This is forwarded from the Black Radical Congress. >Delivered-To: brc-news-outgoing@lists.tao.ca >From: Gerald Horne <gchorne@email.unc.edu> >Subject: [BRC-NEWS] The Bill Comes Due >Sender: worker-brc-news@lists.tao.ca >To: brc-news@lists.tao.ca >X-Sender: Gerald Horne <gchorne@email.unc.edu> >List-ID: Black Radical Congress - General News Articles/Reports >List-Unsubscribe: <mailto:majordomo@tao.ca?body=unsubscribe%20brc-news> >List-Subscribe: <mailto:majordomo@tao.ca?body=subscribe%20brc-news> >List-Digest: <mailto:majordomo@tao.ca?body=subscribe%20brc-news-digest> >List-Help: <mailto:worker-brc-news@lists.tao.ca?subject=brc-news> >List-Archive: <brc-news@lists.tao.ca">http://www.mail-archive.com/brc-news@lists.tao.ca>, ><http://groups.yahoo.com/messages/brc-news>, ><http://www.escribe.com/politics/brc-news> >List-Post: <mailto:brc-news@lists.tao.ca> >List-Homepage: <http://www.blackradicalcongress.org> >Date: Mon, 24 Sep 2001 22:44:15 -0400 (EDT) > >September 14, 2001 > >The Bill Comes Due > >By Gerald Horne <gchorne@email.unc.edu> > >Some economists have argued that what has made the fabled >U.S. economy what it is today is easy credit: buy now, pay >later. > >In light of the tragic and horrendous events of 11 >September, it is also possible to say that this kind of >philosophy also sheds light on this terrible tragedy. > >For amidst the hour piled upon hour of bloviating and >commentary on radio and t.v., one stubborn fact has gone >unnoticed: those who are being accused of perpetrating this >crime, e.g. the Saudi, Osama bin Laden, were not only among >the closest allies of the U.S., but -- as well -- were >essential to the prior historical epoch, the Cold War, that >the events of 9-11 are destined to replace. > >These "allies" were relied on heavily but that reliance has >come with a price and the time may be nigh to pay. The famed >actor and director, Orson Welles, put it best when seeking >to explain why organized crime plays such a large role in >the entertainment industry (yet another subject that has >evaded the attention of so many of our contemporary >analysts): "A group of [moguls] finance a group of gangsters >to break trade unionism, to check the threat of Socialism, >the 'menace' of Communism or the possibility of >democracy.....When the gangsters succeed at what they are >paid to do, they turn on the men who paid them....[The] >puppet masters find their creatures taking on a terrible >life of their own." > >For during the 1980s the U.S. participated in the largest >'covert' operation of its history -- perhaps of all time -- >the destabilization of the left-led regime in Afghanistan, a >regime bolstered by the then USSR. As Dan Rather is beamed >into living rooms nationally, pontificating about the >horrors of these bombings, I wonder if he recalls when he >was smuggled into Afghanistan to broadcast hyperbolically >favorable stories about the same "freedom fighters" who now >-- miraculously -- have become "terrorists"? > >As he sheds a tear about the thousands of lives lost in the >U.S., I wonder if Zbigniew Brzezinski, former National >Security Advisor under Jimmy Carter and a major architect of >the Afghan 'covert' action, recalls his being photographed >infamously with these 'freedom fighters' with an assault >weapon in his grubby paws aimed at Kabul? > >As is well known, the U.S. helped to recruit tens of >thousands to flock to Afghanistan, particularly recruits >from the Islamic world. Hundreds of millions of dollars were >poured into this effort and it is from this seething >cauldron of conflict that bin Laden arose, not to mention >those who are now destabilzing Algeria and wreaking havoc in >an arc of instability that stretches from North Africa to >the South Pacific. > >Sadly, one can count on one hand -- perhaps one finger -- >those (particularly among African-Americans) who uttered a >word of opposition to the Afghan 'covert' action as it >unfolded, though those tax dollars would have been better >spent on hunger and homelessness. Most were cowed by the >reigning anticommunism which mandated avid support or >muteness in the face of anything that was deemed >anti-Soviet. > >Fundamentally, the U.S. helped to stoke right-wing >nationalism -- including what is called 'Islamic >fundamentalism' and 'Christian militias' -- to undermine not >only left-led regimes but even bourgeois democratic >governments. Recall the pivotal 1980 election that >catapulted Ronald Reagan into the White House. Recall what >former Columbia University Professor, Gary Sick, referred to >as the "October Surprise," i.e. the newly installed >Islamicist regime in Iran supposedly agreed with the GOP >aspirant to delay the release of U.S. hostages in their >country, so as to undermine the candidacy for re-election of >then President Jimmy Carter. Then the hostages were released >as Reagan took his oath of office in January 1981, which >helped to propel the belief that the Iranians were >frightened of retribution from Reagan and this fear prompted >this release; this misbelief was expanded to include the >notion that militants internationally were now afraid of the >big, bad U.S. now that the GOP right had come to office. >This stoked even more chauvinism on these shores. > >Then the Reagan Administration and the militant right-wing >clerics in Teheran collaborated to eviscerate jointly the >left-wing Tudeh Party opposition in Teheran, not least >because they were seen as being close to Moscow. > >Those who doubt the collaboration between right-wing >nationalism and the U.S. should re-examine the now forgotten >'Iran-Contra' scandal, an elaborate scheme that involved the >U.S. simultaneously sending millions to Iran, while passing >on tens of millions of dollars in arms to the hated >"contras" in Nicaragua in an attempt to destroy the >Sandinista government. > >Hence, if George W. Bush carries through with his stated >desire to wage war on those who helped to boost his party >into power, he will find shortly he will have to reconfigure >the GOP -- not to mention some of his erstwhile allies. The >pundits are correct that added pressure will be placed on >Pakistan and Saudi Arabia, the seedbed of right-wing >nationalism in the Islamic world, but this can only serve to >assist those who Washington has pledged to strangle -- >leftist opposition forces in these unstable nations. > >Israel may receive a short term boost from these events as >more understanding may be shown in Washington for its >struggle against Palestinians. But in the long run many in >the US will come to recognize that Israel's flouting of U.N. >Resolutions concerning Palestine is no more than a breeding >ground for frustration and anger -- and recruits into the >armies of militant right-wing nationalism. > >China, which worked hand in glove with the US in >Afghanistan, Southern Africa and other hotspots, is trapped >in a contradiction of its own making. So-called 'Islamic >fundamentalism' has found something of a welcome in restive >Western China, which has been targeted by Beijing for >massive new investment and development; of course, this >'fundamentalism' was nurtured by China's anti-Soviet >maneurvers in Afghanistan. Now China is tempted to continue >its relations with the medievalist Taliban in Kabul -- >supposedly a new development deal was just inked with this >odious regime -- if only to keep Washington focused on >anything besides China itself. > >The U.S. ruling elite to this very day is continuing its >disastrous romance with right-wing nationalism. In the >southeastern nation of Malaysia -- one of the Cuba's closest >friends and a prime granter of development aid in Southern >Africa -- Washington is now covertly backing the so-called >'Islamic Fundamentalist' forces of PAS against the >progressive nationalism of Prime Minister Mahatir Mohammed. >In Central Asia, Washington's policy of detaching Tajikistan >and Uzbekistan from the orbit of Russia -- a policy that is >a holdover from the Cold War -- again only serves to assist >the forces of right-wing nationalism the US is allegedly now >at war with. > >Criticism should also be accompanied by self-criticism and >there's plenty to go around, particularly among >African-Americans where we have our own militant right-wing >nationalist forces, as the event of mid-October 1995 >exemplified. Interestingly, these forces only began to >flower in the mid-1950s, coincidentally when progressive >figures like W.E.B. Du Bois, Shirley Graham Du Bois and Paul >Robeson were coming under fierce attack in a global pattern >that mimics what has occurred in Afghanistan, Nicaragua, >Iran and elsewhere. As we bask in the justifiable after-glow >of our historic participation in the Durban anti-racism >conference, we should ask ourselves why our participation in >the prior two U.N. sponsored anti-racism conferences was so >sparse, though the question of apartheid and hatred of >Africans was much more at center-stage then than at this >year's gathering. > >That issue set aside, it is clear that Black support for the >Democratic Party should also be reassessed, as this party -- >according to the 14 September NEW YORK TIMES -- is about to >take a dive and back the White House's unworkable 'National >Missile Defense' scheme to the tune of billions of dollars, >though the assault of the World Trade Center shows this >scheme is not only lacking in feasibility but is also not >practical. Many Blacks and many in labor too back the >Democrats on the grounds that they are blocking the rise of >the right; but as the Democrats vote in Congress to give >Bush a virtual blank check to fight an ill-defined >'terrorism' globally, it is apparent that the Democrats do >not block the rise of the right -- they meekly enable it. > >The events of 11 September involved some of the most >significant bloodletting on these shores since the battle of >Antietam during the Civil War. Then, the question was >whether this nation could exist "half-slave" and "half >free". The U.S. has encouraged fascist like practices >globally (recall that 11 September also marks the >anniversary of the US sponsored overthrow of the socialist >Allende regime in Chile and its replacement by the fascist >Pinochet), while seeking to maintain bourgeois democracy at >home -- with an unhealthy dose of quasi-fascist practices >directed at "minorities". It is now clear that this approach >may no longer be tenable: the pundits are correct, the page >of history has turned but not necessarily in the way they >describe. The crackdown on civil liberties augured by the >events of 11 September not only show once again how militant >right-wing nationalism continues to replicate itself like an >out-of-control computer virus but, also, the old practice >with which some had become so comfortable -- bourgeois >democracy at home coupled with quasi-fascist practices >against 'minorities' and outright fascism abroad -- may now >be untenable. > >In the meantime a key task of progressives is to frontally >assault the rising tidal wave of persecution against >Arab-Americans: this has become an important frontline in >the struggle against this latest iteration of a "New World >Order". This targeting of Muslims and Arab-Americans has >grave implications for all those concerned with 'racial >profiling.' Yet, no progress will be made on any front until >we recognize the symbiotic relationship that has existed to >this point between militant right-wing nationalism globally >and the GOP. Whether this tragedy of 11 September was >perpetrated by the 'venture capitalist' of right-wing Islam, >bin Laden or 'Christian militias' or even the Israelis (a >recent charge by the Iranian clerics), it all stems from the >same source: U.S. nurturing right-wing nationalism, at home >and abroad. > >The bill has come due, the times of easy credit are drying >up, it is time to pay. > >Copyright (c) 2001 Gerald Horne. All Rights Reserved. > > >[IMPORTANT NOTE: The views and opinions expressed on this >list are solely those of the authors and/or publications, >and do not necessarily represent or reflect the official >political positions of the Black Radical Congress (BRC). >Official BRC statements, position papers, press releases, >action alerts, and announcements are distributed exclusively >via the BRC-PRESS list. As a subscriber to this list, you >have been added to the BRC-PRESS list automatically.] > >[Articles on BRC-NEWS may be forwarded and posted on other >mailing lists, as long as the wording/attribution is not altered >in any way. 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