The age of the neocons headed for the dustbin of history

by Linda S. Heard
“The final hours of the North American empire have arrived . . . Now we have to say to the empire: ‘We are not afraid of you. You’re a paper tiger.’” These were the words of Venezuelan leader Hugo Chavez during his recent visit to Vienna.

He may be right. The concept of a “New American Century,” conceptualized by neoconservatives who envisioned total US hegemony over land, seas, skies and even space, is fast fading. In the post-Sept. 11 climate of fear it seemed that all Washington had to do was wag its finger at errant nations for them to cave and do its bidding. Not so today.

The US chose Iraq as an example of what Washington’s military might could achieve under the banner of democracy. “Shock and Awe” was supposed to stand as a warning to neighboring countries. Watch out! Do as we say, or you’ll be next.

But the plan has gone badly wrong. Some might say it has had the opposite effect of what was intended.

By now, Iraq should have been effectively run by a puppet government answerable to the White House, rather than one that is fearful of leaving its Green Zone fortress. What is more, a government with ties to Iran. Its people should have been outwardly enjoying the outer trappings of “freedom” even as their natural resources were being stolen from under their noses.

Remember “The Matrix” where human minds were forced to dwell in an imaginary la-la land although in reality they were imprisoned and their energy used to feed predatory machines? In Iraq’s case, it is the American military-industrial complex that hoped to suck the land of its treasures.

The plan didn’t work simply because human beings aren’t that stupid, especially those who aren’t being indoctrinated on a daily basis by the skewed outpourings of Fox News and other US propaganda arms. Iraq today is an example all right. It stands as a stark salutary warning to the world: Uncle Sam has grown fangs and he must be kept at bay.

Iran has received the message loud and clear; hence, its defiant refusal to shut down its program of uranium enrichment.

President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, who is actively seeking strong alliances with other countries such as India, China, Russia Venezuela and Indonesia, clarified his thoughts in a letter sent to President Bush via Tehran’s Swiss Embassy.

The letter has been dismissed by the US media as the ramblings of a distorted mind, whereas, in fact, Ahmadinejad merely echoes what many in this region are already thinking.

“Can one be a follower of Jesus Christ (peace be upon him) the great Messenger of God . . . and at the same time have countries attacked? The lives, reputations and possessions of people destroyed and on the slight chance of the presence of a few criminals in a village, city or convoy, for example, the entire village, city or convoy set ablaze?” he writes. Indeed, I’ve been wondering the same thing myself.

Iran’s new best friend Russia is aware of the message, too.

In his state of the nation address last week, President Vladimir Putin stressed that Russia needed a nuclear capability and a powerful military to deter potential enemies and also to enable it to resist political pressure from foreign countries.

It was evident which foreign country he had in mind when he said, “Comrade Wolf knows whom to eat, it eats without listening and it’s clearly not going to listen to anyone.

Where is all this pathos about protecting human rights and democracy when it comes to the need to pursue their own interests?”

Some are describing this as the start of a new Cold War. If this is the case, then neocon policies are responsible for destroying the warm détente between Russia and the West that was so carefully cultivated by Bush’s predecessors.

Putin won’t be pushed around and neither will an increasing number of nations on America’s doorstep. Washington is deeply disturbed over Latin America’s swing to the left, an anti-globalization movement led by Hugo Chavez together with Cuba’s Castro and Bolivia’s Evo Morales, who recently nationalized his country’s oil and gas fields.

During a recent press conference held in Rome, Chavez elucidated his support for Tehran and warned that if Iran were attacked no country would have access to crude oil.

Chavez is startlingly outspoken when it comes to his opinions of the US. “For all the horror it has created around the globe in the course of the past century, the United States’ war machine should be dismantled, since under the current conditions it is a threat against the entire mankind, particularly against our children.”

It’s worth remembering that while Iran, Russia and Venezuela are not big powers in themselves, together they are formidable and the coffers of all are currently overflowing with oil wealth, courtesy of US foreign policies. That’s irony for you.

The White House may soon be short of friends in Europe too. Italy’s Berlusconi has gone the way of Spain’s Aznar into political oblivion, while Tony Blair’s days in office are numbered.

With George Bush’s approval rating currently running at 29 percent and his British comrade-in-arms a mere 26 percent, the age of the neocons looks set to be stuffed into the dustbin of history as one of the world’s gigantic failures.

Whoever replaces them will have their work cut out when trying to convince the world that the last years represent an aberration never to be repeated.

Else, Washington’s would-be subjects will undoubtedly strike back.
Linda S. Heard is a British specialist writer on Middle East affairs. She welcomes feedback and can be contacted by email at heardonthegrapevines@yahoo.co.uk.