Wolfowitz's reality<\/p>\n
The address to the Asia Security Conference by U.S. Deputy
\nSecretary of Defense Paul Wolfowitz, published in The Jakarta
\nPost on June 5 and June 6, was, I assume, intended as a morale
\nbooster and, therefore, one should not be surprised by its lack
\nof intellectual rigor.<\/p>\n
However, Wolfowitz comes across as having watched one too many
\nof Hollywood's Batman, Superman or Spider-Man films, and he seems
\nobsessed with a Green Goblin in the form of Muslim terrorists.
\nThe speech is full of unsubstantiated and rather incredible
\ngeneralizations and overstatements including, \"the scourge of
\nterrorism\" is a \"global threat\", \"Muslims in East Asia are among
\nthe principal targets of the terrorists\", the U.S. is defending
\n\"freedom, justice and peace\", terrorists (though never defined)
\nare out to impose a \"medieval, intolerant and tyrannical way of
\nlife\" and the Afghans \"met their liberation with such joy\".<\/p>\n
Strangely, Wolfowitz holds up Turkey as a model of \"freedom
\nand justice\" in the Muslim world and patronizingly declares the
\nobvious: \"The Islam of Muhammad is not the religion of bin Laden
\nand suicide bombers\".<\/p>\n
As U.S. and British arms manufacturers descend on an India
\nreadying itself for war, Wolfowitz declares \"our relationship
\nwith India has entered a new era\". He claims \"support from close
\nto 70 nations\" for America's \"war against terrorism\". But, just
\nas after the Gulf War, it remains to be seen how many of these
\nwere coerced into participation by the threat of economic
\nsanctions, World Bank or IMF noncooperation, or military attack.<\/p>\n
Wolfowitz even has the audacity to quote Churchill to give the
\nimpression that the current campaign of the U.S. is aimed at
\npreventing war. In reality, of course, tensions in the highly
\ncombustible Middle East have worsened and arms manufacturers
\naround the world are having a field day.<\/p>\n
Oddly, in that great land of illusions, which accounts for 40
\npercent of what the entire world spends on arms, terrorists are
\nperceived to represent a military threat greater than that which
\neven the paranoid in the U.S. deemed the former Soviet Union to
\nbe. Maxima bella ex levissima causis?<\/p>\n
FRANK RICHARDSON<\/p>\n
Tangerang, Banten<\/p>", "url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/wolfowitzs-reality-1447893297", "image": "" }, "sponsor": "Okusi Associates", "sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com" }