America: Cesspool of Terror by Stephen Lendman

America: Cesspool of Terror

by Stephen Lendman

It bears repeating what other articles stressed. No nation in world history caused more harm to more people over a longer duration than America. Rogue state ruthlessness by any standard.

North Korea is right calling America "a cesspool of terrorism." Its sordid history proves it. More on this below.

Pyongyang's comment came after Washington irresponsibly accused it of hacking Sony Pictures' film "The Interview." 

Negatively portraying leader Kim Jong-un. Including a plot to assassinate him. No evidence whatever links North Korea to the hacking attack.

Pyongyang categorically denies it. A government statement saying "(w)hoever is going to frame our country for a crime should present concrete evidence."

A baseless FBI accusation alone exists. Enough for media scoundrels to respond as expected. 

The New York Times like others. Irresponsibly accusing North Korea of "a destructive cyberattack on American soil."

The film is typical Hollywood trash. Movie moguls in lockstep with US policy. No plot too far-fetched omitted.

Even Tarzan was exploited decades earlier. Waging war on Nazism in "Tarzan Triumphs." Hitler was no match for the king of the jungle. 

He defeated German invaders singlehandedly. An elephant blitzkrieg helped. Reinvented history boosts profits.

"The Interview" is destabilizing US propaganda. Co-director Seth Rogen admitted collaboration with Washington's military/intelligence establishment.

Telling The New York Times: "Throughout this process, we made relationships with certain people who work in the government as consultants, who I'm convinced are in the CIA."

North Korea is one of many US targets. America's sordid history reflects it. Even The New York Times in part discussed it.

An October article saying "(t)he Central Intelligence Agency has run guns to insurgencies across the world during its 67-year history - from Angola to Nicaragua to Cuba." 

"The continuing CIA effort to train Syrian rebels is just the latest example of an American president becoming enticed by the prospect of using the spy agency to covertly arm and train rebel groups."

Washington targets all governments not in lockstep with its policy. William Blum calls "democracy" America's deadliest export.

Its imperial agenda makes the world safe for monied interests. Benefitting their bottom line priorities.

"Prevent(ing) the rise of any society that might serve as a successful example of an alternative to the capitalist model," said Blum.

(E)xtend(ing) political and economic hegemony over as wide an area as possible…"

"This in the name of fighting a supposed moral crusade against what cold warriors convinced themselves, and the American people, was the existence of an evil International Communist Conspiracy, which in fact never existed, evil or not."

Post-WW II, intervened against dozens of nations. Lawlessly. Advancing its imperial agenda. 

In China's 1945-49 civil war. Against communist forces aligned with America against imperial Japan.

In 1947-48, "(u)sed every trick in the book" to prevent communists from gaining power "legally and fairly," said Blum.

In 1947-49, backed Greek fascists against leftists. A reign of terror followed their ascension to power.

In 1945 -53, defeated Filipino leftist Huks. Installed fascist puppets as presidents. Notably Ferdinand Marcos. Replacing him when he fell out of favor.

In 1945-53, suppressed popular South Korean progressive forces. Backed conservative imperial Japanese collaborators. Longstanding corrupt, reactionary, brutal rule followed.

In 1949-53, Washington and Britain unsuccessfully tried toppling Albanian communists. Wanted fascists replacing them.

In the 1950s, CIA operatives conducted wide-ranging "sabotage, terrorism, dirty tricks, an psychological warfare against East Germany," said Blum.

In 1953, Washington ousted Iran's democratically elected Prime Minister Mohammad Mossadegh. The CIA's first coup.

In 1954, Washington toppled Guatemala's Jacobo Arbenz Guzman. In 1952, Truman authorized CIA action. Eisenhower followed through. 

Paramilitary subversion and psychological warfare followed. Forcing him out. Carlos Castillo Armas replaced him. 

Death squad justice followed. So did decades of genocide. Against indigenous Guatemalans.

Eisenhower doctrine said America "is prepared to use armed forces to assist " any Middle East country "requesting assistance against armed aggression from any country controlled by international communism."

Meaning America alone usurped right to regional oil. In 1956-58, twice attempted to oust Syria's government.

Landed 14,000 troops in Lebanon. Conspired to topple Egypt's Gamal Abdel Nasser. Targeted Indonesia's Sukarno for replacement. 

CIA operatives "began throwing money into the elections, plotted Sukarno's assassination, tried to blackmail him with a phony sex film, and joined forces with dissident military officers to wage a full-scale war against the government," said Blum.

"Sukarno survived it all." Until later ousted. More on this below.

In 1953-64, British Guyana was targeted. To oust leftist Cheddi Jagan. Democratically elected three times.

Representing the threat of a good example. A successful alternative to predatory capitalism. Forced out in 1964.

US Vietnamese policy is one of its most sordid. Beginning under Truman. Continuing under Eisenhower.

No matter that Ho Chi Minh modeled his declaration of independence after America's. A generation of war followed. Millions of corpses attested to US brutality.

Cambodia's Prince Sihanouk refused to be a US client. Years of US hostility towards his government followed. Including Nixon/Kissinger's secret 1969/70 "carpet bombings."

Ousting Sihanouk in 1970. Facilitating Khmer Rouge leader Pol Pot's rise to power. According to Blum:

"(F)ive years of American bombing had caused Cambodia's traditional economy to vanish. The old Cambodia had been destroyed forever."

Washington supported Pol Pot. Militarily and diplomatically. Despite his reign of terror.

"In June 1960, Patrice Lumumba became Congo's first prime minister after independence from Belgium," Blum explained.

In 1961 assassinated. On orders from Eisenhower. Followed by "years of civil conflict and chaos and the rise to power of Mobutu Sese Seko."

Retained it for 30 years. At the expense of his people. Deeply impoverished. "Mobutu became a multibillionaire," said Blum.

Washington opposed Brazilian President Joao Goulart's policies. Toppled him in 1964. By military coup. With "covert American involvement," said Blum. Ruthless dictatorship followed.

In February 1963, Juan Bosch became the Dominican Republic's first democratically elected president.

Months later ousted by military coup. Supported by Washington. Nineteen months later revolt tried reinstating him. US forces crushed it.

On January 1, 1959, Fidel Castro's guerrilla fores ousted US-backed fascist Fulgencio Batista.

Remained president until his February 2008 retirement. Transformed Cuba from a repressive brothel to a populist state. Defying US imperialism successfully. An exception proving the rule.

In 1965, US-backed General Suharto ousted Sukarno by military coup. A campaign The New York Times called "one of the most savage mass slaying of modern political history." Killing hundreds of thousands.

In 1967, US-supported military putschists replaced Greece's democratically elected government. 

The usual aftermath followed. State terror. Including martial law. Censorship. Mass arrests. 

Targeted killings. Torture and other abuses. Affecting thousands of victims in the regime's first month alone. A seven-year Greek nightmare followed.

On September 11, 1973, US-backed General Augusto Pinochet ousted democratically elected Salvador Allende. 

"Caravan of Death" reign of terror followed. Including mass arrests. Disappearances. Torture. Mass murder. Targeting anyone suspected of regime opposition.

In 1975, Henry Kissinger orchestrated East Timor's invasion. Suharto massacred hundreds of thousands.

From 1978- 89, Washington waged dirty war on Nicaragua's Sandinista government. Using Contra death squads. "Freedom fighters," according to Reagan.

In 1983, America ousted Grenada's Maurice Bishop government. To prevent "another Cuba." Followed by fascist governance.

Blum saying is "US-trained police force and counter-insurgency forces acquired a reputation for brutality, arbitrary arrest, and abuse of authority…"

In 1986, Washington bombed Libya. Targeting Gaddafi. Killing dozens. Wounding many more. Including Gaddafi's two young sons. His infant daughter perished. He survived.

Panama's Manuel Noreiga wasn't convenient US stooge enough. He forgot who's boss. Imprisonment in America, France and Panama followed.

At the cost of thousands of Panamanian lives. Many others wounded. Around 15,000 left homeless.

America's 1980-92 war on Salvadoran freedom took around 75,000 lives.

US supported Balkan wars raged throughout the 1990s. Balkanizing the former Yugoslavia. Seven countries replaced one.

Culminating with US-led NATO raping Yugoslavia in 1999. For 78 days. Using 600 warplanes. Flying 3,000 sorties.

Using thousands of tons of ordnance. Unprecedented up to that time. Inflicting mass slaughter and destruction. Naked aggression. Dirty war. Civilians suffered most.

Washington supported Haitian father and son Duvalier despots for 30 years. CIA operatives worked with death squads. Torturers. Drug traffickers.

Twice ousted Jean-Bertrand Aristide from office. Haiti's first ever democratically elected president. Overwhelmingly supported. Replaced by despotic rule.

January 17, 1991 - February 28 Operation Desert Shield destroyed the cradle of civilization. 

In 2003, Bush II continued where Bush I and Clinton left off. Ousting Saddam. Nonexistent WMDs the pretext. 

Current Iraqi cauldron of violence conditions worse than ever. Obama's Iraq war III bears much responsibility.

Bush's Afghan war was planned months before launching. Continues without end. 

America's longest war. Its most expensive. Permanent occupation planned. 

Afghans are some of the world's most long-suffering people. For decades because of US imperial policy.

US-led NATO's Libyan aggression transformed Africa's most developed nation into dystopian harshness. Out-of-control violence rages.

Obama's war on Syria continues. IS is the pretext. Assad the target. Regime change the objective.

Washington wages propaganda, political, economic, social and hot wars against all sovereign independent states. State terror by any standard. 

Part of its plan for unchallenged world dominance. Risking humanity's survival. 

Rogue states operate this way. America's exceeds history's worst.

Stephen Lendman lives in Chicago. He can be reached at lendmanstephen@sbcglobal.net. 

His new book as editor and contributor is titled "Flashpoint in Ukraine: US Drive for Hegemony Risks WW III."

http://www.claritypress.com/LendmanIII.html

Visit his blog site at sjlendman.blogspot.com. 

Obama's Brave Nuke World - by Stephen Lendman

At the same time the Pentagon issued its new Nuclear Posture Review, Obama officially ordered the murder of a US citizen, Muslim cleric Anwar al-Awlaki - accused of terrorism and an Al Qaeda connection without evidence.

Earlier on February 4, Washington Post writer Ellen Nakashima headlined, "Intelligence chief acknowledges US may target Americans involved in terrorism," saying:

"Director of National Intelligence Dennis C. Blair acknowledged (February 3 in testimony to the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence) that government agencies (specifically CIA operatives and Special Forces death squads) may kill US citizens abroad who are involved in terrorist activities if they are 'taking action that threatens Americans," or administration officials say so.

Obama's Nuclear Posture Review - New Policy or Same Old Same Old?

In December 2001, the Bush administration issued its Nuclear Posture Review (NPR), asserting the preemptive right to unilaterally declare and wage future wars using first strike nuclear weapons.

On April 5, New York Times writers David Sanger and Peter Baker headlined, "Obama Limits When US Would Use Nuclear Arms," saying:

On Monday, Obama said "he was revamping American nuclear strategy to substantially narrow the conditions under which the United States would use nuclear weapons (but) was carving out an exception for 'outliers like Iran and North Korea....' "

Calling it a "sharp shift" in strategy, the Times writers claimed "For the first time, the United States is explicitly committing not to use nuclear weapons against nonnuclear states (in compliance with the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty - NPT), even if they attacked the United States with biological or chemical weapons or launched a crippling cyberattack."

Predictably, an April 7 Times editorial headlined, "Mr. Obama's Nuclear Policy," said:

"it is an important down payment on a saner nuclear policy (and affirms) the 'fundamental role' of nuclear weapons....to deter nuclear attack on the United States and its allies....the administration has rightly decided to lead by example."

Wrong for numerous reasons. NPR 2010 is changed rhetoric, not policy. Declared nuclear or non-nuclear "outliers" may be attacked. Unilateral disarmament and a nuclear-free world aren't envisioned or planned. Upgraded weapons will replace outdated ones, and as with all new weapons, dangerous testing will continue. NPT's three pillars are disregarded - non-proliferation, disarmament, and peaceful use. So is restoring the Anti-Ballistic Missile (ABM) Treaty, in force for 30 years until the Bush administration unilaterally withdrew in June 2002.

In place also is the Pentagon's 2006 Global Strike Command, a preemptive offensive policy rooted in the concept that, sooner or later, deterrence will fail. Rather than wait, it focuses on striking before it's unleashed. It's about war making, not prevention. So is the 2009 Prompt Global Strike initiative to attack rapidly anywhere in the world with conventional weapons, as easy to do with nuclear ones.

NPR 2010 says America "reserves the right" to use nuclear weapons "that may be warranted by the evolution and proliferation of the biological weapons threat and US capacities to counter that threat."

It begs the question about cause in the event of a pandemic, that, if blamed on a targeted "outlier," may justify a nuclear response. It also leaves unchanged the 2005 Doctrine for Joint Nuclear Operations, removing the distinction between defensive and offensive deterrents, saying:

"The new triad (land and sea-based strategic bombers, land-based missiles, and ballistic missile submarines) offers a mix of strategic offensive and defensive capabilities, active and passive defenses, and a robust research development, and industrial infrastructure to develop, build, and maintain offensive forces and defensive systems....it provides additional military options."

NPR 2010 leaves the land-sea-air triad in place, keeping nuclear missiles on alert ready to launch in minutes, the right to use nuclear weapons preemptively, and for the president on his say to order it, perhaps with little time to decide if a perceived threat exists.

This goes beyond self-defense. Calling for preemption, it's aggressive, using nuclear or non-nuclear weapons against an adversary, rebranded an "outlier," whether or not true.

Still policy is the May 2000 Joint Vision 2020 calling for "full spectrum dominance" over all land, surface and sub-surface sea, air, space (including weaponizing it), electromagnetic spectrum and information systems with enough overwhelming power to fight and win global wars against any potential challengers with all weapons in our arsenal, including nuclear, chemical, and biological.

So is the 2002 (later updated 2006) National Security Strategy (NSS), asserting the preemptive right to unilaterally wage aggressive wars with nuclear weapons against any perceived threats or potential challengers, especially with regard to US control over the world's energy and other resources in key regions like Eurasia (including the Middle East), Latin America, Africa, and the Arctic.

Unchanged is the Bush Administration's December 2002 National Security Presidential Directive (NSPD) 17 to combat "Weapons of Mass Destruction (nuclear, biological and chemical), stating:

"The United States will continue to make clear that it reserves the right to respond with overwhelming force - including through resort to all of our options - to the use (or threatened use) of WMD(s) against the United States, our forces abroad, and friends and allies."

In addition, while launching nuclear war is a presidential prerogative, theater nuclear operations are at the discretion of commanders - so on their own, they may order tactical preemptive mini-nuke use (like bunker-busters), falsely claimed as safe for the surrounding civilian population.

Bogusly-called missile defense is for offense. It's also unchanged, Obama sticking with Bush administration plans to install them in Poland and advanced tracking radar in the Czech Republic, Russia very much opposed with good reason. It also objects to news leaks about Romania and Bulgaria agreeing to allow missile interceptors on their soil by 2015, according to an April 8 RIA Novosti report headlined, "Russia proposes global missile defense cooperation with US - Medvedev."

Claimed to protect European allies from "rogue threats" (clearly suggesting Iran), they, in fact, target Russia, the only potential threat because of its large, sophisticated nuclear arsenal. It's believed Iran's missiles can't reach Europe nor has it reason to launch them except in self-defense.

That despite Wall Street Journal writer Chip Cummins last December 17 headlining, "Iran Tests New Version of Missile that Can Reach Europe," and Iran's Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) deputy commander, Hossein Salami, recently saying "Our missiles are now able to target any spot in which the conspirators are in," of course, suggesting Israel and regional-based US forces.

According to the White House, the new US-Russia nuclear treaty "does not contain any constraints on testing, development or deployment of current or planned US missile defense programs or current or planned United States long-range conventional strike capabilities."

No wonder Stephen Walt, co-author with John Mearsheimer of their book titled, "The Israel Lobby and US Foreign Policy," headlined his April 6 Foreign Policy article, "Nuclear Posture Review (or Nuclear Public Relations?), saying:

"Remarkably, US policymakers never seem to realize that the same arguments they use to justify our own nuclear arsenal apply even more powerfully to states whose security is a lot more precarious than America's. If the US government believes that 'the fundamental role' of US nuclear weapons is to deter nuclear attacks on the United States (and reserves a first strike option to do it), then wouldn't a sensible Iranian leadership conclude that it could use a nuclear arsenal of its own, whose 'fundamental role' would be to deter us from doing just that?"

A Final Comment

Like his predecessor, Obama plans permanent wars and more military spending than all other nations combined at a time America has no enemies. He glorifies them and the righteousness of waging them, packaged as liberating ones for democracy, freedom, justice, and the best of all possible worlds. He's the latest in a long line of warrior leaders promising peace by waging wars, justifying them bogusly, and pursuing them as part of a longstanding agenda for greater wealth, power, and unchallengeable global dominance.

As a result, efforts to curtail nuclear danger may be no closer today than under George Bush, especially with Russia, not Iran, America's main strategic rival (along with China economically), facing off against each other in a new Great Game for control of Eurasia's immense resources and other riches.

Stephen Lendman lives in Chicago and can be reached at lendmanstephen@sbcglobal.net. Also visit his blog site at sjlendman.blogspot.com and listen to cutting-edge discussions with distinguished guests on the Progressive Radio News Hour on the Progressive Radio Network Thursdays at 10AM US Central time and Saturdays and Sundays at noon. All programs are archived for easy listening.

http://prognewshour.progressiveradionetwork.org/

http://lendmennews.progressiveradionetwork.org/