Ajit Randeniya

Most people of colour will not dare say or agree that Barack ObamaƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢s presentation to the world as US President was a trick played on them by Uncle Sam. Unfortunately, every passing month of Obama presidency proves that this is the sad truth and disturbingly, Obama himself appears to have been an unsuspecting victim of this scam.

Cynics always held the view that Obama was not given to the world as a ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”¹…”promise of changeƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢ of the corrupt, unjust and exploitative economic and political system in America. Those matters are governed by the ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”¹…”real governmentƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢ controlled by the military-industrial complex and the Zionist lobby that is part and parcel of that system.

The only reason why Obama was allowed to sail through the notoriously corrupt process of US presidential primary elections and caucuses was because those rulers needed him badly in 2008. ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ The lie-based, unilateral military adventures of Bush Jr and his neocon ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”¹…”friendsƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢ that caused millions of civilian deaths had unveiled the truth about America to the world. The world has woken up to the deceptive American ideologies and tactics to such an extent that the entire wider membership of the UN General Assembly started to walk out when Bush appeared at the podium! Something radical had to be offered, and Obama was the answer.

People who are familiar with the system were always skeptical, and even cynical, about ObamaƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢s chances of being allowed to change the world as we know it. A cursory look at ObamaƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢s current agenda and the decisions he appears to have been forced to make over the last month or so proves the point.

To start with the most recent decision, his secretary of state Hillary Clinton announced on 1 November, during another of her pilgrimages to Jerusalem (she doesnƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢t seem to achieve much else) that the continuing Israeli settlement building issue should now be considered as part of peace negotiations with the Palestinians rather than a precondition.

This is a major shift in ObamaƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢s policy, taking him back to the ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”¹…”oldƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢ policy of all other presidents, at least since the 1950s. Obama had previously demanded that Israel halt all settlement building before negotiations could resume. The shift clearly marks another neocon-enforced Obama decision to placate the extremist government of Benjamin Netanyahu in Israel.

In May, Clinton had said Barack Obama “wants to see a stop to settlements. Not some settlements, not outposts, not natural growth exceptions”. This particular position was toned down to only a “restraint”, not a “freeze” on settlements, following the New York meeting with Netanyahu in September. Now it is a ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”¹…”goerƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢.

This change however is not surprising and is only conforming to the usual historical pattern of US administrations kneeling down before intransigent Israeli leaders. The lobby and the neocons have seen to it that Obama will obey the rules, by putting the ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”¹…”rightƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢ people around him from day one of the campaign to every moment of his decision making time. ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ 

But the worse is yet to come. Obama is yet to make a decision on sending up to 140 000 more soldiers to Afghanistan.

ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ Vietnam all over again! The parallels between the efforts of the Zionists during the Presidencies of Lyndon Johnson and Nixon to intensify the Vietnam War by spreading it to neighbouring countries and the current neocon designs to intensify and spread the Afghan war to Pakistan are uncanny.

ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ Into the bargain, just as the Vietnam War put a stop to President JohnsonƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢s the ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”¹…”Great SocietyƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢ program of reforms of 1964, scuttling JohnsonƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢s hopes for a second presidential term, the current Afghanistan conspiracy may end up defining ObamaƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢s presidency and his political future.

ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ Just like Obama in 2008, Johnson in 1964 had campaigned on a reasonably pacifist foreign policy platform. He argued that “we don’t want to get tied down in a land war in Asia, possibly fighting a nation with 700 million people [China].” As president, however, Johnson was ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”¹…”advisedƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢ to do exactly that: he committed U.S. ground forces to Vietnam in 1965. By 1968, the war in Vietnam had led to widespread criticism of Johnson’s record by most reasonable Americans and the major drop in popularity forced him not to run for reelection. The Afghanistan War, if intensified by Obama, will drive a similar stake through the heart of his health care reform initiative.

ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ The neocons are busily laying a trap for Obama, as elaborate as ever, to achieve these aims.

ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ Early in to the Obama presidency, in March they appointed General Stanley A. McChrystal as the new commander of American and allied forces in Afghanistan. Just two months into his new posting, McChrystal produced a 66-page ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”¹…”battlefield assessmentƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢ designed to ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”¹…”frightenƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢ the hell out of Obama. It warned that if the Taliban’s momentum is not halted in the next 12 months, defeating it may no longer be possible. All McChrystal needed to ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”¹…”save AmericaƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢ was 40,000 to 100,000 more troops, in addition to the 68,000 already there.

ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ Obama is obviously aware of the dangers of such an escalation because it will destroy any remaining credibility of America in the eyes of the world, and it is against his campaign promise. Obama is buying time, and is mulling over the decision.

ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ McChrystal in the meantime is adding pressure by himself, and through various ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”¹…”expertsƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢ from neocon ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”¹…”think tanksƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢. He is adamant that Taliban are a direct threat to the US and justifies the intensification on the bass of the need to build an effective Afghan government as an alternative to the Taliban. His neocons ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”¹…”matesƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢ are adding pressure on Obama ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”¹…”to give General McChrystal whatever he wantsƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢.

ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ Among those weighing in is Bruce O. Riedel, a fellow at the Brookings Institution. Riedel was a ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”¹…”hanger-onƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢ of ObamaƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢s presidential campaign and he was appointed chair of a White House review to overhaul of U.S. policy on Afghanistan and Pakistan. Obama did not appear to take his March 2009 report seriously.

ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ Riedel is now going around peddling the ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”¹…”adviceƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢ that ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ…-Mr. Obama needs to make a decision McChrystalƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢s request soon to calm nervous allies to make clear to the Taliban that the US cannot be driven out of AfghanistanƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”š‚. RiedelƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢s recommendation is ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ…-to give McChrystal whatever he needs.ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”š‚

ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ There is nothing new in any of these. That other Nobel Peace Prize winner Henry Kissinger wrote in 1969, supporting the intensified destruction of Vietnam and spread of the war into neighbouring countries that the Tet Offensive marked the ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ…-watershed of the American effort. Henceforth, no matter how effective our actions, the prevalent [US] strategy could no longer achieve its objectives within a period or with force levels politically acceptable to the American people.ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”š‚

ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ The ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”¹…”adviceƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢ resulted in secret bombing of Cambodia by Nixon from 1969-1973, under an elaborate system of deception to hide it from the American public. During the first 14 months of the campaign, the US conducted more than 3,630 B-52 raids, dropping over 110,000 tons of bombs on Cambodia. When the bombing ended, the US had dropped a total of 257,465 tons of explosives on Cambodia. The statistics on deaths of Cambodians including the deformities of future generations are not highlighted by the US, the Human Rights guardian of the world.

ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ Obama will soon make a momentous decision on McChrystalƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢s request. If he agrees to this intensification of war, as is unavoidable, Pakistan is likely to be bombed ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”¹…”back to stone ageƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢ and its nuclear arsenal taken over by the US. That is the real target!