Robert Fisk: We are paying the price of an infantile attempt to reshape th

[dudeness]

By Robert Fisk
21 November 2003
The Independent

The Australians paid the price for the alliance with Bush in Bali. The Italians paid the price in Nasiriyah. Now it is our turn

It's the price of joining George Bush's "war on terror". They couldn't hit Britain while Bush was on his triumphalist state visit to London, so they went for the jugular in Turkey. The British consulate, the British- headquartered HSBC bank. London-abroad. And of course, no one - least of all the Turks - imagined they would strike twice in the same place. Turkey had already had its dose of attacks, hadn't it?

"They" must mean "al-Qa'ida". And of course, merely to point out that we - the British - are now paying the price for George Bush's infantile attempt to reshape the Middle East in Israel's favour will attract the usual venom. To tell the brutal truth about the human cost of Tony Blair's alliance with the Bush administration is to "do the terrorists' work for them", to be their "propagandist". Thus, as usual, will all discussion of yesterday's atrocities be closed down.

But the American and British administrations know very well what this means. The Australians paid the price for John Howard's alliance with Bush in Bali. The Italians paid the price for Silvio Berlusconi's alliance with Bush in Nasiriyah. Now it is our turn. Al-Qa'ida was quite specific. The Saudis would pay. The Australians would pay. The Italians would pay. The British would pay. They have. Canada is still on the list. Until, I suppose, it is our turn again. Even in 1997, Osama bin Laden would repeat to me that Britain would only escape Islamic "anger" if it pulled out of the Gulf. Nor do these mass murders have just one purpose. Turkey is allied to Israel. Ariel Sharon has visited Ankara. Turkey is hated in Iraq and much of the Arab world, partly for its Ottoman antecedents.

And if the Saudis are attacked because their Islamic regime is led by a corrupt monarchy, Turkey is attacked because it isn't Islamic enough. Break up Turkey. Break up the relations between Muslims and Jews in Istanbul - the purpose of last Saturday's suicide bombings - and break up the compromise "Islamist" government that now rules Turkey. All must have formed a part of al-Qaida's thinking.

snip..http://www.robert-fisk.com/

[Paschall]

1. Fisk is always a breath of fresh air

A functioning brain is so welcome after the nonsense spewed by Blair and Bush who would have us believe the only motivation behind these attacks is that "they hate our freedoms."

Thanks for the post. :thumbsup:

[Manix]

2. I'm so sick and tired of that "they hate our freedoms" bullshit that idiot

Bush continues to spew out!!!!

[izzie]

5. I am with you on this as I think it has no weight in this problem.

God knows what govt. wants to say they may do things wrong and start all this mess. It looks to me like blowback all the way.

[Malva Zebrina]

3. thanks for this Fisk page

I have gone through the tragic, tragic pictures on his site. All on a lie--these suffering, bleeding children and innocent people--all on a lie drummed up by a cheap, little AWOL coward of a man who, it is said, reads a bible every night for inspiration. These pictures break my heart. It is little wonder that the people of Iraq are forming resistance fighters and hate us. Look what we have done to them. All on a lie--Bush grabbed their country, killed and maimed their children, got the oil and the rest of the stuff other people like Halliburton wanted, other companies involved in military operations made a lot of money, and still they suffer under his occupation because he really had no plan for them--only for his big business buddies.

[NJCher]

4. bush's only plan for them was to call them

"collateral."

You've got more guts than I, Marianne. Maybe I will work up the courage to view the photos.


Cher

[globalcitizen]

6. Spain next?

I'm new to posting on this site, and just thought I'd chime in... I wonder why Fisk didn't mention Spain. I would think that, logically speaking, it would also be on the list.