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| Kissinger Geopolitics |
By Stephen
Lendman |
| At age 91, maybe senility set in. Or a time of reflection.
At the same time, trying to have things both ways. More on this below. Kissinger was one of the most notorious war criminals ever to win the Nobel Peace Prize. Exceeded perhaps only by Obama. The scope of their crimes is breathtaking. Kissinger's rap sheet includes: three to four million Southeast Asian deaths; ousting Chile's Salvador Allende; replacing him with Augusto Pinochet; followed by 17 years of state terror; support for other Latin American despots; backing Surharto's West Papua takeover; his East Timor invasion; massacring hundreds of thousands; supported the Khmer Rouge's rise to power; its reign of terror early on; backed Pakistan's overthrow of Bangladesh's democratically elected government; causing half a million deaths; and various other high crimes against peace. Including manipulating geopolitical events for his own benefit. Gain power and influence. Accumulate wealth. The late Chistopher Hitchens said he deserved prosecution "for war crimes, crimes against humanity, and offenses against common or customary international law, including conspiracy to commit murder, kidnap, and torture." He called him "a stupendous liar with a remarkable memory." In September 2013, he told CNN "we can't be the world's policeman. (B)ut we can be the world's last resort." On the one hand, he's "against American military intervention," he said. On the other, he supports Obama's war on Syria. In 2011, against Libya. Both naked aggression by any standard. Wanting independent governments toppled. Posing America no threat. Or its neighbors. Overwhelming supported by their people. No matter. Kissinger supports replacing independent leaders with pro-Western ones. In November, Der Spiegel interviewed him. Calling him "the most famous and most divisive secretary of state the US has ever had." Asking him about a "messier" world today than ever. (W)ith wars, catastrophes and chaos everywhere." Kissinger agreed. Saying "chaos threaten(s) us. (T)hrough the spread of weapons of mass destruction and cross-border terrorism." Ignoring by far the world's greatest threat. US global intervention. Wars without end. Targeting one country after another. Turning them to rubble. Making the world safe for monied interests. Over the corpses of millions of victims. A small price to pay for unchallenged dominance. At the same time, Kissinger asking: "Do we achieve world order through chaos or insight? One would think that the proliferation of nuclear weapons, the dangers of climate change and terrorism should create enough of a common agenda." "So I would hope that we can be wise enough not to have a Thirty Years' War." Citing Westphalian peace. The 1648 treaty establishing the principle of state sovereignty. Free from foreign intervention. Kissinger took issue with US-led Western policy in Ukraine. On the one hand, he wrongfully said Russia annexed Crimea. Ignoring near Crimean unanimity to rejoin Russia. Their choice. Self-determination is a universal right. Affirmed in the UN Charter. Unequivocal international law. Kissinger didn't explain. On the other, he maintained "(i)t was not Hitler moving into Czechoslovakia." "Putin spent tens of billions of dollars on the Winter Olympics in Sochi." "The theme of the Olympics was that Russia is a progressive state tied to the West through its culture and, therefore, it presumably wants to be part of it." "So it doesn’t make any sense that a week after the close of the Olympics, Putin would take Crimea and start a war over Ukraine. So one has to ask oneself, Why did it happen?" Asked if Western nations have "a kind of responsibility for" Ukrainian crisis conditions, Kissinger said: "Yes, I am saying that. Europe and America did not understand the impact of these events, starting with the negotiations about Ukraine’s economic relations with the European Union and culminating in the demonstrations in Kiev." "All these, and their impact, should have been the subject of a dialogue with Russia. This does not mean the Russian response was appropriate." America and rogue EU partners are longtime imperial powers. Involved in ousting one sitting government after another. Washington spent billions of dollars on Ukraine. Since Soviet Russia's dissolution. Wanting it aligned West, not East. Incorporated in NATO. Like all other former Soviet republics and Warsaw Pact countries. Isolating Russia. Surrounding it with US bases. Ending its sovereign independence. Installing pro-Western stooge governance. Balkanizing its huge land mass. Stealing its vast energy and other resources. Exploiting its people. Eliminating one of America's two major rivals. Using the same strategy against China. Longtime US aims. Ones Kissinger understands as well as anyone. But didn't explain. At the same time, irresponsibly criticizing Russia. Accusing Putin of creating chaos. Threatening Ukraine's sovereignty. Ignoring his forthrightness. All-out efforts for peace and stability. He and Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov more worthy than anyone of Nobel Peace Prize recognition. Deploring war. Championing peace. With no revanchist ambitions. Their records speak for themselves. Polar opposite Washington's. Including during Kissinger's time. Since Ukrainian crisis conditions erupted last year, Putin, Lavrov and other Russian officials worked tirelessly to resolve things responsibly. Favoring an independent Ukraine. Aligned neither East or West. Cooperating with all countries. Kissinger called "resumption of the Cold War…a historic tragedy." It's raging. Throughout Putin's tenure. Escalating. Bordering on turning hot. Exacerbated by illegal sanctions. Kissinger expressed support. With reservations. About targeting individuals. Not what matters most. US/EU sanctions on Russia or other nations violate international law. Security Council members alone can impose them. Not individual countries. For any reasons they wish. Legitimate or otherwise. America a serial offender. More than ever now. Sanctions violate WTO principles and General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT) provisions. International law is inviolable. Violators show criminal contempt. Notably America. Kissinger didn't explain. Or about Obama's full responsibility for Ukrainian crisis conditions. Ousting a democratically elected government. Installing fascist putschists. With no legitimacy whatever. Tolerating no opposition. Ruling by intimidation. Eliminating fundamental freedoms. Waging naked aggression internally. Dirty war. Without mercy. Committing horrendous human rights abuses nationwide. Solidifying hardline rule. Fascists operate this way. With full support and encouragement from Washington. Kissinger ignored what's most important. Criticizing failed US policy. Ignoring his own horrendous record. Saying "the United States cannot dictate, and the US should not dictate. It would be a mistake to think it could." Mistake or otherwise, US bullying is longstanding policy. Notably during Kissinger's time in Washington. Over-the-top. Lawless and then some. Kissinger one of many unindicted US war criminals. One of its worst. Involved in some of America's worst crimes. Justifying the unjustifiable. Ludicrously claiming Americans supported all post-WW II wars. Calling Obama's war on Syria a "multiethnic conflict." A "sort of rebellion against the government." Ignoring Washington full responsibility. Recruiting, arming, funding, training and directing death squads. Imported from other countries. Sending them cross-border. Wanting Assad toppled. Replaced by a convenient US stooge. Saying ousting and killing Gaddafi "was morally justified." Ignoring his overwhelming popularity. Around 90% of Libyans during the height of conflict. Breaching fundamental international law. Clear and unequivocal. No nation may interfere in the internal affairs of others. For any reason. Except self-defense if attacked. Or if evidence shows an imminent one. Then only until Security Council members act. They have final say. No others. Not presidents, Congress or courts. Not despots or democrats. Not with good intentions or otherwise. Asked if he regretted his aggressive Vietnam War policy, Kissinger said "(y)ou'd love me to say that." Then tried justifying the unjustifiable. In 1968, Nixon campaigned on a secret plan to end Southeast Asian fighting. At the same time saying he had "no gimmicks or secret plans." Strategy was Vietnamization. Letting South Vietnamese do America's killing for it. Like Obama's war on Libya, Syria and Iraq. During his Washington years, Kissinger was part eminence grise/eminence noir. Manipulating events for his own self-interest. In his book titled "The Price of Power," Seymour Hersh said: "It is certain that the Nixon campaign, alerted by Kissinger to the impending success of the peace talks, was able to get a series of messages to the Thieu government (in Saigon) making it clear that a Nixon presidency would have different views on the peace negotiations." Sabotaging talks at the time. Prolonging war. Thieu boycotted Paris peace talks. Nixon defeated Humphrey. Kissinger became Nixon's National Security Advisor. Then Secretary of State. To this day an influential figure. Unapologetic for horrendous crimes against peace. Benefitting hugely over the corpses of millions. Unwilling to atone. Even late in life. Once a war criminal. Always one. Stephen Lendman lives in Chicago. He can be reached at lendmanstephen@sbcglobal.net. His new book as editor and contributor is titled "Flashpoint in Ukraine: US Drive for Hegemony Risks WW III." http://www.claritypress.com/LendmanIII.html Visit his blog site at sjlendman.blogspot.com. Listen to cutting-edge discussions with distinguished guests on the Progressive Radio News Hour on the Progressive Radio Network. It airs three times weekly: live on Sundays at 1PM Central time plus two prerecorded archived programs. |
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