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November 29, 2004
International weapons conventions in Iran, Iraq
A word on differing standards of accountability to international agreements.
In hundreds of articles over the past few weeks, our press has tirelessly reported on Iran’s uranium enrichment program, or rather—in characteristic shorthand—on “Iran’s efforts to develop the capability to make nuclear weapons” (Foreign Affairs, 11/24). Early on the morning of the November 29th, however, in “Iran Backs Away From a Demand on A-Bomb Fuel,” the New York Times announced that a settlement between Iran and Britain, France, and Germany (EU-3) had been reached: Iranians had agreed to suspend all research on uranium enrichment. One hopes that with this agreement, daily scrutiny of hypothetical Iranian weapons might also give way to some observations of actual American weapons being deployed nearby.
For by many accounts, the use of unconventional weapons has likely been a US pastime in “The War on Terror” during even its most recent episodes. Dahr Jamail of Inter Press News Service has recorded Fallujan experiences of poison gas and bombs that “exploded into large fires that burnt the skin even when water was thrown on the burns”—a trademark of napalm and phosphorus bombs. Though many Americans will no doubt say such claims are dubious, they have reason to: no outside medical personnel or observers have yet been allowed into Fallujah to even allow for further discussion of the matter. Less dubious is that continued use of depleted uranium munitions, which according to Vishnu Bhagwat, former Indian Chief of Naval Staff, amounted in 2003 alone to the equivalent of nearly 250,000 Nagasaki bombs. But depleted uranium is nothing new, having been used extensively in southern Iraq during the first Gulf War. The Department of Environmental Engineering at the University of Baghdad has accordingly measured radiation levels in and near the city of Basra to range from hundreds to thousands of times the normal levels. Dr. Jawad Kadhim Al-Ali, Director of the Oncology Center in Basra, has theorized depleted uranium as a reason that the death rate from cancers in Basra has now reached 19 times that of 1988. It was also in Basra that a previous study led by Dr. Alim Yacoup found the incidence of leukemia among children to have doubled between 1990 and 1999. Perhaps it is such reports that have led Dr. Asaf Durakovic, the nuclear-medicine expert of the United States Veterans’ Administration, to characterize DU as a “threat to humanity.” According to an oft cited August 2002 UN report, the use of DU munitions breaches the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, the UN Charter, the Genocide Convention, the Convention against Torture, the four Geneva Conventions of 1949, the Conventional Weapons Convention of 1980, and the Hague Conventions of 1899 and 1907.
In relation to Iran, one is reminded of the saying that history is written by the victors: while the New York Times writes of Iran’s “long history of concealment” in its relation to international weapons conventions, there is little need for such concealment by United States Government for its violations of such conventions as they go almost entirely unreported. This double standard at work in the application of such conventions is emphasized by a closer look at the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty, the basis for the present attention on Iran. Article 4(1) says that “Nothing in this Treaty shall be interpreted as affecting the inalienable right of all the Parties to the Treaty to develop research, production and use of nuclear energy for peaceful purposes”; Article 4(2) says that “All the Parties to the Treaty undertake to facilitate, and have the right to participate in, the fullest possible exchange of equipment, materials and scientific and technological information for the peaceful uses of nuclear energy,” it goes on, “with due consideration for the needs of the developing areas of the world.” It would seem that the United States, rather than Iran, would be bound by the terms of the treaty, which obligate it—as a signer—to undertake to facilitate the fullest possible exchange of equipment, materials, and so forth to Iran, one such developing country of the world. According to the aforementioned New York Times article, like all other coverage of the standoff in this country, such an exchange was of course not a right, much less a possibility. A far lesser right—to develop nuclear energy for peaceful purposes—was instead Iran’s “demand,” one that last week “came in two letters to the International Atomic Energy Agency from Iran's atomic energy agency, whose hard-liners oppose any concessions to outsiders.” But as these hard-liners, like other Iranians, have apparently conceded to their US and European watch dogs, the question arises with regard to Iraq, where any comparable watch dogs can be found to concede to. Principle two of the Nuremburg Tribunal tells us that “the fact that internal law does not impose a penalty for an act which constitutes a crime under international law does not relieve the person who committed the act from responsibility under international law.” A dying hope of Iraqis today would not be so ambitious as to imagine respite in the face of our longstanding war crimes, but only an interruption of the silence that sanctions them.
Posted by at November 29, 2004 05:49 AM
This information is invaluable for our letter writing and meetings with our elected officials & just talking with people-have told our senators and reps. to put this info in the Congressional Record. Have to check if they do it-encourage others to call the toll free Congressional Switchboard 1-800-839-5276/ know the congress just like the corporate media in a deliberate "denial" but they can't say they didn't know-like the holocaust of WWII , With eternal gratitude & be safe (amazing grasp of obvious) love cynthia & Hal
Posted by: Cynthia Johnson at December 3, 2004 12:22 AM
I am beginning to believe that as long as we Americans get the oil we need to run our SUVs, nothing else matters. Am I wrong or could it be that Americans are becoming the most indoctrinated nation in the world. Indoctrinated by not only their government but also by the business that runs this country including the news media.
Posted by: Sid Badakhsh at December 4, 2004 02:44 AM
I just can't get used to being a part of an aggressor country, stronger than others and never needing to justify our actions in any meaningful way. We use other countries to supply our needs and promise them the same great life that we have if they will only forget their own identity and become like us. The only thing we don't allow is any refusal. We buy leaders in these countries and insist they be elected by the people.
Why am I surprised? The corporations that own our country buy our own leaders and we elect them based on spoon fed information provided by their media.
Posted by: John at December 7, 2004 02:57 PM
Why won't a mainstream US news outlets run a report on 'Weapons of Mass Destruction' and examine the WMD history and projects at home in the US to contrast with the policies of our government? The biggest ironies are saddly lost to the US population! But they are not lost to the rest of the world....and US citizens suffer because our nation looks foolish. These ironies are hugely entertaining and would be sure to draw big advertizing dollars to the networks....but the stories never see the light of day in the US. A couple of glaring examples:
The anthrax mailed by 'terrorists' via US mail was apparently manufactured in US labs - despite the fact that the US has signed treaties making the manufacture of anthrax illegal.
The US is the only nation to have used a nuclear weapon on a civilian population (Twice!)....and I think that it might be the next as well.
The executive branch of our government is aggressively pushing a new generation of nuclear weapons while trying to get other nations to disarm.
Israel has nukes! Talk about scary...why aren't they encouraged to disarm?
Posted by: Spoken Freely at December 7, 2004 04:59 PM
Although this quote was indeed spoken by Reichsmarschall Hermann Goering during the course of the Nuremburg Trials, it was not part of the trial records, since these remarks were made privately by Goering in a conversation with prison psychologist and U.S. Army Captain Gustave M. Gilbert that took place in Goering's jail cell.
"The quote cited above does not appear in transcripts of the Nuremberg trials because although Goering spoke these words during the course of the proceedings, he did not offer them at his trial. His comments were made privately to Gustave Gilbert, a German-speaking intelligence officer and psychologist who was granted free access by the Allies to all the prisoners held in the Nuremberg jail. Gilbert kept a journal of his observations of the proceedings and his conversations with the prisoners, which he later published in the book Nuremberg Diary. The quote offered was part of a conversation Gilbert held with a dejected Hermann Goering in his cell on the evening of 18 April 1946, as the trials were halted for a three-day Easter recess."
Snopes.com
http://www.snopes.com/quotes/goering.htm
Here is the complete quote, with a comment by Gilbert that occurred midway through it:
"Nazi leader Hermann Goering, interviewed by Gustave Gilbert during the Easter recess of the Nuremberg trials, 1946 April 18, quoted in Gilbert's book 'Nuremberg Diary.'
Goering: Why, of course, the people don't want war. Why would some poor slob on a farm want to risk his life in a war when the best that he can get out of it is to come back to his farm in one piece.
Naturally, the common people don't want war; neither in Russia, nor in England, nor in America, nor for that matter in Germany. That is understood. But, after all, it is the leaders of the country who determine the policy and it is always a simple matter to drag the people along, whether it is a democracy, or a fascist dictatorship, or a parliament, or a communist dictatorship.
Gilbert: There is one difference. In a democracy the people have some say in the matter through their elected representatives, and in the United States only Congress can declare wars.
Goering: Voice or no voice, the people can always be brought to the bidding of the leaders. That is easy. All you have to do is tell them they are being attacked, and denounce the pacifists for lack of patriotism and exposing the country to danger. It works the same in any country."
Posted by: Spoken Freely at December 8, 2004 06:17 PM
Lots of misinformation in here. Am I the only one in here who is proud to be American? Proud to be a member of the greatest country in the world? Proud to not be brainwashed by CNN,CBS and rest of the self-loathing American media outlets?
Posted by: Mark at January 3, 2005 12:21 AM
The comment above is a perfect example of the psychology Goering talks about....is Mark's comment for real? Set...Spike!
Mark: I consider myself a huge patriot, which is why the current US government is so scary to me. The current US government *undermines* our democracy....if you don't see it now, just wait another decade of inaction.
Look at the end of the post above yours: Goering said: "The people can always be brought to the bidding of the leaders. That is easy. All you have to do is tell them they are being attacked, and denounce the pacifists for lack of patriotism and exposing the country to danger. It works the same in any country."
And Mark, you are using the same technique! You call people who are opposed to our leadership unpatriotic! That is sadly *very* misguided....and it is exactly how a Nazi war criminal suggested that a populace be swayed to do things otherwise unpopular.
Posted by: James at January 3, 2005 12:35 AM
Just like the school bullies with their hurd of sidekicks, throwing their weight around in the global playground......
My kind thoughts to the REAL PEOPLE!
Posted by: A.Citizen at January 3, 2005 01:49 AM
The U.S. Government didn't have to convince me of what I saw on the 11th of September, 2001 and later in person in Manhattan. While Iraq didn't send aircraft to drop bombs on Iowa, it is full of the same type of salafists currently attacking coalition troops that DID attack the U.S. on that ugly day. Their nationality is not a factor - it is their hatred of our "anti-muslim" freedom and willingness to act upon it that has made them a target of our attacks. Defending the U.S. from them where they are is far preferable to defending us from them when they reside on our soil. Being a Nazi made Goering's words ugly, but not summarily true. If anything, it should cause readers to doubt the veracity of his words, whether Capt Gilbert got the quote right or not.
"Patriots" have been saying "The current US government *undermines* our democracy" since the inception of the U.S. What's so different about the decade we face from here and what makes you more qualified to forsee the future than those who have used these words before you, James?
Posted by: a patriot AND a real person at January 4, 2005 10:38 PM
To Mark: you write that there is "lots of misinformation." please cite one example on this site.
To the "patriot": you write that "Defending the U.S. from them where they are is far preferable to defending us from them when they reside on our soil." Please explain what it means to "defend the US" in another country. I am lost as to the coherence of this statement, let alone the possibility of disputing it.
Posted by: F. Perez at January 4, 2005 11:27 PM
Patriot,
You ask: “What's so different about the decade we face from here and what makes you more qualified to forsee the future than those who have used these words before you, James?”
Information.
The decade we face holds the possibility of a purer democracy than we have ever had in the US since its inception. We are all witness to the great potential of the information age to provide participants in our democracy with unfiltered information about the world around us. Our citizens can witness the brutal reality of a Tsunami on the other side of the world. And if the news, magazines and papers refuse to show the graphic and upsetting images that accurately portray the enormous loss of life - our citizens can find the images and movies themselves on the Internet. When have so many people been able to see what a Tsunami looks like, how people respond, what the damage is really like? Never. Never in the history of the world. And what has been the effect of the thousands of amateur videos and photographs on the web of the disaster? Unprecedented compassion and help from a population traditionally so disengaged.
And believe me, the citizens of this country are also seeing the war in Iraq. Never before in the history of the world has the reality of war been so accessible to so many. The American people are seeing plainly what our government is doing in our name – And if they aren’t, they don’t have to go much farther than their PC. And just as there has been an unprecedented welling of compassion and assistance for the Tsunami victims in our democracy because of hyper-available information, so too is there a welling compassion for the people of Iraq and a welling resentment and anger toward our government as our citizens see the reality of what the US is doing in Iraq.
The next decade promises much.
As long as the US government wages its information war in plain view to the world – capturing hospitals, bombing clinics, detaining journalists, firing on ambulances so that the world will somehow not notice the atrocities being done in our name – as long as the US does this, it behaves in a mode more appropriate for a past decade.
The coming decade is about access to information. And if the US fights information, as it is doing, under all the eyes of the millions paying attention around the globe, the US looks foolish trying to suppress what it proclaims to support.
Posted by: James at January 6, 2005 02:39 AM
Well put James!
And what a time to be alive, in the bitterest of sweet ways. When people have been starved of truth for so long, it's like a breath of fresh air.
Quote:
The Matrix is everywhere. It is all around us. Even now in this very room. You can see it when you look out your window. Or when you turn on your television. You can feel it when you go to work. When you go to Church. When you pay your taxes. It is the world that has been pulled over your eyes to blind you from the truth.
Posted by: Mr Phreeman at January 7, 2005 07:17 PM
Lots of rubbish here.....
I am a vietnam vet... my college days were dominated by that war.. lots of my buddies never came back..
lots live in homeless shelters drinking their lives away... why...
Because we turned a WWII ally into an enemy because he wanted his country's freedom back
Because we wanted his tin and rubber... cheap..
Well, now we have 9/11 as rallying cry for aggression.
During Vietnam, as ole Dubya could tell you, if he sobered up enough and his brain is not too fried, we maintained pairs of scramble ready fighters at every USAF base in CONUS. They trained to arrive at combat altitude in 3 minutes or less after scramble. GWBJr. shut that program down, just before 9/11.. why? Those fighters could have aborted the attack, that's why.
Your real enemy is in the White House.. Playing you for a sucker.. just like he played his investors.. and the ANG in Texas.
You forget that Madeline.. told Sadam he could have Kuwait.. then GWBSr. changed his mind...
You forget that Sadam, did disarm... and only when he was prostrate did we invade. Our performance in Iraq is a sham. Against a really determined opponent, we would do much worse.
Dahr is doing everyone a service. Accurate reporting from Iraq is really hard to find. His courage needs to be recognized and I hope he gets the pulitzer, he deserves it.
The US is busy building alliances against it. Its aggressive posture is sufficiently alarming that Russia, China, Iran, Syria, Serbia, India, Venezuela, Brazil, Argentina, Bolivia, Ecuador, and others will turn against it. You can already see Russia, China, Iran, and India joining together.
If they were smart, the Iranians would not only build the bomb, they would detonate one over Diego Garcia to prove they have it. You will see Russian AA missles move into Syria, Iran, and eventually Iraq. They work, are cheap and one man can carry and fire them. You will see Russian AT missiles do likewise.
There will be lots of greiving mothers before this is over...
All for nothing... the oil was for sale... in Euros of course...
Posted by: Dr. George W. Oprisko at January 14, 2005 05:57 AM
Hello folks nice site youre running
Posted by: lolita at January 20, 2005 03:55 AM
To Mr. Phreeman and all of those in here like him who are willing to look at the truth:
It is so encouraging to hear comments that reflect a willingness among the people to question the government and to revolt against the agressive madness that is being done in our names.
I recently got back from the anti-war protest in DC and was impressed with the young people's massive movement to fight against corrupt aggression by the US Government. They are our hope and should be encouraged by those of us who lived through the Vietnam era. Time and again, I heard the elders telling our youth that we NEVER thought we would be protesting another Vietnam, yet here we are again doing just that by protesting the US occupation of Iraq. These kids understand, through us, that if they do not revolt against this, history will continue to repeat itself.
The quotes from Herman Goering are an excellent example of what happens to a nation of people who do not question their leadership. I will ALWAYS question it, and encourage others to question everything, especially the violent destruction of an unecessary war.
Posted by: jamie at January 22, 2005 09:09 PM
A couple of days ago (around 19 Jan, 05) I listened to NPR's "Fresh Air." Terri Gross had an evangelical Christian right wing minister on, a chap who is head of some big christian/political action thing.
Terry questioned the US war in Iraq and this minister began to talk like this: "This was a just war as Christians define it. Saddam had weapons of mass destruction and they posed a threat to our security. And there was Saddam's link to Al Qeda and his support of terrorists. And it is just a lot better that we fight the terrorists over there rather than here."
This was very shortly after the news "broke" that the US's own team gave a final report that there were no WMDs there. But more than just missing this fact, this indisputable fact confirmed by very many agencies, was the TONE of this man's voice.
He espoused this like truth though he was parroting Bush. This was the voice of madness, clinical pathology, as if someone was saying in all sincerity that Igor in New Jersey has a mind altering laser beam that is screwing with my mind, between midnight and 6 a.m. on Tuesdays.
Hearing that guy made me feel quite queasy. Because it is the same kind of mind process that can believe, for instance, that Jews are subhuman, or Arabs hate democracy or if you aren't with us you are the enemy.
I don't hold with the concept of a "just war" at all, much less this Iraq assault against the decency and hope that had been America.
The way I see it, our hope for a good outcome rests on us who have compassion for all peoples and what we do in daily life to bring peace and well-being. The great big decisions on the international level are beyond me to say the least. I can see that some other factions of the rulering class might subvert the neo-cons plan for some other agenda (like Kerry might have done).
Barring that, at this point in time, as we rush toward increasing conflict in the mid-East and potential, outright fascist rule in the States (to keep us safe from terrorists and sympathizers) I can only imagine disasters and events beyond the control of the Masters that might bring down their Plans.
I realize how weird and unlikely that sounds but the world looks pretty weird and the neo-cons are acting as if they are in a hurry to lock up the natural resources, the oil, the money, as if they, too, were thinking, "How can we protect our wealth and power when things Crash?"
They consolidate power and wealth, just like they're doing now, throwing bones of "freedom" and "democracy" to the gullible believers.
Recently I talked to a man who had survived the Battle of the Bulge in WW 2 and had then become a POW. I was talking about politics like this, which must sound pretty cynical. He replied, "That's not the country I fought for at the Bulge." To which I replied: "Maybe the country you fought for doesn't exist anymore."
That was the end of the discussion. For us, who stand against war, injustice and oppression, our discussion continues and I think what is important is to discover the TONE and the syntax that 'they' use, so that we can put our opinions and arguments into language that penetrates their firewall of belief.
I'm working on it and it is slow going.
Peace to you all.
Posted by: John O at January 23, 2005 06:31 AM
Patriotism is a funny thing. Some people thinks is means supporting the government, and closing your eyes to what disagrees with the party line. They attack anybody who doesn't share their viewpoints as unpatriotic. Unfortunately, this flavor of patriotism is the lesser, but more dangerous sort. This is the kind of "patriotism" that made Germany great in WW2 (evil, but great); the kind of patriotism that led the Japanese to bring the pacific rim the "benefit" of their leadership; the kind of patriotism that allowed Stalin to ship 20 million people off to Siberia to die. Not the best of company to keep, patriotism isn't always a good thing.
I'm a patriot, but I say the American government is WRONG. That's because I believe in the principles on which this country was founded, not the dolts who are warming the chairs in Washington this year. Individual liberty, human rights, freedom of religion, physical saftey before the might of the state; these are the values that make America great. Not our flag, not our guns, and not our self assured arrogance that our way is the best way for everybody.
Anybody who loves this country, and by that I mean the American people - because we are the body of this country, the government is just there to serve us - should be outraged at a cost/benefit analysis of the last few years. I don't just abhor the unnecessary death in Iraq, but I abhor what it does to the future of this country. We have lost our moral compass, and with it, the respect of the world. It was once our greatest strength, undermining enemies, and creating strong allies. Now we only have what we can take by force or threat, and we are weaker for it.
It's such a stinking waste, so much lost for so little gained. Apparently nobody has thought ahead to the future, where we cease to be the only superpower, our economy is outstripped by China's and India's; and we come to the bitter realization that we are an isolated power. No great power lasts forever, but some fall more gracefully than others. Anybody who cared about the country would be concerned about that, so look to it, patriots!
Posted by: Chris at January 24, 2005 11:17 PM
bravo to you brave souls who call gw "adolf" bush exactly what he is. but alas there is no hope for this evil world...except in the eternal hope of Jesus Christ. please turn to Him and receive His salvation before the world comes under its final judgement.
Posted by: menachem korn at February 3, 2005 10:49 AM
Please....will you judgement day people just keep your fire and brimstone to your corner of the world, and let the majority of humanity actually attempt to improve conditions on our planet?
Have your apocalypse if you want, you can even do it in the comfort of your own home, but please leave the rest of us out of it.
What, you people actually believe that your all-loving god is going to send people to hell because they never even heard of Jesus before? If that is the case, Jesus sure sounds like a pretty big jerk to me. What a sham.
Posted by: James at February 8, 2005 09:18 PM
We here in Germany are comemmorating the 60th year after the destruction of Dresden (and of course other towns in this country) this year, and I'm pretty certain, that the pictures we still have from these towns bear a frightfull resemblance to those that we could see from Falludja, if they would only be publicised.
Since there was no atomic bomb available at the time, and chemical and biological warfare was still in its infancy, we did not have to face other aftereffects than the deaths of lots of "civilians" after the bombings were over.
The difference, as I see it (I was not alive yet at the time, so no personal memories can be shared) is, that the German people did commmit terrible crimes under the leadership of a deluded government. Our people3e were egged on by the propaganda and they believed in all the "nice" stories of the "Untermenschen" and the superiority of the "Arians". Well, the Iraquis did actually nothing, a great majority acually opposed their deluded leader who in turn did not do a thing in the last 10 years before the "Arians" - pardon Americans - invaded the country of the Iraqui people and destroyed towns, archeological treasures, and most important of all - innocent people - 100.000 of them so far.
Judging by the reports from Abu Greib, Guantanamo, the ones about abductions of people and deportation to countries to subject people to medeval procedures, proven time and again to be ineffective.
So far I haven't heard of lampshades made out of human skin but as things are going, I wonder.
Every war since the beginning of time was waged over resources someone wanted. Are there really still people who believe there is any other reason to fight one? No war was ever started by telling the involved "foot-soldiers" that this was the reason, there was always something like religion, freedom, bringing benefits to someone, or some other reason up front.
Well, this time the Americans wanted to save the world from weapons, which weren't there, get rid of a dictator whom they supported for decades, bring "democracy" to a suppressed people who may not have wanted this kind of democracy and definitely are not satisfied with the democracy they are getting so far - but they definitely did not go to war, because of all the oil. Especially not since the clandestine take-over of the russian yukon gas and oil company was so thriftly cut out under them by Putin (who is also not an ideal person, don't misunderstand this).
Well, my best wishes to all the Americans who can see through the wool Bush and his croonies are trying to pull over their eyes and my deepest sympathy to all those, who will have a rude awakening, when, as is entirely possible the man with a "mission from his God" starts another war with Iran and is put down for his efforts, killing lots and lots of American patriots while he is doing it. The Iranians are likely to have appropriate weapons - old ones from the US and the Western allies, new ones from Russia and eastern "friends" (if not the A-bomb) and a wonderful countrysite for prolonged and costly warfare.
Posted by: oJay at February 18, 2005 02:22 PM
O.K. so we hate what's being done in our name and we hate what might be done in our name in Iran, North Korea and wherever else we (the present U.S. government) perceive so-called evil. How can we who object to this way of doing things make a difference? Who in power will listen to us?
Posted by: gmapat at February 22, 2005 03:42 PM
Of course America is the most dangerous nation in the world.The military Industrial Complex that rules us is destroying the planet.If we don't stop it soon it will doom us to extinction.If only the masses could see how brainwashed they are.They live in in a state of'' fear and loathing'', and their god can't save them.Is it any surprise that 1 in 3 Americans suffer from mental ilness.They can't hide from the painful truth that is eating at their souls.No amount of tv,drugs,nationalism, religion,sex,and consumerism will stop the emptiness, pain and alienation.Facing the truth will set you free.The American way of life is the problem.Planet Earth can't sustain the American greed for resources.We are consuming the planet.
Posted by: Dave Cutler at October 28, 2005 01:33 AM
Don't be hatin'.
Posted by: Ron Anthony at December 5, 2005 05:31 AM
Ah, some of you are still hatin'!
Don't be hatin'.
Posted by: Ron Anthony at December 5, 2005 05:34 AM
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