Islam And The West

The investigative journalist Robert Parry examines in the following article the failures of the neocon agenda after 2 full terms of the George W. Bush presidency.

Parry breaks down his analysis into 5 main areas and they are titled as follows pretty rhetoric, media megaphone, another front,turning points and gray areas.

Image source: Phxpma

He examines the role of the media in helping the neocon agenda to invade Iraq. Under the pretext of spreading democracy and human rights to the Arab world.

Parry finishes with a suggestion that we should all feel pity for the neocon movement as their dreams of Middle East conquest lay in the ruins of the history:

“…a bitterly disappointing end for seven-plus years of neoconservative dominion over U.S. foreign policy, a period that was supposed to conclude with the dismantling of Israel’s Muslim enemies in the region.

Contrary to those neocon plans, George W. Bush is limping toward a historical judgment as possibly “the worst President ever”…

..In 2001, especially after 9/11, the neocon dreams were so much more ambitious. The neocons planned to achieve “regime change” in all Middle Eastern countries that were perceived as threats to Israel and replace them with compliant, pro-Western leaders.

First on the list was Saddam Hussein’s Iraq, which was a center for Arab nationalism and an advocate for resisting Israeli occupation of Palestinian land. Since Iraq was too strong – and too far from the effective reach of the Israeli military – U.S. forces would be needed to conquer Iraq.

After that, Iraq was supposed to become the staging area for projecting American power across the region, with the governments of Iran and Syria the next targets.

A favorite neocon joke in 2003 was whether after capturing Baghdad, U.S. forces should go east or west, to either Damascus or Tehran, with the punch line: “Real men go to Tehran.” Of course, unlike American soldiers, the neocons weren’t really going anywhere, except to the next AEI conference or a Georgetown cocktail party….

… Throughout this ambitious process, the neocons wrapped their plans in pretty or high-blown rhetoric.

There was talk about spreading “democracy” to the region (even though the neocons have never had much use for real democracy….

….Besides “democracy promotion” in the Middle East, the neocons talked about advancing “human rights,” even as their policies rained death and destruction upon countless thousands of defenseless Arabs…

…So there were plenty of pleasant rationales to justify the brutal strategies, so many that thoughtful analysts to this day express uncertainty over what the Bush administration’s real motivation was for invading Iraq…..

…By the 1990s, with the emergence of right-wing talk radio and Fox News, the neocons consolidated their power in the national news media…..

…in 2002 and early 2003, the neocons in the news media worked hand in glove with the Bush administration to rally public support behind the Iraq War….

.. As 2006 wore on, things went from bad to worse for the neocons. Their dreams of a “permanent Republican majority” – with them in charge of U.S. foreign policy – collapsed on Nov. 7, 2006, when American voters turned both houses of Congress over to the Democrats.

Two years later, the Republicans (and the neocons) fared even worse, also losing the White House to Barack Obama, despite a GOP and neocon smear campaign that featured Obama’s middle name “Hussein” and called him a secret Muslim.

Also disheartening was Bush’s capitulation in accepting a timetable for U.S. military withdrawal from Iraq…

…In Washington, the neocons now are scrambling to find themselves new places of influence. Some neocon-lites are hoping to decamp inside Hillary Clinton’s State Department…..

…the neocons feel little or no remorse for the butchery in Iraq where hundreds of thousands of Iraqis have died and many more have been horribly maimed as a result of the U.S. invasion that the neocons demanded and rationalized. Indeed, it is difficult not to judge the neocons to be racist in their nonchalance toward the killing of Muslims, though the neocons would bristle at the assessment.

In many civilized societies, the intellectual and political authors of a crime against humanity as egregious as the Iraq War would be dragged from their offices in handcuffs and put on trial. In modern Washington, however, they don’t even lose their privileged spot on the Washington Post’s op-ed page.

But perhaps we all should feel some pity for the neocons. Their grand dreams of Middle East conquest – with them as modern-day Alexanders – have been reduced to them cheering as Israeli bombs smash apart the crowded neighborhoods of Gaza.” (Source: Consortium News)

Popularity: 1% [?]

Image source:Selva Morales

Dear reader it is that time of week again when we have a look at some of the interesting posts that can be found on weblogs throughout the internet. So without anymore ceremony here are my “accelerated links” (in no particular order) for 12/28/2008:

1. Yid With Lid on Muslims in Nazareth reminding Christians that God has no Son.
2. Wake Up America with Christmas in Baghdad.
3. Unveiling Christianity with a series of articles on Saul of Tarsus.
4. The Rude Pundit on torture, detention and morality.
5. The Political Jungle with U.K. government reaction to Mahmoud Ahmadinejad’s Christmas message on Channel 4.
6. The Hasbara Buster asks the question can one say “the Jews ?”
7. Samson Blinded on Russia’s bid to control the Middle East.
8. Right Wing Jew reproduces Rabbi Meir Kahane’s message of “down with Hannukah!”
9. James H. Shott on why he will not be attending Barack Obama on January 20th.
10. Majority Rights on the moral imperative of ethnic cleansing to save a racially pure Europe.
11. Lobe Log on the Neo-Cons still keeping busy over Iran.
12. LFG2 on Mattel and its Islamic brainwashing doll.
13. Lancaster Unity on a Christmas poll based around the BNP.
14. Judeopundit on British newspaper The Guardian characterising Israel’s operation “Cast Lead” in Gaza with the Deir Yassin killings.
15. Fiery Spirited Zionist on Muslim males fearing educated women.
16. Dr. M’s analysis of Raheel Raza.
17. Crossroads Arabia on a Saudi camel beauty contest.
18. Craig Murray on the Harold Pinter he knew.
19. Atlas Shrugs on threats by Gazan terrorists to kidnap female members of the Israeli Defence Force.
20. Atheo News with Barack Obama and a no comment on the situation in Gaza.
21. An Indian Muslim with post election analysis of the Jammu and Kashmir election.

The links in this post are provided solely for informational purposes and inclusion should not be construed as endorsement or acceptance by the author of this weblog.

Popularity: 1% [?]