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The wounded beast—the US crisis in Iraq

Published by Hossam el-Hamalawy March 13th, 2007 in Activism, Amreeka, Britain, Iraq, Left يسار

Chris Harman writing in the latest issue of the International Socialism Journal, on the crisis of imperialism in Iraq and the divisions within Amreeka’s ruling class on how to sort out the mess…

The Christian fundamentalists in the White House and the secular capitalists who back them will be haunted by the biblical tag, ‘A house divided against itself cannot stand.’ The US ruling class is caught between the fear that the ‘Saigon moment’ of complete defeat is approaching and the fear of the consequences of admitting it. This is true of the Republican administration, weakened by the congressional election results. But it is also true of the Democratic Party, whose leaders went along with the war. They are jubilant because they managed to do well in the November elections, getting large numbers of people who want the US troops out of Iraq to vote for candidates who are for keeping them there (as Hillary Clinton made absolutely clear on prime time television). Their only difference with Bush’s policy, that of wanting a ‘multilateral’ policy of bringing on board the French and German governments, does not provide a way forward, since the point has long been reached where the combined efforts of the European and American governments are no more likely to bring stability than the efforts of the US government alone.
The whole American political establishment is faced with a problem that it cannot solve easily and which is not going to go away. This makes further splits within it—within both its parties—inevitable as its members row with each other about the way out. The consequences will be felt not only in the Middle East, but throughout the world as well—including in the US itself. When the ruling class cannot continue in the old way, there is hope for all those who want to fight against it.

Click on Latuff’s cartoon below to read the full article…

The wounded beast—the US's crisis in Iraq

One Response to “The wounded beast—the US crisis in Iraq”  

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  1. 1 David Mar 13th, 2007 at 4:08 am

    Unfortunately the imperialist Iraq adventure will not be given up as easily as the Viet Nam disaster. Then, Viet Nam was mostly an ideological battle with less economic interests at stake. Iraq has the capitalists drooling over oil fields and permanent bases in the Gulf area. The continued attempt to set the stage for blame on the “anti war” elements of the US Congress and the public has increased. The newly empowered Democratic Party has fallen to its knees even more quickly. This political party will never be an obstacle to the Bush administration. Just today they caved on the inclusion of wording in a funding bill that would have blocked Bush from attacking Iran at will. We have these words from the actual president of the US, Dick Cheney, “It is simply not consistent for anyone to demand aggressive action against the menace posed by the Iranian regime while at the same time acquiescing in a retreat from Iraq that would leave our worst enemies dramatically emboldened and Israel’s best friend, the United States, dangerously weakened.” Of course, “our enemies” has always been a vague term. What the hell is the “global war on terror?” The real truth can be gleaned from Cheney’s statement. This is about protecting Israel and its plans for the area. I don’t believe the citizens of the US have the will to stop the madness. The people have been turned into consumerist sheep waiting for the latest electronic gadget to give them joy. They care little for problems going on outside the border. The republic of the USA has been lost. Because of corporate control, radical “Christian” right-wing elements and the blindness of the citizens, I fear the US will soon become a fascist state.

    One thing about these radical “Christians.” They do a lot of quoting from the Old Testament (the Hebrew portions of the Bible) and have very little of the words of Jesus. Their love of war and wealth is antithetical to the teachings of Jesus Christ and, in my opinion, makes them false Christians. Hypocrites, all of them.

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