators and politicians but rather, fall lock-step in support by emphasizing the fear-element of the controversy and call for tighter legislative powers to secure against the perceived threat at the expense of freedom of expression and movement.
There can be no doubt even with the limited public knowledge of this on-going conflict made available through mainstream-media-channels; the actions of western nations principally those of the United States substantiated by the attack of 9/11 serves only to precipitate and fuel the level of hatred arising from what is deemed strategic and targeted bombing by plane and drones in many of the Islamic countries of the Middle East. These actions seem to only create more terrorist acts of retribution against nations comprising the coalition countries. An unfair condition not only for the Islamic citizens affected but too, those of western nations as it is their treasure and blood being expended in this seemingly endless battle.
In the end, there is no right or wrong to this situation; it is more a matter of a conflict that has become convoluted by ambitions of politics/politicians and the economics of power both domestic and international.
Putting on a pair of rose-colored glasses:
- It is time for ALL global-citizens to question WHY? our respective nations are involved in these conflicts and to demand withdraw from any region we have no right to be involved;
- Let the citizens of countries in domestic-conflict sort out their own future and neighboring nations left to protect their own sovereign borders from intrusion as may arise from such conflicts;
- Treat the natural resources of any nation as the common-wealth of the sovereign-nation for trade/exchange in good faith; and,
- Larger, developed nations to better serve as peace-makers/brokers and not interventionist for securing other nations’ natural wealth.
Peace – what are you/we waiting for?
naykdpoet 