Monday, June 23, 2008

"International" Inspections: A Tool of the Powerful

Inspectors from the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) arrived in Damascus on Sunday to begin inspection of a site attacked by "Israel" last September, which the US has claimed was a nearly completed plutonium-producing reactor. The United States has been demanding that these inspectors be given widespread access throughout Syria in order to determine whether Syria truly has a secret nuclear program. Up until now, the Syrian government has refused to grant the IAEA inspectors access anywhere but the previously bombed site. The underlying issue here is the hypocrisy of the so-called "international community" and the dubious role these international agencies play.

The mere fact that any potential Syrian nuclear program is criminalized is in and of itself clear evidence of the disingenuousness and utter animosity of the United States and its cohorts in the so-called "international community." We are told that because Syria is a signatory to the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT), it must expose any nuclear program it carries out to the IAEA, in accordance with the agreement. "Israel" on the other hand is not subject to such an inspections regime because it never signed the NPT. What is left out of this contention is that the US pressures and threatens countries of the Arab world to force them to sign the NPT while leaving "Israel" to its own accord and even directly aiding it in building its own nuclear weapons arsenal.

Furthermore, the excuse of preventing the spread of nuclear weapons and other weapons of mass destruction is consistently used to attack our nation and subject it to sanctions and concealed espionage. When the US "suspects" any site within Syria to house a nuclear weapons program, Syria is expected to immediately open up said site to inspectors or face possible punitive measures. This is a convenient way of gaining access to sensitive Syrian military information by US spies disguised as international inspectors. The humiliating, farcical inspections regime imposed on Iraq since 1991 provided clear evidence of "international" agencies being used by the US for purposes of espionage, as was admitted to by some of those inspectors themselves.

In essence, "international law" has been historically used as a tool by powerful countries to control and subjugate weaker nations. There is no independent international institute or agency that can objectively and impartially police the entire world. Rather, powerful nations of the world will use "international" institutes to further their own objectives, because no force can subject them to any norms of justice when they commit crimes and violate written international law. The United States has just recently committed one of the greatest crimes in modern history and its destruction of Iraq and deliberate killing of over 2 million Iraqis through sanctions and war. Yet, no independent institution or body exists that can bring US leaders to justice for such crimes. Likewise, because it is protected by the US, "Israel" can go on occupying land, killing civilians, using weapons of mass destruction, and thumbing its nose at any and all international law without any consequence. While Israel has violated over 30 UN Resolutions freely, Iraq was devastated and had its entire social fabric torn to shreds in the excuse of enforcing UN resolutions which Iraq had actually enforced.

The United States even went as far as lying and fabricating evidence in front of the entire world to justify its vicious attack against a sovereign country. Yet, not a single "international" voice was raised at least admonishing this behavior. The US was left to lie, deceive, destroy and kill without anyone being able to hold their government responsible for its actions.

The bottom line is that strength is the determining factor in the affirmation or denial of national rights. A nation can only further its interests through power. The idea that an international body can make sure that all rights of peoples are protected and that peace between nations is preserved has proven to be completely bogus. Nations who wish to protect and preserve their rights must strengthen themselves in order to be able to face external threats posed by powerful nations wishing to impose their own interests on them.

3 comments:

Anonymous said...

This is true--I have never been so cautious in my life regarding these international institutes/inspections, until I read the chapter in Prem Shankar Jha's "Twilight of the Nation State" laying out the 10 year build up to the second invasion of Iraq, and how the weapons inspection regime was exploited time and time again by the the Clinton administration in order to further impose sanctions on the Iraqis, and later by Bush to declare war. Given too the idiocy and complicity of the American media, which let's face it because of the power of its government more or less sets the effective tone of discussions world-wide, the entire process can be easily distorted and manipulated to give the impression of one side refusing to comply and thus justifying further extreme measures. I hope that Syrian sovereignty is not compromised in this regard and that a precedent for international investigations is not set--this will open the door to ugly horrors, and the whims of the US president to decide when to raise the pressure. I hope too that there is an active media campaign to counter-act the lies and distortions that we can count on any US administration to push regarding Syria.

Anonymous said...

This is not the first time Israel hits Syria's main land and strategic positions. If Syria considers Israel as an enemy why then isn't it responding militarily? The Baath have this cunning political approach which shows they are ready to bow or curve just to avoid confrontation but till when? now they have the IAEA spying on them? Why aren't the syrians adapting Hizballah approach?

Nour said...

That is exactly right Yaman. The US was not really interested in WMD's in Iraq nor is it interested in nuclear weapons in Syria. These are mere pretexts used to target our people. Unfortunately, the entire world either watches idly by as they destroy our countries one by one, or they actively participate in such destruction. We have no choice but to strengthen ourselves so that we may take on this existential threat.