September 11: War and Peaceful Solutions

September 11: War and Peaceful Solutions to Conflict

By Franz Alt

[This article is translated from the German on the World Wide Web, http://www.sonnenseite.com/fp/archiv/Art-eineWelt/3778.php.]

If wars as in Iraq or Afghanistan should not be repeated, the community of nations must draw conclusions from these wars. George W. Bush exploits the terror of September 11 to wage two wars with many thousands of dead in very poor countries. What is the lesson of this dreadfully criminal policy for people who promote peaceful solutions of conflicts?

· Firstly: the majority of US citizens and millions of people outside the US were told lies and deceived. Only with the help of lies and manipulations could Bush and Blair send soldiers into war. Only with the help of willing journalists
could the warlords find majorities for their war policy. Truth was again the first victim of war. The more people see through the lies and fairy-tales in retrospect, the easier will future wars be prevented.

* Secondly, the Kelly case and the suicide of this English scientist made clear the propaganda mechanisms of democratically elected governments and the total failure of most journalists in the US and England. Many journalists miserably betrayed their duty of enlightenment. These journalists were servants of their governments instead of their readers and viewers. In Germany, some media served more as a fourth branch of the military than enlighteners about the war.

· Thirdly, Bush and Blaire wanted to establish a new order in Iraq and pacification of the whole Middle East with their war. Most Iraqis rejoice that Saddam Hussein was overthrown. However the US and its helpers don’t have either plans or will to establish a democratic order in Iraq. They cannot even organize the necessities like water and electricity. All their money and all their imagination were thrown into the warfare. The warlords who were again mass murderers failed completely in organizing peace.

· Fourthly, oil production, the real reason for the war, functions halfway in Iraq. The most important reconstruction-contracts in Iraq are given to firms that financed the election campaign of Bush and his most6 important cohorts and will finance the next 2004 campaign.

· Fifthly, the peace-loving part of the world population has been strengthened in their basic pacifist position through war and war’s consequences. The world coalition of February 15, 2003 of over 15 million people protested against war and will be even stronger with the next war adventure.

Rulers and war-mongerers will have to expect more resistance in the future. The peace movement is globalized across all continents. The US peace movement has shown that there is another peace-loving America. Peace movements in all countries will have to make clear to their governments that all authority issues from the people and that a war may not be waged any more in the name of a people.

· Sixth, the European peace movements must cooperate more intensely with the US peace movement on all planes between churches, parties, women’s groups, co-alliances, unions, peace groups, vocational peace groups like physicians against nuclear war, lawyers and journalists.

· Seventh, voters should tell their parties and representatives: Whoever isn’t unequivocally against War can never expect our vote any more. The question of war or peace must be decided in future elections. The strength of democracy is the engagement and watchfulness of democrats. Whoever wants peace in the future must prepare peace and no longer wars. We will judge all policy by this criterion.

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