Re: memetics-digest V1 #1329

From: Dace (edace@earthlink.net)
Date: Thu 01 May 2003 - 23:35:37 GMT

  • Next message: Dace: "Re: Not about embedded POVs"

    > From: joedees@bellsouth.net
    >
    > Hokay. I would just like to point out that the US had to play dirty pool
    > with friendly dictators in order to effectively contend with the Soviet
    bloc
    > in the world arena, where they were doing the same thing in spades.
    > Once their totalitarian hegemony crumbled, that unfortunate necessity
    > was removed, and our post-Soviet interventions have been mainly
    > about toppling despots and providing needed humanitarian aid.

    The US does build a lot of bridges around the world. But toppling despots is clearly not a priority. In Venezuala, the Bush administration appluaded and may have helped organize a coup intended to topple a democratically elected president. In countries throughout the global South democratic control over the economy is thwarted by US-backed IMF structural adjustment programs.

    > Virtuous interventions (or attempts at them in the third case, or urging
    > and support for them in the last one) since then: Bosnia, Kosovo,
    > Somalia, Afghanistan, Iraq, Haiti, Panama, East Timor.

    The Bosnian uprising was financed and organized by a US-led coalition including Iran, Saudi Arabia, and Pakistan. It was a rerun of the destabilization campaign in Afghanistan, which, according to Zbigniew Brzezinski, was initiated six months prior to the 1979 Soviet invasion in an effort to draw the Soviets into a Vietnam-like quagmire. Seems to have worked. Also destroyed a nation. Kosovo was an excuse to insert NATO forces into southeastern Europe. When Milosevic showed that he was willing to acquiesce to all reasonable demands, NATO added another demand that Milosevic allow NATO occupation of all of Yugoslavia. His refusal provided the pretext for the bombing, which set off a huge wave of refugees. Within weeks the US press was reporting that the bombing had been in response to the refugees. Somalia, as everyone agrees, was a total disaster, both for Somalia and the US. Saddam Hussein's Ba'ath party was installed following a 1963 US-backed coup. Hussein demonstrated his deference by asking permission from the US before invading Kuwait in 1990. Permission was granted by then-Ambassador April Glaspie, who referred to the situation as an internal border dispute of no interest to the US. As soon as the invasion took place, President Bush had his excuse to occupy Saudi Arabia. More importantly, he could bomb the infrastructure of Iraq for six weeks, thereby destroying Iraq as a regional power. This bombing had no effect on the subsequent ground war. The country was then punished for twelve years with an embargo, apparently to keep it in its weakened position. Minimum half a million dead. Haiti finally drove out its US-backed dictator, Duvalier, and elected Aristide. A US-backed coup removed Aristide, who fled, of all places, to the US, where he was informed by President Clinton that he couldn't go back until he'd signed a statement pledging to abide by IMF restrictions. Bush illegally invaded Panama in 1989 to oust a previously US-backed dictator who'd become troublesome and is now residing in a US prison. At least 2000 Panamanians were killed in this action. East Timor was raped by the US-backed Indonesian dictator Suharto, who was given the green light to proceed with genocide by Henry Kissinger and Gerald Ford in 1975. The US, even under Carter, supplied the money and weapons needed to carry out the slaughter.

    This is hardly a list of countries demonstrating US benevolence. If Mr. Dees is simply ignorant about the true effects of US foreign policy, he will no doubt write back to thank me for enlightening him. If, however, he is unconsciously propagating pathological memes, as I suspect, he will come back with more of the same misinformation. Memes that radically distort the truth in our favor serve to exploit our narcissistic, tribalistic tendency to see ourselves as the good guys. Such memes succeed where the courage to face reality fails.

    Ted

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