As US/UK military build up for attack on Iran continues, Scott Ritter and Seymour Hersch discuss ...

by Gerry Fri Dec 22, 2006 00:43

Gore Vidal in a December 21, 2006 Counterpunch interview : "The people running the Bush Administration are so mindless and radical that they're apt to start bombing Russia, or start bombing Iran. They would have to start a diversion, so they can scream: "true patriots come to the aid of the Commander in Chief in war time" [imitates Bush]. That's their rubric. Well that's all nonsense. In other words, they create events. They create panic".

by MichaelY - iawm Fri Dec 22, 2006 11:44

Good beginning to a thread this one - hope it triggers some serious discussion.
Below some of the analysis we are developing in the iawm on the same lines:

Q1 of 2007 represents a highly dangerous period for humanity as George W. Bush, disregarding all reasonable advice, will be tempted to “double-down” his barbaric gamble in Iraq by joining with Israel’s Ehud Olmert and Tony Blair to strike at Syria and Iran.

The objective of this exercise would be to transcend the bloody quagmire bogging down U.S./ British forces in Iraq and Afghanistan by achieving “regime change” in Syria and by destroying nuclear facilities in Iran. The double blow would be designed to shift international public opinion away from the failure of the last three years and put everybody into a frenetic war footing.

It is very likely that it would be the Israeli army and air force that would carry the brunt of the new fighting albeit with the support of beefed-up U.S. ground and naval forces in the region. Bush has already mentioned that he is considering a “surge” in U.S. troop levels in Iraq from about 140,000 to as many as 170,000 – and he has the support of a number of high-ranking Democrats on this. He also has dispatched a second aircraft carrier group to the Gulf.

This expanded-war agenda has been discussed in one-on-one meetings among the principals – Bush, Olmert and Blair – who have conducted a round-robin of meetings that on the surface seemed to have little purpose. Olmert met privately with Bush on Nov. 13; Blair visited the White House on Dec. 7; and Blair conferred with Olmert in Israel last Monday.

A secondary objective of this exercise would be to salvage the reputations of the three if a wider war broke out in the Middle East and then broke in their favour.

As predicted by the IAWM, Bush seems to have spurned the bipartisan Iraq Study Group plan and has again ratcheted up his rhetoric. He now talks about waging a long war against Islamic “radicals and extremists,” not just the original goal of defeating “terrorists with global reach.”

***

For Bush, this idea of expanding the war outside Iraq also is not new. Since last spring he has been weighing military options for bombing Iran’s nuclear facilities, but he has encountered resistance from senior U.S. military officers. As Seymour Hersh wrote in The New Yorker, a number of senior U.S. officers were troubled by administration war planners who believed “bunker-busting” tactical nuclear weapons, known as B61-11s, were the only way to destroy Iran’s nuclear facilities buried deep underground. Hersh quoted a retired four-star general as saying, “The system is starting to sense the end of the road, and they don’t want to be condemned by history. They want to be able to say, ‘We stood up.’ ” [New Yorker, July 10, 2006]

In an article on July 30, 2006. the Jerusalem Post also hinted at an Israeli rejection of Bush’s suggestion of a wider war into Syria. “Defence officials told the Post … that they were receiving indications from the US that America would be interested in seeing Israel attack Syria,” the newspaper reported.

Based on all this evidence, the IAWM stresses that in early 2007, the revival of this neo-conservative strategy of using the Israeli military to oust the Syrian government and to inflict damage on Iran’s nuclear program may represent a last-ditch – and high-risk – gamble by Bush and Blair to salvage their historic legacy.

If that is the case, then Bush will soon approve “the surge” in U.S. forces into Iraq, which likely will be followed by some provocation that can be blamed on Syria or Iran, thus justifying the expanded war. Bush will follow the age-old belief of gambling addicts: in for a dime, in for a dollar.

The major question for us in Ireland would be the road that will be followed by the FF/PD Coalition…will they still go along with what would be an expanded use of Shannon for still another illegal war? Or, with elections coming, will they pull back from the brink?

It is the job of a united anti-war movement and progressive forces in the country to ensure that they do. Can we move on some of these ideas shoulder-to-shoulder AWI comrades?

by Flynn - agrescon@agrescon.nl Fri Dec 22, 2006 15:31

With Blair and Bush involved in the Middle East, to secure energy supplies to the Free World, the Iranian situation may prove to be a Rope of Sand too far. Blair is fast footing around the Middle East with a Gooley Chit in one hand and a Prayer Mat in the other, with his confederate in the melee Mr Bush. these co authors of Chaos,are more akin to the Deacon and Arch Deacon of the Klu Klux klan, which is dangerous enough,than to be representing the moderate free world. The world will not thank either of them if it ends in a War where the lucky ones will be dead, both the former Soviet Union and China are observing events,and each for their own domestic agendas, along with India and Pakistan ,let alone N.Korea or indeed Taiwan, I must not fail to mention the Malaysian Archipeligo,with Japan. The question is Who ignited the Islamic World from Morroco to Malaysia ? as I predicted in the mid seventies ? and where were our wIse and sagacious Politicians then ? I put it to the best beloved reader, That the Wise men were,nt Active, and the Active men were,nt Wise. Have a Merry Christmas and Peace on Earth to All men of Good Will. Wether we will see the next one is in the Lap of the Gods we Hope, if its left to the current pair of Genital Warts, we,ll all need Gooley Chits. Regards Flynn O Flynn

by fight the war Wed Jan 24, 2007 12:14

The major question for us in Ireland would be the road that will be followed by the FF/PD Coalition…will they still go along with what would be an expanded use of Shannon for still another illegal war? Or, with elections coming, will they pull back from the brink?

=== And how would you tell if they do or not? They are not telling us anything....