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WSWS : Correspondence

Letters on “Powell’s UN speech triggers countdown to war against Iraq”

10 February 2003

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Below we post a selection of letters on our February 6 article, “Powell’s UN speech triggers countdown to war against Iraq”

To WSWS:

In reference to Colin Powell’s speech concerning Iraqi non-compliance. It is a given that the US is going to invade and rob Iraq no matter what inspectors find. The real question is why the world would believe this so-called evidence from a country that has routinely interfered with over 70 countries, both overtly and covertly, from Russia in 1918 to Venezuela in 2003.

SY

Oshawa, Canada

6 February 2003

When Colin Powell recently made his “case” before the UN, complete with sketched drawings of mobile labs which Hans Blix says do not exist, he cited the fact that Abu Musab al-Zarqawi resides in northern Iraq. Powell asserted that although this territory is outside of Saddam Hussein’s control, al-Zarqawi had received hospital treatment in Baghdad, thus proving the much sought after link between Iraq and Al Qaeda. Putting the tenuous nature of these claims aside, would Colin Powell care to examine the United States government’s own record of providing hospital care to tyrants?

In 1953 the CIA launched Operation Ajax which installed the Shah of Iran through a coup. One prominent feature of the Shah’s rule was his secret police force named Savak, which brutally suppressed all opposition to his rule, including any proponents of democracy. As the Shah enriched himself from oil revenues the rest of the population was faced with rising inflation, rents that cost 70 percent of their salaries, and frequent power blackouts. By 1979 discontent with the Shah was high enough to precipitate the Iranian Revolution and bring the Islamic fundamentalists to power. When the Shah became sick in exile he requested and was granted entry to the United States in order to undergo hospital treatment. When news of the hated Shah’s entry into the United States reached Iran, popular anger was so great as to provide the pretext for seizing the US Embassy and holding all those within hostage for 444 days. Although Operation Ajax receives little press coverage, most media consumers are well acquainted with images of Iranians chanting “death to America.”

President Bush has stated that those who support terrorism will not be tolerated, although the United States government supported the Shah for 26 years as he “terrorized his own people.” Many repressive regimes which violate individual rights are supported by the United States government to this day, although this side of the story is routinely blacked out in the corporate controlled media. “Saving American lives” is the pretext for the war, although the life of anyone who is not American is clearly held to be worthless, as are the lives of Americans that are not being “saved” by money that could be spent on health care but is instead diverted into supporting tyrants abroad.

RG

7 February 2003

Why did Powell repeat the same old accusations against Iraq that have already been discredited? He and his ilk among the proto-fascists who run the United States are convinced that the majority of Americans are fools. That is how they view the working class, as idiots who are uninformed and will believe anything as long as it is repeated often enough. After all, how many of us read alternative media sources; how many of us speak French or German and read some of their papers; how many of us read the WSWS?

The fact that an anti-war movement even exists, is gaining strength, and dares to have a tint of radical coloring must boggle their minds. The working class, simply by being able to resist the overwhelming propaganda campaign of the administration and the corporate media, is proving itself worthy. We have a long way yet to go but today, I’m proud of my class.

In Solidarity,

IO

6 February 2003

It must be said: This one issue of wsws.org on Powell’s speech contains more new information and factual, reasonable analysis of the event than all the main press organs put together.

Long live wsws.org.

MM

8 February 2003

See Also:
Powell’s UN speech triggers countdown to war against Iraq
[6 February 2003]