MER
- Washington - 19 December:
Ramsey Clark, a former Attorney General of the United States, had called
U.S. policies toward Iraq genocidal and repeatedly stated that these policies
are similar to "war crimes". Few in the American
public
have heard this perspective, even though Clark once held the highest legal
position in the country and his father served on the U.S. Supreme Court.
The following article is written by a Jewish composer in Iceland, Elias
Davidsson, and has been translated from Icelandic to English. The author
indicates he wrote it in solidarity with the voiceless
children
of Iraq as a plea for understanding and for justice.
We are under no illusions U.S. policy can be easily changed. Indeed, it
is quite likely the U.S. military will soon be striking again at Iraq and
further using economic and covert weapons against the 22 million people
of that country to force it to "disarm".
And make no mistake about it, this is all being with considerable Israeli
prodding as the Israelis now hold the dominant political hand in Washington
and have infiltrated (yes we use that word purposely)
the
Clinton Administration as no other American government in history.
Even so, however powerless the various voices speaking up around the world,
it is important that knowledgeable, caring, and independent people be heard
based on the merits and logic of what they have to say; rather than simply
based who has the financial power to purchase and manipulate the means
of mass information in our "modern" world.
Mass murderers are generally considered as mentally disturbed individuals who commit their heinous crimes in the shadow of the night. When they are found, such individuals are normally arrested, prosecuted and sentenced to lengthy imprisonment. Mass media usually follow-up such cases in detail, both as regards the acts committed and the persons involved.
Mass murderers in dark suits are a totally different sort of people. Even
when found guilty, they are treated with great reverence. The most known
among them is probably Adolf Eichmann, one of the top
Nazi
leaders who presided over the annihilation of Hungarian Jewry in World
War II. In his trial in Jerusalem Eichmann declared that he never
hated Jews. His participation in genocide was merely the
accomplishment
of orders given by superiors, which he attempted to fulfill as conscientiously
as possible.
Most heinous crimes of our times are in fact committed by gentlemen in dark suits: National leaders and high-ranking public officials. Their weapon is the pen, not guns or napalm bombs. These people never see their victims cry for mercy and die slowly in agonizing pain. The act of murder is often committed thousands of miles away from the place of death. Is there any human act more abhorrent than to kill people without incurring oneself the slightest risk ?
From August 1990 until this day governments across the world have participated
in the extermination of 750,000 Iraqi children. Why ? It appears that these
children's "Godfather" (Saddam Hussein) is
threatening
world peace, whatever that terms means. As "world peace" is as elusive
as ever, and as there are still children remaining in Iraq, the infernal
machine continues to grind to death 6 Iraqi children
an
hour, day and night, seven days a week. The weapon inflicting death
are the so-called "UN trade sanctions against Iraq", a misnomer for what
is an "economic siege of the entire Iraqi population". This collective
punishment of an entire nation has led to large-scale food and medicine
shortages, epidemics, permanent health damage and death, to name but a
few of the dramatic consequences. God have mercy upon those, such
as Madeleine Albright, US Secretary of State, who consider such human sacrifices
as "worth it".
It is sometimes maintained that the aim of the "trade sanctions" is not
hurt Iraqi civilians but to force the Iraqi authorities to respect UN resolutions
(by imposing "hardship" on the civilian population). The
massive
deaths of Iraqi children is thus claimed to be an unfortunate "collateral"
in the accomplishment of a noble aim, a price which "we" must be ready
to pay.
Trade sanctions is a weapon. When they are aimed at an entire nation, they become a weapon of mass annihilation. Those who wield this weapon are fully aware of the consequences ensuing from its use. That's why they push the trigger again, and again.
But who are the people who wield this deadly weapon ? They are well groomed gentlemen, known as cabinet members. And known to each other as members of an international platoon. Among the members of this platoon you will probably identify your own Minister of Foreign Affairs, believing himself (herself?) to represent you in summarily executing Iraqi children.
And when an international platoon of ministers executes somebody, somewhere, none is responsible. Absolutely none of them. Because not one of them knows for sure who had inflicted the fatal signature. When somebody inadvertently asks what they have been doing in this platoon, these cowards wail: "It is not me who killed the innocent infant, it is not me". But they return next day to execute a new batch of infants.
Adolf Eichmann sent half a million human beings to death. He fulfilled his duty conscientiously in accordance with a superior order. For this he was rightfully hanged, his body burnt and the remaining ashes spread over the sea. The act was primarily symbolic for it is not humanly possible to punish one person for killing half a million people.
What can, what should be done with the members of the international platoon who individually and collectively signed the death warrant of over one million Iraqi civilians, and cannot even claim that they were just following superior orders?
Elias Davidsson
ICELAND
10 December 1997