Monday, July 24, 2006
Looking Back, Looking Forward - Mossadeq to Ahmedinejad
The United States In A Familiar Role
It was not much of a secret although the details were not public. Israel's actions against Lebanon had the blessing of the Bush Administration. The Guardian (UK) has come out with the details of the "Green Light". "The US is giving Israel a window of a week to inflict maximum damage on Hizbullah before weighing in behind international calls for a ceasefire in Lebanon, according to British, European and Israeli sources. The Bush administration, backed by Britain, has blocked efforts for an immediate halt to the fighting initiated at the UN security council, the G8 summit in St Petersburg and the European foreign ministers' meeting in Brussels." Blair was fully aware of what was going on. Did Foreign Office Minister Howells go out on a limb ? He shows no sign of backing down from his position which is radically different than that of Tony Blair and Foreign Minister Margaret Beckett.
"It's clear the Americans have given the Israelis the green light. They [the Israeli attacks] will be allowed to go on longer, perhaps for another week," a senior European official said yesterday. Diplomatic sources said there was a clear time limit, partly dictated by fears that a prolonged conflict could spin out of control. US strategy in allowing Israel this freedom for a limited period has several objectives, one of which is delivering a slap to Iran and Syria, who Washington claims are directing Hizbullah and Hamas militants from behind the scenes. |
Blood and Oil-Stained Hands
A dismal scene. In 1953, U.S. and Britain engineered a coup to topple Iran's the then prime minister Mohammed Mossadegh and installed a puppet, Reza Shah Pahlavi. Now, 53 years later the same team is involved,with Israel doing most of the dirty work, in toppling the current regime of hardline Shiaites who came into power because of the late Shah's repressive rule under which thousands of Iranians were tortured and killed. The primary reason then was oil. The present policy is based on fear that Iran would acquire nuclear weapons. And, of course, the U.S. would love to get its hands on Iran's oil. The kingmakers engaged in geopolitical gamesmanship. The failure of their grand vision in Iraq means nothing.
An Arabic newspaper on the History of the Green Light.
Also see Washington Post columnist David Ignatius and Fareed Zacharia's "Is the war making the world safer for Israel, America and their allies or more dangerous?"
