Here we go again, the
Western “defenders of democracy” are rattling their big sabres.
This time it is at Iran. It is rather bizarre the the sabre rattlers
are always those with the biggest sabres. The three most vociferous
in threatening Iran, USA, UK and France, are in the top four for
military budgets. When it comes to the world's military budget the
USA is away out in front with a massive 42.8%. Even China, which has
a quarter of the world's population is dwarfed by this, coming in
with a mere 7.3%, followed by that small island of the coast of
Europe, the UK, with a totally disproportionate 3.7% and then France
with 3.6%. Iran's percentage is so small it doesn't even register on
the chart below.
We in the West
live in a civilization that seems to indulge in endless wars, a
civilization that somehow believes that the destruction of other
countries, with the resultant thousands of deaths of ordinary
innocent civilians is a legitimate answer to a problem. Think of the
pretexts offered for our invasion and destruction of Afghanistan and
Iraq, think of the number of lives lost and those injured physically
and mentally on both sides. Has it been the answer? Can we hold our
head up and say “problem solved”? Can we honestly say that the
world is now a better place because of the destruction of these two
countries, has the hundreds of thousands of deaths of innocent people
been justified?
The reasons
being put forward for an attack on Iran is that it is trying to do
what we and a host of other nations, including Israel, have already
done. We have no proof, just speculation. Is that justification for
what would be the death of hundreds of thousands of ordinary innocent
people. We would be killing plumbers, bus drivers, gardeners,
doctors, typists, teachers, elderly and children, for what? Perhaps
the really reason is that we in the West live in a society where war
makes unimaginable wealth for the corporate world. A society that is
under the control of a military industrial complex, producing wealth
and power for that small cabal of billionaire parasites. The same
billionaire parasites that hold the “elected” governments of the
West in their pocket.
Chart from Informed Comment.
STOP THE
WAR BEFORE IT STARTS - EMERGENCY PROTEST THIS SAT JAN 28
Hands off Iran and Syria
2 - 4pm, US Embassy
Grosvenor Square
London W1K 2Called by Stop the War Coalition. Supported by UNITE the Union, War on Want, Palestine Solidarity Campaign, Campaign against Sanctions and Military Intervention on Iran, Friends of Al-Aqsa, Goldsmiths Student Union and SOAS Student Union.
This is the most dangerous moment in the world since 2003. The sanctions on Iranian oil imposed by the EU on Monday are a provocation that could spark a war at any time. Iran's threats to retaliate by closing the Straits of Hormuz were answered on the weekend by US Defence Secretary Panetta saying the US would 'respond' if there was a closure and by US, British and French navy ships sailing through the Straits.
The new sanctions mark a sharp escalation in an ongoing campaign of cyber attacks, assassinations and US troop deployments in the area all designed to destabilise the Iranian regime. Such a strategy of tension isn't just deeply irresponsible. It shows the argument for war is gaining ground in the west. An article by influential US hawk Mattew Kroenig in the current edition of Foreign Affairs is headlined 'Time to Attack Iran'. His basic argument is summed up in a single subheading: 'Strike Now or Suffer Later'.
As yesterdays Financial Times pointed out, this approach is making headway. Both US Republican presidential contenders Mitt Romney and Newt Gingrich favour an attack. Sections of the British establishment are now talking up confrontation. Meanwhile calls for intervention against Iran's ally Syria are also growing.The echoes of the build up to war on Iraq are loud and clear.
If you oppose the terrible prospect of a war on Iran or Syria please join the protest this Saturday. Speakers will include Tony Benn, Lindsey German, Roger Lloyd Pack, Abbas Edalat, Jeremy Corbyn MP, Sabah Jawad, Shirin Shafie.
Hands off Iran and Syria
2 - 4pm, US Embassy
Grosvenor Square
London W1K 2Called by Stop the War Coalition. Supported by UNITE the Union, War on Want, Palestine Solidarity Campaign, Campaign against Sanctions and Military Intervention on Iran, Friends of Al-Aqsa, Goldsmiths Student Union and SOAS Student Union.
This is the most dangerous moment in the world since 2003. The sanctions on Iranian oil imposed by the EU on Monday are a provocation that could spark a war at any time. Iran's threats to retaliate by closing the Straits of Hormuz were answered on the weekend by US Defence Secretary Panetta saying the US would 'respond' if there was a closure and by US, British and French navy ships sailing through the Straits.
The new sanctions mark a sharp escalation in an ongoing campaign of cyber attacks, assassinations and US troop deployments in the area all designed to destabilise the Iranian regime. Such a strategy of tension isn't just deeply irresponsible. It shows the argument for war is gaining ground in the west. An article by influential US hawk Mattew Kroenig in the current edition of Foreign Affairs is headlined 'Time to Attack Iran'. His basic argument is summed up in a single subheading: 'Strike Now or Suffer Later'.
As yesterdays Financial Times pointed out, this approach is making headway. Both US Republican presidential contenders Mitt Romney and Newt Gingrich favour an attack. Sections of the British establishment are now talking up confrontation. Meanwhile calls for intervention against Iran's ally Syria are also growing.The echoes of the build up to war on Iraq are loud and clear.
If you oppose the terrible prospect of a war on Iran or Syria please join the protest this Saturday. Speakers will include Tony Benn, Lindsey German, Roger Lloyd Pack, Abbas Edalat, Jeremy Corbyn MP, Sabah Jawad, Shirin Shafie.
Please help publicise the protest by joining our tweet-out and facebook surge today, starting at 12 noon. Tweet with hashtag #DontAttackIran, retweet our tweets, share links, share photos and anything else using this same hashtag. Copy us into your tweets if you like using @StwUK so we know what you want us to repost. Also please do include the Facebook event for the protest - http://on.fb.me/yR9Q3i .
If we can get #DontAttackIran trending in London it will be a big publicity boost for the protest.
Join the Tweet-out - #DontAttackIran
Invite friends on Facebook - http://on.fb.me/yR9Q3i
Follow StoptheWar on Twitter - http://twitter.com/STWuk
