Date: Mon, 23 Feb 1998 15:29:24 +0000
From: James Heartfield <James-AT-heartfield.demon.co.uk>
Subject: Re: SV: SV: M-TH: Iraq -- Imperialism has lost the hearts and minds


In message <l03130300b11733f29575-AT-[137.92.42.2]>, Rob Schaap <rws-AT-comser
ver.canberra.edu.au> writes
>Evening all,
>
>I'm wondering how Clinton and the Pentagon feel about the man they spent
>much credibility and good will to get into office coming back from Baghdad
>with a diplomatic spanner in the works.  Surely their timing is thrown out
>now - it'll take days or weeks to make the case that the document is not
>acceptable.  If they push the button before the PR machine has reasserted
>the need to kill any-and-all-Iraqis-but-Saddam, they'll get all of us into
>a mess that could go anywhere.  I'm thinking Saddam has played this very
>cleverly, and the US military industrial complex's hopes of affirming their
>grip on a public purse that won't even stretch to a half-decent health
>system by way of glittering fireworks display and remote camera work will
>have to wait.

Anyone should be pleased that the threat of military action seems to
have receded somewhat, however this soft-cop/hard-cop routine with the
US and the UN is nothing to celebrate.

The details of the deal leaked so far suggest that Iraq lets the weapons
inspectors in on an indefinite timetable. That means that Iraq will
never get a 'clean bill of health' and its oil exports will be subject
to UN regulation indefinitely.

If the US accepts the deal it might well look like a climb-down, but in
so far as the authority of the UN is enhanced as an honest broker then
that is a considerable resource for imperialism.

Bear in mind that more people have died as a result of the UNited
Nations sanctions regime, than were killed during the allied air strike.
Any humiliation for the US is welcome (and, even more so any humiliation
for Tony Blair and Robin Cook). But the enhanced reputation for the UN
only serves to whitewash imperial domination.
-- 
James Heartfield


     --- from list marxism-thaxis-AT-lists.village.virginia.edu ---