We must be neither with the terrorists nor with the U.S.

By Sitaram Yechury

The initial war hysteria and bellicose rhetoric of the Bush Administration is giving way to monotonous repetition of a ``long and protracted war''. Apparently responding to the sentiments expressed by a range of world leaders, including some of the closest allies of the U.S., who asked for ``unquestionable evidence'' before striking, the Bush Administration has promised to release a White Paper detailing the role of Osama bin Laden and his Al Qaeda. This was on September 23. Nothing concrete has been made public so far.

The celebrated investigative journalist, Mr. Bob Woodward, writing on the front page of the International Herald Tribune (24 September, 2001) alongwith Mr. Walter Pincus notes that despite leads, investigators struggle to establish links with the hijackers. The report states: ``The members of the Qaeda groups in the United States were in some cases initially identified by the Central Intelligence Agency through information gathered abroad that connected specific individuals to Osama or the Qaeda network. Under an agreement, the CIA passes this information to the FBI, which then begins investigations and surveillance within the U.S. Over the last two years, the CIA has provided the FBI with approximately 100 names of people associated with the Qaeda network who have entered the country legally in most cases. Over the years, some of the Qaeda members and other identified associates of terrorist groups in the U.S. have been subjects of investigation, but their cases were closed because no crimes were uncovered.''

This, surely, does not, in any manner, absolve the suspicion. However, even without hard evidence being established, the U.S. military machine has moved into the Persian Gulf and taken positions. The U.S.'s principal cheer-leader, Britain, has also pitched in with its submarines. This will surely lead to the entrenchment of U.S. military presence in many new areas. Utilising this opportunity, the U.S. is seeking to seal its total control of this oil rich region.

In the meanwhile, in the so-called battle of democracies against terrorism, the U.S. is busy trying to prop-up the Northern Alliance, which is battling the Taliban in Afghanistan. Its immediate agenda appears to be to replace the Taliban as the Government in Afghanistan. The U.S. has indicated to bring back the former Monarch, Zaheer Shah, who was overthrown in 1973 and a pro-Soviet socialist government came into office. The ``battle of democracies'' is to be won by restoring monarchy in Afghanistan!

It is such manoeuvres to advance U.S. strategic interests that resulted in the creation of the Taliban in the first place. This, in turn, became the breeding ground for professional terrorists. How many such nurseries will the U.S. go on creating jeopardising the lives of innocent millions?

Much is known of the U.S. military interventions during the second half of the 20th century when civil liberties, human rights, freedom and dignity of millions of people the world over were trampled upon. During the last decade since the end of the Cold War, U.S. hegemonic efforts intensified. Apart from its known military interventions, it paid scant respect to international opinion and agreements such as the Kyoto Protocol, the United Nation's conference against racism, the attempt to unilaterally abrogate the ABM Treaty etc.

Such hegemonic efforts went to the extent that five days prior to these horrendous attacks in New York and Washington, the U.S. House of Representatives passed what is known as `Vietnam Human Rights Act'. This proposes to allocate $ 2 million for each year, 2002 and 2003, to ``provide assistance, through appropriate non- governmental organisations, for the support of individuals and organisations to promote human rights and non-violent democratic change in Vietnam''. In simple language, this financial assistance is for the overthrow of socialism in Vietnam.

The proposed Act requires the U.S. Secretary of the State to report every six months to the U.S. Congress about ``efforts by the United States Government to secure transmission sites for Radio Free Asia in countries in close geographical proximity to Vietnam''.

Elsewhere in Korea, the Bush Administration stopped negotiations with North Korea unilaterally which had begun under an agreed framework in 1994. This was necessary to declare North Korea as a `rogue State' in order to justify the U.S. nuclear missile defence programme. As a result, the ongoing process for the re- unification of the North and South have virtually halted. The U.S. supported right-wing forces in South Korea succeeded in forcing the resignation of a Minister close to President, Mr. Kim Dae Jung, on September 3.

Despite the official renewed declaration of ceasefire between Israel and Palestinians on September 18, widely seen as a result of U.S. efforts, Israel continues to mount aggression on Palestinian territories. Between September 23 and 25, the ceasefire has been breached 24 times by Israel leading to the death of one person and critical injuries to 25, including two children. That the U.S. turns a blind eye to such developments speaks volumes of its real intentions.

Such U.S. efforts to interfere in and control all events across the globe earn for it the notoriety of playing the role of world's policeman. It would be a worse tragedy, if the U.S. Administration seeks to utilise the September 11 human tragedy in a cynical and a diabolic manner to strengthen its hegemonic designs over the world. The U.S. attempts to use the death of over 6,000 innocent lives to advance its global interests must be resisted. The failure to do so will lead to greater human tragedies.

In this context must be viewed the U.S. President, Mr. George W. Bush's call to the world to be either with the U.S. or with the terrorists. The answer must be given: we are neither with the terrorists nor with the U.S. Administration.

Send this article to Friends by E-Mail

Section  : Opinion
Previous : Fort and garden
Next     : Russia gains concessions on Chechnya