American Awakening: It is a goat even if it flies!!
By Dr. Bouthaina Shaaban
12 Dec. 2007
What did President Bush read in his oval office on Monday Dec. 3, 2007?
He read a report compiled by sixteen American intelligences agencies concluding that Iran halted its nuclear weapons program in 2003, contradicting a previous assessment that Tehran was working, and even close, to building a bomb. This confirms that the Iranians were telling the truth all along, and that the reports of Muhammad al Baradei were also professional despite the storm that was deliberately raised about his work in order to justify taking measures against Iran. Where does this leave the threats issued by President George W. Bush in October when he suggested that a nuclear – armed Iran could lead to "World War III" and vice president, Dick Cheney, promised "Serious Consequences" if the government in Tehran did not abandon its nuclear program".
The publication of this report by 16 intelligence American agencies against the rhetoric of the American president is a very strong indication that American people and American institutions have had enough of the bloody wars and conflicts launched by the U.S. in Afghanistan, Iraq and Somalia in addition to its support to the Israeli war on Lebanon and all what that entailed. This also indicates that there is more awareness today in the U.S. of the damage caused by these policies to the reputation and credibility of the U.S. The American administration claimed that its ultimate objective is to spread freedom, democracy and the rule of law in these countries whereas the actual results were death, destruction and catastrophes which have befallen these countries and their people.
The third indication of this report is that it shows the gap between the American president, his vice president, Cheney, and their allies of the Israeli lobbyists in Washington, on the one hand, and between American voices calling for wisdom, and for taking American National interests into account, and for putting an end to bloody military actions which have proven disastrous on all counts.
Yet even after the publication of this report, President Bush continued to reiterate that "Iran still constitutes a danger and a threat", his vice president Dick Cheney said that this report will make it more difficult to "Isolate Iran", but the question is why do they want to isolate Iran or impose economic or diplomatic sanctions on Iran, if Iran, who is a signatory of Non-proliferation Treaty is only exercising its legitimate right of possessing nuclear energy for peaceful purposes?
Had American Intelligence Agencies issued such a report prior to the war on Iraq to show that Iraq has no WMD (as was discovered later) they would have saved the lives of millions of people, both Americans and Iraqis, and would have saved the land of Mesopotamia from being looted and from losing its most precious archeological heritage. Let's remember that the information about Iraq then claimed the capacity of Iraq to launch a chemical war and all what was said then turned to be lies the aim of which is to coax the U.S. to launch a military strike against Iraq.
What is interesting to note now is that apart from George W. Bush and Dick Cheney the Israelis were the most upset by the report of American National Intelligence Agencies. News started to circulate that if the U.S. does not want to strike Iran, Israel would think of directing a military strike to Iran, A poll was conducted in Israel that showed most of the Israelis are against a military strike against Iran. Does Israel want to use the U.S. once again, to create another disaster in the Middle East by destroying another country after Afghanistan and Iraq and launching a murky and purposeless war? Through engaging the U.S. in what is so-Called a war against terrorism Israel is confiscating Palestinian lands, expanding settlements and imposing collective punishment on millions of Palestinians and practicing the most horrid racist ethnic cleansing against them [see Haaretz Dec. 9. 2007]. When Mershimer and Walt published their papers, and then their book, about the influence of the Zionist lobby on American foreign policies they were attacked and criticized. But the course of events shows that Mershimer and Walt, and now the American National Intelligence Report, prove the need for American policy makers to review their sources of information and to take with a pinch of salt information compiled for them by Israeli sources and lobbyists about the Middle East, The Arabs and the Muslims. By so doing they may be able to serve American national interests and be real catalysts for freedom, peace, security and human dignity in the world.