Washington needs enemies.
When none exist, they're created. North Korea and Iran are prime targets.
Neither poses threats. Yet they faced decades of false accusations.
Like other nations, both reject domination. They want their sovereignty
respected. They seek normalized relations with regional neighbors and
the West. America's imperial ambitions block them. Threats follow.
Besides longstanding plans to replace independent regimes with client
ones, Washington needs enemies as punching bags.
At issue is keeping fear heightened to wage imperial wars on humanity.
One country after another is ravaged. Syria's next, then Iran. Another
to be named later awaits. America never runs out of targets. It needs
them to wage permanent wars. It's longstanding official policy.
America's been at war with North Korea since June 1950. Truman's war
never ended. An uneasy unresolved armistice exists. It's unprecedented
in length. Nothing in sight suggests an end game. Maybe another hot
war's coming.
Provocations may precede one if Washington has that in mind once other
priorities are settled. For its part, North Korea wants confrontation
avoided at all costs, short of surrendering its sovereignty in the process.
In the meantime, beating up on Pyongyang continues. In his 2002 State
of the Union address, George Bush combined North Korea with Iran and
Iraq in his "axis of evil."
On Monday, America and the Philippines began provocative joint military
exercises in disputed South China Sea waters. Thousands of troops are
involved. Forces from other countries are participating.
They include South Korea, Japan, Australia, Singapore, Malaysia, and
Vietnam. They'll conduct live-fire exercises and mock beach invasions
along coastlines facing China. Saber rattling worries Beijing and Pyongyang.
On April 10, a Philippine gunboat boarded eight Chinese fishing vessels
in disputed Scarborough shoal waters. Two Chinese surveillance ships
intervened. They radioed the Philippine craft to back off. Each side
claimed territorial water rights.
Tense diplomatic negotiations followed. China's official newspaper,
the China Daily, denounced Manila's actions. It called them "beyond
tolerance (and a) blatant challenge to Chinese territorial integrity."
On April 16, Beijing demanded a Philippine archeological ship immediately
leave its Huangyan Island territorial waters. It marks another in a
series of regional incidents.
Commenting on US-Philippine joint military exercises, Foreign Ministry
spokeman Liu Weimin said Beijing hopes both countries will focus on
regional peace and stability, as well as improving mutual trust.
China pursues peaceful development and cooperation. America prioritizes
confrontation and war. Therein lies an unresolved global challenge and
threat.
America's East Asia military footprint is increasing. It's part of a
broader buildup targeting China, Eastern Russia, and North Korea. Troops
are being stationed in Australia.
Together with South Korea, America plans a strategic Jeju Island naval
base for Aegis class attack ships. They're equipped with sophisticated
SM-3 interceptor missiles for offense. They also have first-strike capability
computers and tracking radar.
In mid-march, North Korea announced a planned satellite launch between
April 12 and 16, depending on weather.
As of yearend 2011, over 900 operational satellites orbit the earth.
Dozens of countries launched them. Besides America, Russia, China, Japan,
India, Western states, and Israel, they include South Korea, Latin American
nations, Luxembourg, Bulgaria, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Belarus,
Iran, and many others.
Why pick on North Korea? Washington, Japan, and South Korea condemned
its planned launch. With no proof, they called it a long-range missile
test.
Asia specialist Dr. Tim Beal told Russia Today that South Korea's condemnation
was "an election ploy." He said "you can easily tell by the trajectory
of the rocket" whether or not it's military related. "There is no doubt
that (North Korea) attempt(ed) to launch a satellite."
It has every right to do so like other nations. Ahead of the failure,
Obama officials threatened to suspend promised food aid. The State Department
falsely accused North Korea of being "highly provocative" and "a threat
to regional security."
Last February, after Pyongyang agreed to give IAEA inspectors access
to its nuclear facilities, suspend uranium enrichment and more nuclear
weapons and long range missile tests, Washington pledged 240,000 tons
of food aid.
Responding to North Korea's determination to launch, Japan and South
Korea threatened to down the rocket if it passed over their territory.
It barely got off the ground. It failed shortly after liftoff. Scattered
debris entered waters 100 km off South Korea's coast.
Showing good faith before launching, Pyongyang invited about 50 foreign
journalists to witness it close up. At the same time, Washington's pressure
got the Security Council to meet in emergency session. A statement "deplor(ing)"
the launch followed.
On April 12, Hillary Clinton said "Pyongyang has a clear choice. It
can pursue peace and reap the benefits of closer ties with the international
community, including the United States. Or it can continue to face pressure
and isolation."
North Korea threatens no one. It pursued peace since Truman's war of
aggression. Its efforts produced condemnation, intimidation, impoverishment,
and isolation. Nothing changed under Bush or Obama. Washington's main
regional target is China. Pyongyang's an easy punching bag.
Beating up on what Korean expert Bruce Cummings calls "The Hermit Kingdom"
is policy. He once referred to North Korea as "where the Cold War never
ends." At the time he added:
"We should all try to be sober and serious in thinking about North Korea
and peace on the peninsula, so that one day Korea can be unified without
another hemorrhage of blood."
He and others know Pyongyang's not the problem. Washington hegemonic
ambitions prevent global peace.
Beating Up on Iran Is Prioritized
Iran's also wrongfully vilified. Threats and heightened tensions follow.
Saturday's P5+1 Istanbul talks resolved nothing. Nuclear chess threatens
dangerous roulette. What follows more May 23 talks bears watching.
In good faith, Tehran's eager to resolve Washington's concerns. Foreign
Minister Ali Akbar Salehi called them baseless. They conflict with Iran's
sovereign rights. Ending a longstanding deadlock benefits all sides,
he added.
He hopes two rounds of talks will facilitate more cooperation and lead
to removing sanctions. Give and take by both sides are key. Iran prioritizes
its sovereign rights. It also wants restrictive Western chains removed.
Like other countries, it resents pressure and threats to yield to unreasonable
demands.
Istanbul showed Tehran bears the burden to build confidence, make major
concessions, and submit to harassing inspections and verifications beyond
what's expected of other peaceful nuclear states. Why Iran and not them?
Why any country?
On the one hand, Obama threatened more sanctions and other unspecified
consequences if May talks don't yield concessions Washington demands.
On the other, Netanyahu said Istanbul gave Iran a "freebie. It's got
five weeks to continue enrichment without any limitation, any inhibition."
He want an immediate halt.
Obama keeps saying time's running out, the clock's ticking. "I've been
very clear to Iran and our negotiating partners that we're not going
to have these talks just drag out in a stalling process."
"We still have a window in which to resolve this conflict diplomatically.
That window is closing and Iran needs to take advantage of it."
Salehi added that both sides should clarify steps to be taken before
next month's meeting. He hopes doing so can build trust.
A Final Comment
At issue isn't Iran's nuclear program. Washington, Israel, and other
world powers know it's peaceful.
Claiming otherwise is red herring cover for America's longstanding regime
change plans. If nuclear confrontation ends, another issue will replace
it. If it doesn't exist, it'll be invented.
False accusations will persist. Confrontation may follow. So may belligerent
attacks against nuclear, military, and other strategic sites. America's
Persian Gulf presence is menacing. Dozens of military bases surround
Iran.
Tehran doesn't threaten neighbors, Israel, America, or other Western
states. Its independence and energy riches make it a prime target. Washington
wants control over all regional oil and gas, including what companies
develop it, who gets it, how much, and the price.
As a result, all options are open, including war. The risk's too great
to ignore. Washington's belligerence increases the likelihood. If not
sooner, than after November elections.
Replacing Syrian and Iranian regimes with pro-Western ones are prioritized.
Embroiling the region in out-of-control conflict may result.
Bipartisan belligerence increases chances. It may happen this year or
early 2013. The potential consequences are frightening.
What happens regionally could go global. The threat's too real to be
discounted. Resistance must step up to prevent it. Only fools and warlords
would permit it. Time's running out to stop them. What greater priority
than that!
Stephen Lendman lives in Chicago and can be reached at lendmanstephen@sbcglobal.net.
Also visit his blog site at sjlendman.blogspot.com and listen to cutting-edge
discussions with distinguished guests on the Progressive Radio News
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