[Guardian Unlimited, U.K.]
OEA Libya, Libya
Is it Fair for George
W. Bush to Remain 'Outside Prison Bars'?
Coming from a state-controlled mouthpiece
of Muammar Gaddafi's despotic regime, some may scoff at this article calling
for President Bush to be charged with war crimes and brought before the International Criminal Court. But the sentiments expressed by OEA Libya's Ali Mar'i al-Ahad are by no means
out of the norm in the Muslim World and beyond.
By Ali Mar'i al-Ahad
Translated By James Jacobson
October 19, 2009
Libya - OEA Libya - Original Article (Arabic)
|
|
|
Libyan
ruler Muammar Qaddafi scolds Arab leaders over Palestine, Iraq and other
issues, and warns them that after Saddam, any one of them may be the next
to be hung by the Americans, at the Arab Summit in Damascus, Syria, Mar.
29, 2008.
Al-Jazeera
TV, Qatar: Qadhafi Scolds Arab Leaders, 'Americans Might Hang You All Like
Saddam', Mar. 29, 00:11:35
|
|
|
It is perhaps the strangest
and most unfair irony of our times that former U.S. President George W. Bush remains
free after the series of war crimes and crimes against humanity he
committed during his mandate - including the lies and attendant misrepresentations
he used as pretexts for his missions of aggression. This is particularly true
in the cases of Iraq and Afghanistan, launched within the framework of what he
called the "War on Terror" in the wake of the events of September 11,
2001.
Directed at the
international community, Bush came up
with the slogan, “If you're not with us, you're against us,” with the purpose
of securing the support and approval of his policy of occupying Iraq, under the
pretext that it possessed weapons of mass destruction and was a threat to the
region. Later, this pretext proved at variance with the facts if not fabricated.
The question that presents
itself is this: Who bears responsibility for the occupations of Iraq and
Afghanistan that have resulted in the killings of thousands upon thousands of civilians?
Logic and objectivity would lay responsibility for prosecuting those who committed these historic crimes at the doorstep of the International Criminal Court, holding the guilty accountable for undermining international peace and security.
Such are the consequences of Bush's
aggressive policies that to this day, they spread their shadows over Iraq and
Afghanistan. And the matter doesn’t stop at the borders of these occupied countries.
It is now a real dilemma for the new American
administration, which finds itself at a crossroads: either remain in Iraq and
Afghanistan and suffer further losses; or announce a plan for withdrawal that some
U.S. officials would regard as a declaration of defeat and a failure of American
forces to perform their duties as required.
In both cases, it appears
that the majority of reports being provided to the White House confirm explicitly
that U.S. troops are in a tragic situation, which has prompted the commander of
American forces in Afghanistan [General Stanley McChrystal] to request
additional troops to confront the rise in Taliban attacks and deal with the impact
of a series of painful blows to coalition forces.
In essence, the Iraqi scene differs
little from that in Afghanistan. The American declaration of withdrawal from some
Iraqi cities and their handover to Iraqi security forces is clear evidence that
the U.S. mission has failed miserably, prompting several U.S. officials to seriously
consider mechanisms that could bring about a total withdrawal within months. According
to several political analysts, the U.S. decision to withdraw from Iraq is not only
due to the drain on its military, but because of the critical situation in the region.
Behind this is Tehran's nuclear program and Israeli threats to strike the
Iran's nuclear facilities, which could prompt Iran to target U.S. forces in
Iraq and deployed in the Arabian Gulf.
Posted by WORLDMEETS.US
It may be useful to recall that
the political, military and economic difficulties being confronted by
Obama's administration are a natural result of the dire legacy of Bush. His
failed policies, particularly in the area of counter-terrorism,
have brought the world nothing but destruction and war. The most
prominent witnesses to Bush's misguided schemes are the prisoners at Guantanamo
and beyond who were tortured and coerced, and to this day have been denied
their day in court.
On its face, this is utterly
incompatible with human rights conventions and laws on the treatment of
detainees. In the United States recently, voices have been raised calling for the opening
of files showing the flagrant violations of CIA officers at Guantanamo Bay and revealing the worst kinds of injustices and
oppression that were practiced there. But the files remain closed due to opposition
from U.S. politicians who fear that the information would be a blot on American
history and its image at a time when Obama is struggling to improve his nation's standing
abroad.
Posted by WORLDMEETS.US
Whatever Obama’s strategy and whatever
Washington does to try and improve America’s image, the
entire world knows that George W. Bush's activities were
a genuine disaster which will remain deeply impressed in peoples' minds. And if states and governments
at some point forget the dimension of the tragedies Bush left behind in Iraq
and Afghanistan, I doubt that the people who were directly affected by his aggressions
will. Perhaps the day will come when former President Bush is presented with an
arrest warrant and handed over to the International Criminal Court, just like
the others who have been brought to trial, such as Serbian Radovan Karadzic, Yugoslavian
Slobodan Milosevic
and Liberian Charles
Taylor.
[OEA Libya, Libya]
SEE ALSO ON THIS:
Le Monde, France:
West Has No Shame When it Comes to Despotic Qaddafi
Die Welt, Germany:
Retrial of Lockerbie Bomber Would Have Been Preferable
Le Figaro, France:
Persuasive Leads in Favor of Lockerbie Convict Were Overlooked
Le Quotidien d’Oran, Algeria:
West's 'Profound Hypocrisy' Over Lockerbie Release
Trouw, The Netherlands:
Lockerbie 'Suspect's'
Release Reflects
Strength of Civilization
Guardian Unlimited, U.K.:
Scotland's 'Brave and
Principled' Release
Irish Examiner, Ireland:
Angry Over
Lockerbie, U.S.
Tourists Snub Scotland for Ireland
La Stampa, Italy:
'Historic Handshake' for Ghaddafi and 'Obama the African'
The truth is that the United
States is well aware of the foreign policy difficulties it faces, as well as the
multitude of grave errors committed by the previous administration. But the
Obama Administration doesn’t want to take on these mistakes directly in order to
avoid additional international debate on them. This could put America itself in
the dock just as U.S. diplomacy, as Secretary of State Hillary Clinton says, seeks
to "restore balance" to international relations. It is a strategy based
on resolving several outstanding global issues - including those caused by the
former President Bush - issues that pose a threat to the lives of thousands of
American soldiers, whether they deployed in the Middle East or Afghanistan.
Given the gross violations of
human rights in Iraq and Afghanistan and the ill treatment of detainees in secret
and public American prisons - namely in
those in Guantanamo and Abu Ghraib - is it fair or equitable that international
tribunals constituted to judge war crimes continue to allow George W. Bush to
remain outside prison bars? Will the world’s conscience ever awaken to demand Bush’s
appearance before a war crimes tribunal?
CLICK HERE FOR ARABIC VERSION
[Posted by WORLDMEETS.US November 3, 3:00pm]
