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Terrorism

Posted by Simon Stewart, Tuesday, September 18, 2001

The attack on New York and Washington, and the consequent atrocity, is ill served by the hypocrisy of Blair changing the usual role of UK foreign policy from that of American poodle to that of blind Atlanticist’s cheerleading; or the pig ignorance of Bush and other largely, white Americans within the US elite and policy forming structures. Again we are all about to suffer the consequences of previous US foreign policy and American collective amnesia. Terrorism, however nasty, when carried out by disenfranchised and powerless is a political act usually constructed around a previous injustice and needing a political solution, eg N. Ireland. The US has consistently since the 2nd World War interfered in other countries and states often destabilising these states by revolution, coup, TERRORISM and, in the odd case, invasion. Nowhere has the US interfered more in the pursuit of its own interest than the Middle East particularly in its support of its proxy, Israel – a state with a well-documented and notorious recourse to individual and state terrorism. I will not go too deeply into the inconsistencies such policy throws up but suffice it to say that at one time the US supported the mojahadin in Afghanistan and Saddam in his war with Iran. And never said a word against the wholesale massacre of Palestinians in the Lebanese camps of Sabra and Chatila by the Phalangists; in which the current Israeli prime minister - Ariel Sharon - was heavily complicit.

We are not being well served by the likes of Blair and Bush in the current crisis, and in the way it is being hyped. Trite and banal soundbites from the one - with the usual add dash of hypocrisy - and the blatantly thick ignorance of what passes for the President of the United States are leading us down a road of future acts of terrorism and world instability. Thank you, Blair. I’m really looking forward to some outrage against London.