Fwd: CIA analyst: Evidence Mounts That Bush Wants New Wars

[Guest guest]

Evidence Mounts That Bush Wants New Wars

 

By Bill Christison

Former CIA analyst

 

11/16/05 " Counterpunch " -- -- In this his time of troubles, Bush seems to be

moving deliberately and rapidly toward new wars of aggression in an

unforgivable gamble to overcome his troubles. His speech on Veterans' Day,

November 11, 2005 at the Tobyhanna Army Depot in Pennsylvania leads to this

conclusion more clearly than any of his previous speeches and activities.

The new wars would be the start of a world war initiated by Bush and radical

Christianity against what he calls radical Islam, but in truth the wars

would be waged against all Islam.

 

To repeat, despite Bush's arguments to the contrary, the " clash of

civilizations " would consist of wars started by us. The killing of innocent

people in these wars is likely to be massive, and the wars could at any time

turn nuclear. If the people and the politicians of America allow these wars

to take place, the stain on the morality of Americans will last for

generations.

 

Let's note some of the statements Bush made in this speech of November 11.

Many are not new, and some were foreshadowed in a speech by Bush a month

ago, but their volume and intensity in the Veterans' Day speech are

noteworthy.

 

" Some call this evil Islamic radicalism; others, militant Jihadism; and

still others, Islamo-fascism . . . These extremists distort the idea of

jihad into a call for terrorist murder against Christians and Hindus and

Jews -- and against Muslims, themselves, who do not share their radical

vision. "

 

" . . . these extremists want to end American and Western influence in the

broader Middle East, because we stand for democracy and peace, and stand in

the way of their ambitions. "

 

" . . . these militants believe that controlling one country will rally the

Muslim masses, enabling them to overthrow all moderate governments in the

region, and establish a radical Islamic empire that spans from Spain to

Indonesia. "

 

" . . . the terrorists would be able to advance their stated agenda: to

develop weapons of mass destruction; to destroy Israel; to intimidate

Europe; to assault the American people; and to blackmail our government into

isolation. "

 

" The influence of Islamic radicalism is also magnified by helpers and

enablers. They've been sheltered by authoritarian regimes -- allies of

convenience like Iran and Syria -- that share the goal of hurting America

and modern Muslim governments, and use terrorist propaganda to blame their

own failures on the West, on America, and on the Jews. "

 

" The government of Syria must do what the international community has

demanded . . . The government of Syria must stop exporting violence and

start importing democracy. "

 

" Over the years these extremists have used a litany of excuses for violence:

the Israeli presence on the West Bank, the U.S. military presence in Saudi

Arabia, the defeat of the Taliban, or the Crusades of a thousand years ago.

In fact, we're not facing a set of grievances that can be soothed and

addressed. We're facing a radical ideology with inalterable objectives: to

enslave whole nations and intimidate the world. No act of ours invited the

rage of killers -- and no concession, bribe, or act of appeasement would

change or limit their plans for murder. "

 

" The murderous ideology of the Islamic radicals is the great challenge of

our new century. Yet in many ways, this fight resembles the struggle against

communism in the last century. Like the ideology of communism, Islamic

radicalism is elitist, led by a self-appointed vanguard that presumes to

speak for the Muslim masses. "

 

" Like the ideology of communism, our new enemy teaches that innocent

individuals can be sacrificed to serve a political vision. And this explains

their cold-blooded contempt for human life. "

 

" These militants are not just the enemies of America or the enemies of Iraq,

they are the enemies of Islam and they are the enemies of humanity. And we

have seen this kind of shameless cruelty before -- in the heartless zealotry

that led to the gulags, the Cultural Revolution, and the killing fields. "

 

" Like the ideology of communism, our new enemy is dismissive of free peoples

-- claiming that men and women who live in liberty are weak and decadent. "

 

" And Islamic radicalism, like the ideology of communism, contains inherent

contradictions that doom it to failure. By fearing freedom . . . this

ideology undermines the very qualities that make human progress possible . .

.. And whatever lies ahead in the war against this ideology, the outcome is

not in doubt . . . Because free peoples believe in the future, free peoples

will own the future. "

 

" . . . we're determined to deny radical groups the support and sanctuary of

outlaw regimes. State sponsors like Syria and Iran have a long history of

collaboration with terrorists, and they deserve no patience from the victims

of terror. The United States makes no distinction between those who commit

acts of terror and those who support and harbor them, because they're

equally guilty of murder. "

 

" We don't know . . . the sacrifices that might lie ahead. We do know,

however, that the defense of freedom is worth our sacrifice, we do know the

love of freedom is the mightiest force of history, and we do know the cause

of freedom will once again prevail. "

 

We cannot be sure how much of this is bluff by Bush -- to what extent he

hopes or believes that Muslim nations will surrender to him without a fight.

The prudent assumption is that not much of it is bluff, and that Bush, the

radical Christians, the Christian Zionists, the nation's military-industrial

conglomerates, and their Israeli allies -- all of whom today call the tune

in U.S. foreign policy -- are willing and in some cases actually wish to

involve the United States in further wars.

 

The people and the politicians of this country should rise from their apathy

and shout, " No. " The time is past for useless analysis and discussion. We

Americans, accounting for no more than five percent of the human inhabitants

of this globe, should decide here and now whether we are going to be moral

or immoral in our future relationships with the rest of the world.

 

Bill Christison was a senior official of the CIA. He served as a National

Intelligence Officer and as Director of the CIA's Office of Regional and

Political Analysis. He can be reached at christison.