Murderous Religious Fanatics As Allies? All Part of “America’s Role” in the World
by Larry Everest | October 6, 2014 | Revolution Newspaper | revcom.us
The U.S. often seeks to justify and legitimize its wars and military attacks by claiming it has the support of “allies,” or that it’s built a “Coalition” to joining in carrying out its plans. Obama justified the new U.S. war in Iraq and Syria before the UN by saying, “America is proud to stand shoulder to shoulder with these nations on behalf of our common security” … “The strength of this coalition makes clear to the world that this is not just America’s fight alone.”
But who are these allies? Who’s included in these coalitions?
Roger Cohen is a columnist for The New York Times, a publication representing the views of the liberal wing of the U.S. imperialist ruling class. On October 2, he wrote a column called Iran - The Thinkable Ally that argued it was “critical” to cut a deal with Iran over its nuclear program and to work with it in the region because it would boost “America’s ability to play a role in a rapidly changing the Middle East.”
So what about all the vicious crimes committed by the Islamic Republic of Iran, including the massacre of 5,000 to 10,000 revolutionary communists, intellectuals, radical democrats and others in the early 1980s? What about its medieval treatment of women? What about the human rights violations the U.S. rulers have denounced for over decades?
First of all, for their own reasons, the rulers of this country have actually downplayed the crimes of the rulers of the Islamic Republic of Iran – how many people in this country know that they massacred thousands of communists and radicals in the 80’s? But beyond that, Cohen revealed the essence of how the U.S. looks at such butchers, saying of Iran: "[I]ts human rights record is appalling, but then that is true of several countries with which Washington does business.” (Emphasis added).
No kidding. Take two key U.S. allies in the Middle East. Israel is a genocidal apartheid state that’s carried out ethnic cleansing against Palestinians for over 60 years, including routinely committing crimes against humanity. Saudi Arabia is an absolute monarchy, which enforces a barbaric, fundamentalist version of Islam, and exports it throughout the region. And you can look at any region in the world, and you’ll find similar U.S. “partners.”
And if it does turn out the U.S. can “do business” with Iran – that is, bring Iran more into the U.S. orbit and involve its reactionary rulers in some way in enforcing the agenda of the U.S. empire, than we might not be hearing so much about those “appalling” human rights violations in Iran.
So next time you hear the U.S. rulers denounce SOME countries or groups for being backward, brutal oppressive religious fanatics, think about the point made recently in Revolution:
“Today the representatives of the U.S. express shock and outrage at such tactics. But fundamentally, to the USA and other imperialists, whether or not to support this kind of religious fundamentalist fascism is a matter of taste—their only criterion is whether it works for, or against, how they view their interests in any situation.” (“A Comment on Events in Syria and Iraq,” Revolution #353, Sept. 15, 2014)
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