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<FONT face=Tahoma size=2><B>From:</B> Professor Schwartz' symposium on the Iraq
war [mailto:IRAQVIEWS-L@lists.sunysb.edu] <B>On Behalf Of </B>Michael
Schwartz<BR><B>Sent:</B> Friday, May 27, 2011 11:46 AM<BR><B>To:</B>
IRAQVIEWS-L@LISTS.SUNYSB.EDU<BR><B>Subject:</B> Great little piece by Dennis
Kucinich<BR></FONT><BR></DIV>
<DIV></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face="Californian FB">This is Dennis Kucinich's denunciation of the
Libyan intervention. It is quite persuasive to me. He says that
there was no real risk of mass slaughter, that many civilians are suffering the
consequences of the intervention, and that their is a cloud of oil-inspired
motives hanging over the intervention:</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face="Californian FB"></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV>
<H1 class=txttitle>Actions Not Words Show US Middle East Policy</H1>
<P class=txtauthor>By Rep. Dennis Kucinich, Reader Supported News</P>
<P class=date>20 May 11</P>
<P> </P>
<P><IMG
src="http://www.readersupportednews.org/images/stories/alphabet/rsn-W.jpg"
border=0>e all want to be supportive of our President as he attempts to broaden
America's positive role in the Middle East and North Africa. But it is important
to critically analyze what the President does, not what he says, when it comes
to U.S. policy abroad. When the President says '[i]t will be the policy of the
United States to promote reform across the region, and to support transitions to
democracy,' we must look more carefully at how this policy has been implemented
as well as the implications of the actions that have already been taken.</P>
<P class=indent>President Obama violated the Constitution by pursuing war
against Libya without a Constitutionally-required authorization for the use of
military force or declaration of war from Congress. His actions, and now his
policy recitations, set the stage for more interventions, presumably in Syria
and Iran. His recounting of the reasons for US intervention in Libya is at odds
with the facts. There was no clear evidence of an impending massacre in Libya.
There was menacing rhetoric and a violent government put-down of an armed
insurrection which may have been joined by some with legitimate non-violent
aspirations. No one can justify the actions of any parties to this conflict. In
any case, discretion requires leaders to move with the utmost care in developing
military responses to rhetoric and similar care to intervention in a civil
war.</P>
<P class=indent>The UN mandate to protect civilians was exceeded almost
immediately and used as a pretext for regime change. The US and NATO are one in
Libya. Our nation, through NATO, has taken sides in a civil war which is
spreading more violence throughout Libya and putting more civilians at risk. The
Interim Council of the rebels moved quickly to a $100 million oil marketing
agreement with Qatar, unmasking a potential reason for intervention: control
over Libya's vast oil fields which can yield over $300 million in oil daily. The
military intervention in a civil war against the backdrop of a struggle for oil
casts a shadow of doubt upon lofty rhetoric about positive change, peace and
stability. That the US has not intervened militarily in Bahrain and Yemen
demonstrates that violent intervention carries high risks and political
resolution of conflict is desirable. We must be prepared to seek political
resolution of conflicts through statecraft not through military force.</P>
<P class=indent>NATO's expansion as 'globocop' is hardly about peace and
stability. It has people in Pakistan and Afghanistan in the streets loudly
protesting NATO's onslaught against innocent civilians.</P>
<P class=indent>We have an obligation to work together to make America safe, but
it is important to note that our intervention in Iraq was based on lies, that
'the end of combat operations' in Iraq is not the end of American occupation,
and the war in Afghanistan could drag on for another decade. These wars, along
with the conflicts over Pakistan, Yemen and Libya will continue to cost the
American people hundreds of billions of dollars and add trillions to the
deficit, diverting resources from pressing domestic needs in health care,
education, job creation and retirement security.</P>
<P class=indent>The President wants to 'advance economic development for nations
that transition to democracy.' It would be good to advance economic development
in the United States, since there are over 14 million Americans who are out of
work. Such a high level of unemployment degrades our own democracy.</P><BR>
<P class=indent><EM>Dennis Kucinich is a US Congressman from Ohio and a former
presidential candidate.</EM></P></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face="Californian FB"></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face="Californian FB">MS<BR>Professor and Chair, Department of
Sociology<BR>University at Stony Brook<BR>Stony Brook NY 11794<BR>Phone: (cell)
516 356-4078</FONT></DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
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