Nexus - 0212 - New Times Magazine-pages

Page Content (OCR)

... GLOBAL NEWS ... NEWS that we could dominate the entire coun- wry." Months ago, many international relief agencies began to urge the US government to provide cargo planes and air drops to deliver food directly to villages in Somalia. No assistance came as huge numbers of Somalis starved to death, the death toll reaching 300,000, by some esti- matac that most interests the Pentagon. STRATEGIC POSITION The attitude of US officialdom toward the Somali people is reflected in a state- ment by a national security adviser, David Winterford of the Naval Post-Graduate School. "Somalia as a country is not worth much, but its geography is price- less," he said recently. "Whoever controls Somalia could control the southern entrance to the Red Sea and thus could control the Suez Cana, a prime location from which to influence the political sta- bility of the Middle East." Other Pentagon advisors are cheering the “humanitarian precedent" this occupa- tion sets for intervention in Yugoslavia, Sudan, or Haiti. This scenario of feeding the hungry is only slightly different from the pretext of defending the self-determination of small nations. The Pentagon for its devastating destruction of Iraq, resulting in the death of hundreds of thousands of people. In a similar vein, fighting drag lords was the cover for the 1990 invasion of Panama. But there is growing recognition in this country that the Pentagon may have cyni- cally allowed a crisis to develop in Somalia and then intervened to establish control of a strategic area linking Africa to the Middle East. (Source: Workers World Service: 46 W. 21 St., New York, NY 10010 USA; via Pegasus Computer Network.) SOMALIA: SHOWCASE, STARVATION, OR STRATEGY? US military chief reveals Pentagon plan for new wars It appears the massive US military inter- vention into Somalia could be the result of a new military doctrine developed to justi- fy the Pentagon's bloated $300 billion annual bude. 1 at 2 mates. Many reporters at a 4 December news briefing were astonished when Joint Chiefs of Staff Chair Gen. Colin Powell bragged that the upcoming Operation Restore Hope in Somalia, would be a “paid political advertisement” that would showcase US military "capabilities and usefulness." The US Air Force is by far the largest in entrance to the Red Sea and thus could the world. It could have easily and inex- control the Suez Cana, a prime location pensively provided famine relief to every from which to influence the political sta- needy village and town in Somalia and _ bility of the Middle East." then attempt to move the supplies through Other Pentagon advisors are cheering overland convoys on dangerous roads. _ the “humanitarian precedent" this occupa- The US corporate media expressed great _ tion sets for intervention in Yugoslavia, moral outrage that various gangs, which Sudan, or Haiti. had been armed and financed by the This scenario of feeding the hungry is Pentagon for the past 18 years, were loot- _ only slightly different from the pretext of ing these convoys. defending the self-determination of small Using this as a pretext, the Pentagon has nations. The Pentagon for its devastating now stepped in to suppress the armed _ destruction of Iraq, resulting in the death groups it created. The way the occupation of hundreds of thousands of people. In a is unfolding has little to do with providing _ similar vein, fighting drug lords was the famine relicf or feeding the survivors. In _ cover for the 1990 invasion of Panama. fact, the famine began to subside weeks But there is growing recognition in this ago after the rains came and new crops country that the Pentagon may have cyni- began growing. cally allowed a crisis to develop in Even today the U.S could feed far more Somalia and then intervened to establish starving people, much faster and at less control of a strategic area linking Africa to expense, with a large airlift. But the Middle East. Washington has chosen aircraft carriers, (Source: Workers World Service: destroyers and tanks to deliver food, proof 46 W. 21 St., New York, NY 10010 USA; that it is the strategic position of Somalia via Pegasus Computer Network.) In an article written for Foreign Affairs magazine just before the US invasion of Somalia, Powell outlined the new doctrine. He pushed it as the reason to maintain staggering levels of military spending even though poverty is deepening throughout the United States. “The new national military strategy isan fam unclassified document. Anyone can read fact it," Powell wrote. "The central idea in the ago strategy is the change from a focus on _ beg global war-fighting to a focus on regional E contingencies. In the fall of 1992 we are star fine-tuning that strategy, restructuring our exp armed forces so that they are ideally suited Wa; to executing it." dest In the Foreign Affairs article, Powell that made it clear that the Somali intervention has little to do with bringing much-needed relief to a suffering population. "Because of the need to accomplish a wide range of missions, our new armed forces will be capabilities-oriented as well as threat-ori- ented. What sorts of missions can we envision? I believe that peacekeeping and humanitarian operations are a given objec- tive..." LONG-TERM OCCUPATION — The groundwork to cover a longer occu- = pation of this strategically located African country has already been carefully orches- trated. The corporate media have begun to quote specialist and military personnel on the need for an expanded role and a longer stay. From the beginning, this has been the purpose of the intervention. On 5 December 1992, Joint Chief of Staff head General Colin Powell explained, "We wanted to put in a large enough force so 8*NEXUS FEBRUARY-MARCH '93