How to Unseat the War Criminals
and Reverse the Tide of War?
|
Expose the Links between Al Qaeda and the Bush Administration - by Michel Chossudovsky
When people across the US
find out that Al Qaeda is not linked to Saddam but is in fact
a creation of the CIA and that the terrorist warnings are fabricated,
the legitimacy of the Bush Administration will tumble like a
deck of cards. The perceived enemy will no longer be Saddam,
it will be Bush, Cheney, Rumsfeld, Powell, et al. Why is this important for
the antiwar movement? This relationship of the
Bush Administration to international terrorism, which is a matter
of public record, indelibly points to the criminalisation of
the upper echelons of US State apparatus. Let's use this information
to dismantle the Bush Administration's war plans. Sensitize
our fellow citizens. Expose the "dubious links." Because when the truth trickles
down, the leaders' war plans will not have a shred of legitimacy
in the eyes of millions of Americans who believe that
Al Qaeda is "A Threat to America" and that their president is
committed to their security. At this crucial juncture
in our history, we must understand that antiwar sentiment in
itself does not undermine the war agenda. The same applies to
the diplomatic deadlock at the UN Security Council: The Bush
Administration is intent upon waging war with or without UN
approval. The only way to prevent this
war from happening in the weeks ahead is to unseat the rulers,
who are war criminals. A precondition for breaking
the legitimacy of the Bush Administration is to fully reveal
its links to international terrorism and its complicity in the
tragic event of 9/11. This objective can only be achieved by
effectively curbing its propaganda campaign and spreading the
truth through a grassroots citizen's information campaign. Faced with a diplomatic deadlock
in the UN Security Council, Washington’s desperate pitch
has been to link Iraq to Al Qaeda. Osama bin Laden’s Al
Qaeda, --now "supported by Baghdad"-- is heralded ad nauseam
both in official statements and in the media as "an Enemy of
America", responsible for the 9/11 terrorist attacks. Realties
are twisted and turned up side down: Supported by Baghdad,
Al Qaeda "preparing to attack America", which
justifies a "preemptive" invasion of Iraq to "defend the
homeland." In a February CNN-Time Magazine
opinion poll, 76 percent of those surveyed felt "Saddam provides
assistance to Al Qaeda." In another poll which asked
"Was Saddam Hussein personally involved in the September 11
attacks?" 72 percent said "it was either very or somewhat likely."
that Saddam was involved. (CNN,
11 March 2003) But who is this outside enemy? While Colin Powell --without
supporting evidence-- points in his UN address to "the sinister
nexus between Iraq and the Al Qaeda terrorist network", official
documents, press and intelligence reports confirm that successive US administrations
have supported and abetted the Islamic militant network. This
relationship is an established fact, corroborated by numerous
studies, acknowledged by Washington's mainstream think tanks: In the 1980s the United States
fought another war in this region through similar means, a covert
war against the Soviet Union and a series of Soviet-backed regimes
in Afghanistan. Bin Laden and his terrorist associates, their
Afghan hosts, and the Pakistani military are all part of this
past U.S. history.... Given an opportunity to undermine the
Soviet Union, the United States became a partner in Pakistan's
proxy war .
( Samina Ahmed, The United
States and Terrorism in Southwest Asia; September 11 and Beyond,
International Security, 2001/2002 Winter) With
the active encouragement of the CIA and Pakistan's ISI [Inter
Services Intelligence], who wanted to turn the Afghan jihad
into a global war waged by all Muslim states against the Soviet
Union, some 35,000 Muslim radicals from 40 Islamic countries
joined Afghanistan's fight between 1982 and 1992. Tens of thousands
more came to study in Pakistani madrasahs. Eventually more than
100,000 foreign Muslim radicals were directly influenced by
the Afghan jihad. (Ahmed Rashid, The Taliban: Exporting Extremism,
Foreign Affairs, November-December 1999). Al Qaeda was created and
sustained by US foreign policy. Yet according to Powell in his
"authoritative" February 5 UN presentation: "These al Qaeda affiliates,
based in Baghdad, now coordinate the movement of people, money
and supplies into and throughout Iraq for his network, and they've
been operating freely in the capital for more than eight months" The Big Lie In the months leading up
to the invasion of Iraq, the foreign policy lies have become
increasingly grotesque. Yet neither the media nor foreign governments
(including those of France, Germany and Russia) have had the
courage of openly accusing the Bush administration of lying
to the UN Security Council, to build a pretext for waging war
in violation of the UN charter According to a "top secret
British document", quoted by the BBC "there is nothing but enmity
between Iraq and Al Qaeda. The BBC said the leak came from [British]
intelligence officials upset that their work was being used
to justify war." (quoted in Daily News, New York, 6 February
2003). Ironically, State department documents as well the powerful
Council on Foreign Relations (CFR) which plays a behind the
scenes role in US military planning, suggest that Colin Powell’s
statements at the UN are fabricated: "The question of Iraqi links
to al-Qaeda remains murky, although senior Bush administration
officials insist such ties exist… [M]any experts and State
Department officials note that any al-Qaeda presence in Iraq
probably lies in northern regions beyond Saddam’s control.
Many experts say there is scant evidence of ties between al-Qaeda
and Iraq, noting that al-Qaeda’s loathing for "impious"
Arab governments makes it an unlikely bedfellow for Saddam’s
secular regime." (Council on Foreign Relations
(CFR) at http://www.cfrterrorism.org/groups/alqaeda3.html
) Moreover, in a press conference
held together with British Prime Minister Tony Blair in late
January 2003, President Bush flatly denied the existence
of links between Baghdad and Al Qaeda: [Adam Boulton, Sky News (London):]
One question for you both. Do you believe that there is a link
between Saddam Hussein, a direct link, and the men who attacked
on September the 11th? THE PRESIDENT: I can't make
that claim. THE PRIME MINISTER: That
answers your question. The president’s answer
contradicts the statement made barely a month later by Sec Colin
Powell to the UN Security Council where he accused Baghdad of
harboring Al Qaeda. Fabricated Terrorist Warnings
The day following Colin Powell's
flopped presentation to the UN Security Council, the Bush administration
declared an ‘Orange Code’ Terror Alert. Disinformation
was now being fabricated in a totally improvised fashion. Anti-aircraft
missiles were immediately deployed around Washington. The media
became inundated with stories on Iraqi support to an impending
Al Qaeda attack: ‘The nation
is now on Orange Alert because intelligence intercepts and simple
logic both suggest that our Islamic enemies know the best way
to strike at us is through terrorism on U.S. soil.‘
(New York Post, 11 Feb 2003). A fabricated story emanating
from the CIA on so-called ‘radioactive dirty bombs’
had been planted in the news chain (ABC News, 13 Feb 2003).
Sec. Powell warned that "it would be easy for terrorists
to cook up radioactive ‘dirty’ bombs to explode inside
the U.S. … ‘How likely it is, I can't say... But I
think it is wise for us to at least let the American people
know of this possibility.’"(ABC This Week quoted in
Daily News (New York), 10 Feb. 2003). Meanwhile, network TV warned
that "American hotels, shopping malls or apartment buildings
could be al Qaeda's targets as soon as next week…".Following
the announcement, tens of thousands of Americans rushed to purchase
duct tape, plastic sheets and gas-masks. It later transpired that
the terrorist alert was fabricated by the CIA, in all likelihood
in consultation with the State Department (ABC News, 13 Feb.
2003). The FBI, for the first time had pointed its finger at
the CIA. While tacitly acknowledging that the alert was a fake,
Homeland Security Secretary Tom Ridge decided to maintain the
‘Orange Code’ alert: "Despite the fabricated
report, there are no plans to change the threat level. Officials
said other intelligence has been validated and that the high
level of precautions is fully warranted." ( ABC
News, 13 Feb. 2003 ). A few days later, in another
failed propaganda initiative, a mysterious Osama bin Laden audio
tape was presented by Sec. Colin Powell to the US Congress as
‘evidence’ that the Islamic terrorists "are making
common cause with a brutal dictator". (US official quoted in
The Toronto Star, 12 Feb. 2003). Curiously, the audio
tape was in Colin Powell's possession prior to its broadcast
by the Al Jazeera TV Network. (Ibid.) , Colin Powell's Role: From
Iran-Contra to September 11
Both Colin Powell and his
Deputy Richard Armitage, who casually accuse Baghdad and other
foreign governments of "harboring" Al Qaeda, played a direct
role, at different points in their careers, in supporting terrorist
organizations. Both men were implicated
--operating behind the scenes-- in the Irangate Contra scandal
during the Reagan Administration, which involved the illegal
sale of weapons to Iran to finance the Nicaraguan Contra paramilitary
army. [Coronel Oliver] North set
up a team including [Richard] Secord; Noel Koch [Armitage's
deputy] , then assistant secretary at the Pentagon responsible
for special operations; George Cave, a former CIA station chief
in Tehran, and Colin Powell, military assistant to U.S. Defense
Secretary Caspar Weinberger...(The Guardian, December
10, 1986) Although Colin Powell was
not directly involved in the arms' transfer negotiations, which
had been entrusted to Oliver North, he was among "at least five
men within the Pentagon who knew arms were being transferred
to the CIA." (The Record, 29 December 1986). Lieutenant General
Powell was directly instrumental in giving the "green light"
to lower-level Irangate officials in blatant violation of Congressional
procedures. According to the New York Times, Colin Powell
took the decision (at the level of military procurement), to
allow the delivery of weapons to Iran: Hurriedly, one of the men
closest to Secretary of Defense Weinberger, Maj. Gen. Colin
Powell, bypassed the written ''focal point system'' procedures
and ordered the Defense Logistics Agency [responsible
for procurement] to turn over the first of 2,008 TOW missiles
to the C.I.A., which acted as cutout for delivery to Iran" (New
York Times, 16 February 1987) Richard Armitage Richard Armitage held the
position of Assistant Secretary of Defense in the Reagan Administration.
He was in charge of coordinating covert military operations
including the Iran-Contra operation. He was in close liaison
with Coronel Oliver North. His deputy and chief anti-terrorist
official .Noel Koch was part of the team set up by Oliver North.
Following the delivery of the TOW anti-tank missiles to Iran,
the proceeds of these sales were deposited in numbered bank
accounts and the money was used to finance the Nicaraguan Contras.
(UPI. 27 November 1987). A classified Israeli report provided
to the Iran- contra panels of the Congressional enquiry confirms
that Armitage ''was in the picture on the Iranian issue.'' (New
York Times, 26 May 1989): "With a Pentagon position
that placed him over the military's covert operations branch,
Armitage was a party to the secret arms dealing from the outset.
He also was associated with former national security aide Oliver
L. North in a White House counterterrorism group, another area
that would also have been a likely focus of congressional inquiry"
(Washington Post, 26 May 1989) CIA Director William
Casey with the collaboration of Richard Armitage in the Pentagon
"ran the Mujahideen covert war against the Soviet Union…"
(quoted in Domestic Terrorism:
The Big Lie The "War") "Contragate was also an off-the-shelf
drug-financed operation run by Casey." (Ibid ). Financing the Islamic Brigades
The Iran Contra procedure
was similar to that used in Afghanistan, where secret aid was
channeled to the militant Islamic brigade (US News and World
Report, 15 December 1986). In fact part of the proceeds
of the weapons sales to Iran had been channeled to finance the
Mujahideen. : ":The Washington Post reported
that profits from the Iran arms sales were deposited in one
CIA-managed account into which the U.S. and Saudi Arabia had
placed $250 million apiece. That money was disbursed not only
to the contras in Central America but to the rebels fighting
Soviet troops in Afghanistan."(U.S. News & World Report, 15 December 1986) The Irangate Cover-up
Reagan's National Security
Adviser Rear Admiral John Pointdexter, who was later indicted
on conspiracy charges and lying to Congress was replaced by
Frank Carlucci as National Security Adviser. And Maj. General
Colin Powell was appointed deputy to Frank Carlucci, namely
"'number two" on the National Security team. "Both came to the White House
after the Iran contra revelations and the NSC housecleaning
[i.e. coverup] that followed [the Irangate scandal]" (The MacNeil/Lehrer NewsHour,
16 June 1987). Needless to say, this housecleaning
was a cover-up: Colin Powell was in on the Irangate affair While several Irangate officials
including John Pointdexter and Oliver North were accused of
criminal wrongdoing, the main actors in the CIA and the Pentagon,
namely Armitage and Casey, were never indicted, neither was
Lieutenant General Colin Powell who authorized the procurement
of TOW missiles from the Defense Logistics Agency . Moreover, while weapons were
being sold covertly to Iran, Washington was also supplying
weapons through official channels to Baghdad. In other words,
Washington was arming both sides in the Iran-Iraq war. And who was in charge
of negotiating those weapons sales to Baghdad? Donald Rumsfeld
Criminalisation of the State:
Links between US Officials and Al Qaeda These historical links to
terrorist organisations are but the tip of the iceberg:
Recent evidence suggests that Colin
Powell and his Deputy Richard Armitage were involved in the
political cover-up of the September 11 attacks In fact the
evidence points to political complicity at the highest echelons
of the Bush Administration. It is the Bush Administration
rather than the Iraqi government which has links to Islamic
terrorism. But none of this information has trickled down to
the broader public and the media considers the links of successive
US administrations to the militant Islamic network as largely
irrelevant. (For details and analysis see the extensive bibliographic
references indicated below) There are documented links
between Al Qaeda and senior Bush Administration officials including
Sec. Colin Powell and
Deputy Sec. Richard Armitage.
Documented by the US Congress, there are links record between President
Clinton and Al Qaeda . The Chairman of the 9/11
Investigation Commission Thomas Kean appointed by President
Bush was a business partner of a powerful member of the bin
Laden family.(See Fortune Magazine,
January 22, 2003 ; Xymphora, December 2002
See also Global Outlook, No.
4, 2003 ) . There is evidence of dubious
links involving members of the US Congress, including Senator Bob Graham and
Rep. Porter Goss, chairmen of the Senate and House committees
on Intelligence.. Colin Powell and Richard
Armitage had high level talks with the former ISI Chief General
Mahmoud Ahmad in the immediate wake of 9/11. Now it just
so happens that according to the FBI and Indian intelligence,
General Mahmoud, the head of Pakistan's military intelligence
and the alleged "money-man" behind the 9/11 attacks, had transferred
funds to 9/11 ringleader Mohammed Atta. There is also
extensive evidence of business links between the Bush and bin
Laden families (See George
W. Bush Financial Scams: CRG selection of articles ). Tabulated below are a number
of documented "links" of senior US officials and elected politicians
to the Islamic terrorist network. The sources of the information
and the URL (where available) are indicated in the right
hand column. This information is crucial
at a time when the Bush Administration is accusing Baghdad of
having links to international terrorism. What is provided below
is a synopsis based on numerous studies, documents and reports.
For an in-depth analysis as well as historical overview of the
broad relationship between the US government and Islamic terrorism,
the reader is referred to the bibliography indicated below. Table 1, Historical Background: "Links" of US Officials to
Al Qaeda and other Terrorist Organizations (partial list)
Table 2: Bush Administration
Officials: Links to Al Qaeda and the
9/11 Terrorists (partial list)
Implications for the Antiwar
movement
What are the implications
for the Anti-war movement? This relationship of the Bush Administration
to international terrorism is a matter of public record, which
indelibly points to the criminalisation of the upper echelons
of US State apparatus. Let's use this information
to undo the Bush Administration's war plans: Sensitize our fellow citizens. Expose the Links. Because when the truth trickles
down, the leaders' war plans will not have a shred of legitimacy
in the eyes of millions of Americans who believe that
Al Qaeda is a threat to America and that their president is
committed to their security. The Bush Administration has
been pushing the lies to the brink. Colin Powell presents phony
intelligence to the UN Security Council. President Bush says
in his State of the Union Address that he wants to "liberate
Iraq", yet an earlier statement
emanating from the White House confirms that the administration
is contemplating the use of nuclear weapons. The Propaganda
campaign is fatally flawed because people no longer believe
the lies. And when the lies emanating
from the seat of political authority are openly questioned,
the legitimacy of the leaders is threatened. And the lies eventually
backlash on their State sponsors. And this constitutes and
opportunity for the antiwar movement. To reverse the tide of war,
the propaganda apparatus must be effectively disarmed.
What this requires is an information campaign which reveals
the causes and consequences of war, sensitizes all sectors of
the population with a view to ultimately breaking the legitimacy
of the main political and military actors. The antiwar movement in the
US and around the World has successfully challenged Bush’s
war agenda. However, it has not unraveled the lies pertaining
to September 11 and the so-called "war on terrorism" which constitutes
the cornerstone of the Administration’s war propaganda. September 11 is used profusely
as a justification for waging a preemptive war against Iraq.
It is part of the Administration’s doctrine of "self-defense". Moreover, while mobilizing
millions of people around the World, the antiwar protest movement
remains profoundly divided. Many of the civil society and trade union organizations
which have taken a stance against the invasion of Iraq, were
nonetheless supportive
of the Bush administration’s invasion of Afghanistan
in retaliation to the September 11 attacks. While integrating
the anti-war movement, they remain convinced that Al Qaeda is
"a threat to America" and global security. They firmly believe
in the so-called "war on terrorism’ against the alleged
perpetrators of 9/11 and are broadly supportive of the Bush
administration’s anti-terrorist agenda: "We are against
the invasion of Iraq, but we should go after Al Qaeda." "We
believe that Iraq is not a threat against World peace, but we
support the Administration’s "war on terrorism". In
turn, many prominent progressive intellectuals and foreign policy
analysts have not only dismissed the links of the Bush Administration
to Al Qaeda, they have upheld the Administration's "War on terrorism". This ambivalence weakens
the antiwar movement because it ultimately serves to uphold
the legitimacy of "the anti-terrorist" agenda at home and around
the world. Under an anti-terrorist banner, the Administration
launched "Operation Enduring Freedom" which consists in sending
US Special Forces to collaborate with foreign governments in
the "war on terrorism". In the US, it launched the Patriot Act,
which repeals fundamental civil rights in the name of the "war
on terrorism". The war on terrorism is an
integral part of Bush’s
National Security Doctrine . It is is being used as a pretext
for waging war on Iraq. Many antiwar activists are unaware that
successive US administrations
have over the last 20 years supported Islamic terrorism including
Al Qaeda . The latter is a creation of the CIA. It is a
key instrument of US foreign policy. At this crucial juncture
in our history, we must understand that antiwar sentiment in
itself does not undermine the war agenda. The same applies to
the diplomatic deadlock at the UN Security Council: The US is
intent upon waging war with or without UN approval. The only way to prevent this
war from happening in the weeks ahead is to unseat the rulers,
who are war criminals. A precondition for breaking
the legitimacy of the Bush Administration is to fully reveal
and expose its links to international terrorism, by undoing
its propaganda campaign and spreading the truth through a well
organised grassroots citizen's information campaign. And the way to unseat the
rulers is to break their legitimacy in the eyes of the people.
In other words, it is necessary to fully reveal the lies concerning
the so-called "war on terrorism" to our fellow citizens, which
are used to justify the invasion of Iraq, Selected Bibliographical
Material and Links
Centre for Research on Globalization
(CRG), Foreknowledge of 9-11
:A
Compilation of CRG articles and documents in support of a 9-11
Investigation Centre for Research on Globalization
(CRG), 9/11 Reader and Archive
Nic Levis, The 9/11 Truth Movement
Selected Resources for Researchers and Activists Centre for Research on Globalization
(CRG), George W. Bush Financial
Scams: CRG selection of articles . Propaganda Matrix Archive on
Prior knowledge at /www.propagandamatrix.com/ Centre for Cooperative Research,
The Complete
9/11 Timeline at www.cooperativeresearch.org/ Michel Chossudovsky
is the author of international best seller War
and Globalization, The Truth behind September 11. To order
the book online click here |
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