Discover the Real Bush War

Is war inevitable! Are you "for" or "against" military action? What of the UN Security Council? Discover facts about: the Gulf War, US support of Saddam Hussein in the Iraq-Iran War (1980-88), and US involvement with Bin Laden and the "Afghan Jihad" (1979-89).
______________________________

Discover the Real Bush War (Part I)

As I sit down and write this article on Tuesday Night February 18, 2003 from my office in Germany, the Bush (or Bush/Blair) War appears inevitable. Why is this?

Is it time to bash President Bush and his policies? Or should we chant Bush slogans?

Bush stated in his recent State of the Union, "We are called to defend the safety of our people, and the hopes of all mankind. And we accept this responsibility." Do you believe that it is America's responsibility to protect so-called FREEDOMS for the entire world? Many might remember the United State's embarrassing role in the Nicaraguan civil war, or even Vietnam!

As an online reader, you, like everyone else has probably already chosen sides. Are you "pro" or "anti" the Bush War? Whether you gravitate towards 1) espousing Bush's war rhetoric in protecting America's freedoms, or 2) you agree that UN weapons inspectors should continue with their job, I ask that you temporarily back away from any forlorn conclusions and discover the REAL BUSH WAR.

Ultimately, the Bush War -- like so many wars -- is about money and power. This goes much deeper than oil! I would like to take a brief journey through both recent and ancient history and discuss the foundation of Bush's beliefs. We all know that he believes in Iraq's regime change and this means war. As we unravel the situation, you just might discover facts that you did not know before, along with historical realities you have not thought so much about.

FACT: On Friday February 14, 2003 the United Nations' 15 member Security Council agreed to continue the weapons inspection, ruling out the use of military force. France, Russia, and China, along with Germany, the Vatican and rulers of many other countries are overwhelmingly against the Bush War.

FACT: The US led the Gulf War with Iraq in 1991. Kuwait was a part of southern Iraq through most of the Islamic Ottoman Empire spanning from 1290-1923. The national boundaries making Kuwait and Iraq into separate countries were primarily established after World War II when the British released most of their imperialistic territories. As always, Britain and other allies tried to hold on to economic (oil) interests by establishing pro-British leaders. Petroleum is Kuwait's primary natural resource. Kuwait is one of the tiniest countries (about 120 x 110 miles) but owns approximately 10% of the world's oil reserves. The per person GNP is higher than Italy, Israel, and more than 10 times Iraq. (According to the 2000 GNP report of the World Bank and OECD, Kuwait has $19,040 per person versus $1650 for Iraqis.)

Before making a value judgement on Saddam Hussein's principles for taking over Kuwait in 1990, I could listen to both viewpoints dealing with oil, territorial boundaries, debt, Israel, UN favoritism, and other issues. Regardless of an opinion on Iraq and those countries for or against Iraq's takeover of Kuwait, the UN Security Council passed their resolution on November 29, 1990. Member states could “use all necessary means” to force Iraq from Kuwait, if Iraq did not depart by January 15, 1991.

FACT: The government of the United States provided weapons and support to Iraq during the Iraq-Iran War of 1980-1988.

Rather than detail this war, it is known that the United States was against the Iranian regime change of 1979. The Shah of Iran was overthrown because of his corruption and ties to the US and western powers which primarily revolved around Iranian oil fields. The Shiite Muslim leader Ayatollah Khomeini took over and severed any interactions with the US and western powers. Fearing that the US would intervene and reestablish the Shah who fled to the US, Iranian students took 66 American hostages from the US Embassy. It was during this Iran Hostage Crisis that the US supported Saddam Hussein in Iraq attacking Iran.

FACT: America provided Bin Laden and the "Afghan Jihad" fighters with weapons and military training!

The US used their weapons and military technologies to fight against Russian Communists in their war against Afghanistan from 1979-1989. In other words, in an indirect way, certain American policies led to the terrorist attacks of September 11th. After the Afghan war was over, what would these Muslim, US-trained soldiers do? They had to fight for some cause! Bin Laden happened to inspire the soldiers to fight against the spread of Americanism and western culture which seemed to go against Islamic values.

The first few facts can be read in many history books about modern Middle East. Interpretations of the events will vary though. To help establish the US and Bin Laden, I will quote from the introduction of my current book, "Love Your Neighbors? Discover the Real World Religions."

[The situation concerning the 1993 WTC bombing and events behind the September 11th attacks are more complex than most recognize. In order to "fight" against communism, three presidential administrations (Carter, Ford and Reagan) performed covert activities through the CIA. A key element was to train Islamic men in the war against the communists in Afghanistan (1979-89), aptly referred to as the "Afghan jihad," the holy war in Afghanistan. America's activities helped establish the Taliban regime and allowed bin Laden to gain his supporters. Bin Laden stated: "To counter these atheist Russians, the Saudis chose me as their representative in Afghanistan. ... I settled in Pakistan in the Afghan border region. There I received volunteers who came from the Saudi Kingdom and from all over the Arab and Muslim countries. I set up my first camp where these volunteers were trained by Pakistani and American officers. The weapons were supplied by the Americans, the money by the Saudis. I discovered that it was not enough to fight in Afghanistan, but that we had to fight on all fronts, communist or Western oppression." (Ahmed Rashid, "Taliban: Militant Islam, Oil and Fundamentalism in Central Asia," Yale University Press: New Haven, 1999, p. 132) It was, "A strange love affair which went disastrously wrong: the alliance, during the second half of the twentieth century, between the United States of America and some of the most conservative and fanatical followers of Islam." (John K. Cooley, "Unholy Wars: Afghanistan, America and International Terrorism," Pluto Press: London, 1999, p. 1) See the books quoted from more information.]

I hope that the facts I have presented are stimulating enough to open the pathways of discovery. Stay tuned for my next sections of "Discover the Real Bush War!" After this introductory article, I will go to the imperialistic mindset Bush adopts in his War. The follow up article will go all the way back to Plato and his "Republic." Discover why Bush is choosing to spend trillions of dollars and multiply the US deficit (what you and your children will have to pay back). Here I will trace a popular economic theorist who was a British delegate at the foundational 1944 United Nations' Bretton Woods Conference.