Stop the Next War before it Starts

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cont'd at:
http://www.antiwar.com/orig/jacobs.php?articleid=7906

11-4-05

Stop the Next War Before It Starts

by Ron Jacobs

It's time for the antiwar movement to take U.S. threats against Iran and Syria very, very seriously. Not only are stories of such threats appearing at an increasing rate in the media, they now seem to be a topic of concern on Capitol Hill and at the United Nations. Condi Rice, war hound that she is, made it quite clear that the White House considers it to be its prerogative to militarily attack these countries if it so desires. We're not talking covert actions or even armed clashes like those recently reported along Syria's border with Iraq. We're talking about an invasion of Syria and/or Iran by air and (probably) land forces.

These attacks will be undertaken in pursuit of regime change, with two main justifications. One excuse will be that both of these countries' governments are aiding some element of the insurgency in Iraq, either intentionally or by default because they won't close their borders. The second reason given will be to (we've heard this one before) prevent the development and spread of weapons of mass destruction (WMD). The latter excuse is more likely to be believed by the American public, especially in the case of Iran, because the compliant, if not downright collaborationist, U.S. media has already laid the groundwork for the assumption that Tehran has such WMD, wants to develop more, and wants to spread them around the world. In addition, the increasingly tight relationships among certain elements of the Iranian government and certain mainstream political parties in Iraq makes the claim that Tehran is supporting the Iraqi insurgency increasingly difficult to make – at least for now.

Let's take a look at just a couple of recent statements by Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice. On Oct. 19, 2005, Rice told a Senate committee that the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan were part of a plan to "redesign" the Middle East. She also added that U.S. troops could be in Iraq for 10 or more years.

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1. The Joint Chiefs have already said no

The Bush Administration has been given its papers. There'll be no war unless the Generals think it can be won, the American people will support it, and it's absolutely necessary.

That one would be lose-lose, except for the Chinese, the Russians, and maybe the Saudis and/or Israelis.

We ain't workin' on Maggie's Farm no more.