by B. R. GOWANI
In 1983, the United States CIA airdropped 15 page propaganda manual over Nicaragua inciting Nicaraguans to overthrown their government through sabotage. After seeing this manual people will understand better the work of CIA agents like Raymond Davis who was recently released from a Pakistani jail after his arrest on charges of murdering two Pakistanis. illustrations/ The Freedom Fighter’s Manual
Even though the word “international” can mean anything related to two or more nations, it also creates an impression to denote the entire world; especially, when it comes out of the mouth of “the most powerful man,” the President of the United States.
The earlier saintly missions of the US to rid the world of evil rulers were carried out in a lone ranger style, but since the 1990s, the missionary work is carried out in “coalition” with the “international community” and United Nations’ resolutions.
Generally, human beings feel good to be a part of group, and what better than to be associated with the international community headed by the US.
My Baa (mother in Gujarati) used to say:
“Hakhe dakhe
bhegaa haaraa”
that is
During triumphs or trials
togetherness is better
But how big is the current international community?
Out of the 15 (10+5 permanent) members, five members (Brazil, China, Germany, India, and Russia) abstained from voting on UN Resolution 1973 which permitted Britain, France, and the US to act against Libya. These five countries, that make up 43% of the world population, is not part of the current international community.
There are about 192 countries and out of that 12 or so European countries and two Arab countries, United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Qatar are part of the current coalition. (Yes, the two tiny Gulf oil sheikhdoms are part of the war brigade. Except money, they are not going to contribute much.) Among the European nations, Belgium (where the political parties have failed to form a government for the last 292 days–a world record), Norway, Canada, Denmark, Spain, and others are just contributing half a dozen or so planes each.
France and Britain are important players but the central role is that of the US. The US ground troops are not going to be a part of this war–that’s what the US officials say and it’s believable–because they don’t want to see the body bags (dead US soldiers) coming back home. The current war has a touch of 1980s US war against Nicaragua, a small Central American nation. In that war, the US supported the opposition force known as Contras, a very ruthless group which indulged in all sorts of criminal activities, from torture to drug dealings. The CIA was heavily involved in Nicaragua.
CIA agents and mercenary contractors
Yesterday, the CNN announced that CIA agents are in Libya and were involved in rescuing the pilots of the US fighter jet that crashed in Libya on March 21. Now it’s no more an open secret. Besides their normal work of creating chaos and arming and funding the opposition, on this mission they’re burdened with one extra task: To find out who the opposition forces are.
Only the shitheads managing the war against Libya can come up with such a brilliant idea. Finding out the ideological makeup of the opposition should be a prewar task and not during-war mission. Most probably, every Libyan opposition member the CIA comes in touch with is going to claim that he/she loves democracy and the help the US is extending to the Libyan opposition. The number of Libyans who went to Iraq to fight the US occupation forces is quite high in comparison to other Arab countries.
The CIA agents are going to give out sacks of money to people providing information–mostly wrong information, as it happened in Afghanistan. For money, most people would give any information which will satisfy the CIA. The opposition forces are also going to get US arms, maybe, the covert supply has already begun.
The way the US is announcing its each new move in Libya, it creates an impression that this is going to be a long war–unless Moammar Gaddafi decides to go into exile and the US allows him to do so.
One danger of serious escalation of war is that one or more of the CIA agents or private mercenary contractors are kidnapped or murdered and dragged through streets. But what if it happens in the opposition controlled territory–either by the Islamic fundamentalists or by any of the opposition group?
B. R. GOWANI can be reached at brgowani@hotmail.com