[Marinir] The Pentagon's newest target is the city of Baghdad.
Yap Hong Gie
marinir@polarhome.com
Fri, 7 Feb 2003 17:40:06 +0700
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http://www.alternet.org/story.html?StoryID=3D15027
SHOCK AND AWE: GUERNICA REVISITED
By Gar Smith, AlterNet
January 27, 2003
Forget Osama. Forget Saddam. The Pentagon's newest target is the city =
of Baghdad.
U.S. military strategists have announced a plan to pummel Iraq with as =
many as 800 cruise missiles in the space of two days.
Many of these missiles would rain down on Baghdad, a city of five =
million people. If George W. Bush gets the war he wants, Baghdad could =
become the 21st century's Guernica.
On April 26, 1937, 25 Nazi bombers dropped 100,000 pounds of bombs and =
incendiaries on the peaceful Basque village. Seventy percent of the town =
was destroyed and 1,500 people, a third of the population, were killed.
The Pentagon now predicts that the Iraq blitzkrieg could approximate =
the devastation of a nuclear explosion. "The sheer size of this has =
never been ... contemplated before," one Pentagon strategist boasted to =
CBS News. "There will not be a safe place in Baghdad."
The Pentagon dubbed its cold-blooded attack plan "Shock and Awe," a =
bizarre conjunction of trauma and admiration.
The concept of Shock and Awe was first developed by the Pentagon's =
National Defense University (NDU) in 1996 as part of the "Rapid =
Dominance" strategy.
The strategy was first used in Afghanistan. In their 1996 NDU book, =
"Shock and Awe," authors Harlan K.
Ullman and James P. Wade wrote of the need to mount an assault with =
"sufficiently intimidating and compelling factors to force or =
otherwise convince an adversary to accept our will."
With an unsettling air of appreciation, Ullman and Wade invoked the =
haunting images from "old photographs and movie or television screens =
[depicting] the comatose and glazed expressions of survivors of the =
great bombardments of World War I. Those images and expressions of shock =
transcend race, culture and history."
Shock and awe also were the emotions that Americans experienced on =
Sept. 11, 2001. Now, like the 9/11 terrorists, Bush and Co. are planning =
a similar act of almost unparalleled ferocity - a devastating =
premeditated attack on a civilian urban population.
Bush seems determined to follow in the footsteps of Hulagu Khan and =
Tamerlane, the Mongol warlords who laid bloody waste to Baghdad in 1258 =
and 1401.
But destroying Baghdad will not uncover hidden chemical, biological or =
nuclear weapons (if, in fact, any exist). Destroying Baghdad will not =
capture, topple or kill Saddam Hussein.=20
Shock and Awe's expressed goal is simple: in the words of Harlan Ullman, =
to destroy the Iraqi people "physically, emotionally and =
psychologically."
Ironically, this was also the goal of the Nazi strategists who =
destroyed Guernica. The town had no strategic value as a military =
target, but, like Baghdad, it was a cultural and religious center.
Guernica was devastated to terrorize the population and break the spirit =
of the Basque resistance.
Surely cruise missiles have been programmed to demolish the Baath Party =
Headquarters, presidential palaces and Republican Guard compounds. But =
have missiles also been preset to obliterate the
al-Qadiriya Shrine, the Tomb of Imam al-A'dham and the Mosque of Sheik =
Abdul Qadir al-Ghailani?
We now know that there was no military need to drop atomic bombs on =
Hiroshima and Nagasaski. The detonations were intended to demonstrate to =
the world - and to the Soviet Union, especially - that the U.S. had a =
functioning superweapon. Having sole possession of "The Bomb" gave =
Washington the power to dominate post-war world politics.
Similarly, the destruction of Baghdad seems designed to underscore =
Bush's belligerent warning to the rest of the world: "You're either with =
us or you're against us."
Washington's new National Security Strategy describes an America =
dominating the world militarily, politically and economically.
In a report published a month before the U.S. presidential elections, =
the conservative Project for the New American Century insisted on =
instituting a "global U.S. pre-eminence, precluding the rise of a =
great power rival, and shaping the international security order in line =
with American principles and interests."
This ringing endorsement of hyper-imperialism was co-authored by Dick =
Cheney, Donald Rumsfeld, Paul Wolfowitz, Lewis Libby and Jeb Bush, none =
of whom (with the one exception of Rumsfeld) ever volunteered for =
military service.
Today, thousands of citizen volunteers from around the world are =
converging in Iraq to stand as nonviolent "human shields" in hopes of =
forestalling a U.S. assault. The brave men and women in this =
international "Peace Army" include anti-war activists, religious =
witnesses, retirees, U.S. military veterans and members of families who =
lost loved ones in the September 11 attack.
Mr. Bush repeatedly complains that Saddam Hussein deserves to be =
removed from office because "he killed his own people." If Mr. Bush =
fails to promptly courtmartial the officials who came up with the Shock =
and Awe
atrocity, he may soon find himself standing shoulder-to-shoulder with =
Mr. Hussein and facing history's judgment as another ruthless leader =
who "killed his own people" in a mad bid for power.
[Gar Smith, former editor of the Earth Island Journal, now produces =
The-Edge, a weekly online environmental newsmagazine.]
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<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=3DArial><FONT face=3DArial> <A=20
href=3D"http://www.alternet.org/story.html?StoryID=3D15027">http://www.al=
ternet.org/story.html?StoryID=3D15027</A><BR><BR> SHOCK=20
AND AWE: GUERNICA REVISITED<BR><BR> By Gar Smith, =
AlterNet<BR> January=20
27, 2003<BR><BR> Forget Osama. Forget Saddam. The Pentagon's newest =
target=20
is the city of Baghdad.<BR><BR> U.S. military =
strategists have=20
announced a plan to pummel Iraq with as many as 800 cruise missiles in =
the space=20
of two days.<BR>Many of these missiles would rain down on Baghdad, a =
city of=20
five million people. If George W. Bush gets the war he wants, =
Baghdad=20
could become the 21st century's Guernica.<BR><BR> On April 26, =
1937, 25=20
Nazi bombers dropped 100,000 pounds of bombs and incendiaries on the =
peaceful=20
Basque village. Seventy percent of the town was destroyed and 1,500 =
people, a=20
third of the population, were killed.<BR><BR> The Pentagon now =
predicts=20
that the Iraq blitzkrieg could approximate the devastation of a nuclear=20
explosion. "The sheer size of this has never been ... contemplated =
before," one Pentagon strategist boasted to CBS News. "There will =
not be a=20
safe place in Baghdad."<BR><BR> The Pentagon dubbed its =
cold-blooded attack=20
plan "Shock and Awe," a bizarre conjunction of trauma and=20
admiration.<BR><BR> The concept of Shock and Awe was first =
developed by the=20
Pentagon's National Defense University (NDU) in 1996 as part of =
the "Rapid=20
Dominance" strategy.<BR>The strategy was first used in =
Afghanistan. In=20
their 1996 NDU book, "Shock and Awe," authors Harlan K.<BR>Ullman and =
James=20
P. Wade wrote of the need to mount an assault with =
"sufficiently =20
intimidating and compelling factors to force or otherwise convince =
an=20
adversary to accept our will."<BR><BR> With an unsettling air of=20
appreciation, Ullman and Wade invoked the haunting images from "old =
photographs=20
and movie or television screens [depicting] the comatose and glazed =
expressions=20
of survivors of the great bombardments of World War I. Those images and=20
expressions of shock transcend race, culture and =
history."<BR><BR> Shock=20
and awe also were the emotions that Americans experienced on Sept. =
11,=20
2001. Now, like the 9/11 terrorists, Bush and Co. are planning a similar =
act of=20
almost unparalleled ferocity - a devastating premeditated =
attack on=20
a civilian urban population.<BR><BR> Bush seems determined to =
follow in the=20
footsteps of Hulagu Khan and Tamerlane, the Mongol warlords who =
laid=20
bloody waste to Baghdad in 1258 and 1401.<BR><BR> But =
destroying=20
Baghdad will not uncover hidden chemical, biological or nuclear weapons =
(if, in=20
fact, any exist). Destroying Baghdad will not capture, topple =
or kill=20
Saddam Hussein. </FONT>
<DIV><FONT face=3DArial>Shock and Awe's expressed goal is simple: =
in the=20
words of Harlan Ullman, to destroy the Iraqi people "physically, =
emotionally and=20
psychologically."<BR><BR> Ironically, this was also the goal of the =
Nazi=20
strategists who destroyed Guernica. The town had no strategic value as a =
military target, but, like Baghdad, it was a cultural and =
religious=20
center.<BR>Guernica was devastated to terrorize the population and break =
the=20
spirit of the Basque resistance.<BR><BR> Surely cruise missiles =
have been=20
programmed to demolish the Baath Party Headquarters, presidential =
palaces and=20
Republican Guard compounds. But have missiles also been preset to=20
obliterate the<BR>al-Qadiriya Shrine, the Tomb of Imam al-A'dham and the =
Mosque=20
of Sheik Abdul Qadir al-Ghailani?<BR><BR> We now know that there =
was no=20
military need to drop atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaski. The =
detonations=20
were intended to demonstrate to the world - and to the Soviet Union, =
especially=20
- that the U.S. had a functioning superweapon. Having sole =
possession=20
of "The Bomb" gave Washington the power to dominate post-war =
world =20
politics.<BR><BR> Similarly, the destruction of Baghdad seems =
designed to=20
underscore Bush's belligerent warning to the rest of the world: "You're =
either=20
with us or you're against us."<BR> Washington's new National =
Security=20
Strategy describes an America dominating the world militarily, =
politically=20
and economically.<BR><BR> In a report published a month before =
the=20
U.S. presidential elections, the conservative Project for the New =
American=20
Century insisted on instituting a "global U.S.=20
pre-eminence, precluding the rise of a great power rival, and =
shaping the=20
international security order in line with American principles and=20
interests."<BR><BR> This ringing endorsement of hyper-imperialism =
was=20
co-authored by Dick Cheney, Donald Rumsfeld, Paul Wolfowitz, Lewis Libby =
and Jeb=20
Bush, none of whom (with the one exception of Rumsfeld) ever volunteered =
for=20
military service.<BR> Today, thousands of citizen volunteers from =
around=20
the world are converging in Iraq to stand as nonviolent "human shields" =
in hopes=20
of forestalling a U.S. assault. The brave men and women in =
this=20
international "Peace Army" include anti-war activists, religious =
witnesses,=20
retirees, U.S. military veterans and members of families who lost loved =
ones in=20
the September 11 attack.<BR><BR> Mr. Bush repeatedly complains that =
Saddam=20
Hussein deserves to be removed from office because "he killed his own =
people."=20
If Mr. Bush fails to promptly courtmartial the officials who came up =
with =20
the Shock and Awe<BR>atrocity, he may soon find himself standing=20
shoulder-to-shoulder with Mr. Hussein and facing history's judgment as =
another=20
ruthless leader who "killed his own people" in a mad bid for=20
power.<BR><BR> [Gar Smith, former editor of the Earth Island =
Journal, now=20
produces The-Edge, a weekly online environmental=20
newsmagazine.]<BR><BR></DIV></FONT></FONT></DIV></BODY></HTML>
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