There are many reasons why it is not unreasonable to conclude that the world is heading towards a cavernous abyss in which the dominant power, the United States, is formulating and applying policies that are clearly fascistic especially in regard to the Middle East. The parallels between these policies and fascism can be seen in the following ways:
· The use of overwhelming, brutal and destructive force to achieve purely political ends. This can be clearly seen in many examples but especially in Iraq.
· The use of collective punishment to suppress and extinguish any attempt to oppose its will towards domination. We can clearly see an example of this in Lebanon. Although the Israelis are launching the missiles, dropping the ordnance and destroying the infrastructure of a nation wholly incapable of defending itself against such an onslaught, it is obvious that the United States is operating in conjunction with this effort. This is evident in its flagrant attempt to delay any implementation of a cease fire so that the Israelis might have the necessary time to achieve their military objectives in spite of the immeasurable cost to the Lebanese population. It also can not be forgotten that the United States is supplying the military hardware to the Israelis to implement this cowardly and destructive approach. The American and Israeli governments represent the greatest threat to world security as can be witnessed by their utter disregard for the lives of those who represent an obstacle to their collective political agenda: to enforce a kind of “stability” in the region that conforms to their particular requirements.
· The unmistakable influence of corporate interests in the formulation of public policy. The interests of corporate power take precedence over the public good. This has been demonstrated repeatedly in this American regime, especially in regard to issues of environmental safety and basic public health.
· The use of fear to control the population and distract the citizenry from those issues that are central to their general well-being such as the state of health care, the environment, wages and the health of the general economy as reflected in the staggering national debt. To fuel this fear, it is essential to create enemies both abroad and domestically. These enemies range from the amorphous and pliable image of the terrorist to minority populations such as gays, immigrants and all those who dare to oppose State power.
· The use of the “Big Lie” to disseminate propaganda designed to suppress political opposition. The most grievous example of this is the reasons given for the illegal and unilateral aggression against the sovereignty of Iraq.
· The need for order exceeds all others. Invariably the leadership in a fascist society understands that they are in fact a precarious minority and that they must impose order so that they can remain in power.
I will now like to use the words of our glorious Secretary of State, Condoleezza Rice, to demonstrate this will towards fascism. The following quote is an excellent example of the “Big Lie.”
“We are working tirelessly to help ease the plight of all innocent people who are suffering from violence: Lebanese, Israeli and Palestinian. I was pleased to hear that the Israeli Government has responded positively to the proposal of the United States and other countries to open humanitarian corridors into Lebanon which will allow the international community to deliver much needed assistance to the Lebanese people.”
This statement was made even as the killing is going on. It is obvious that the United States, working with Israel, made a decision to thwart any chance of a cease fire, which, of course, if implemented would have prevented the extreme loss of life and immeasurable damage to Lebanon’s infrastructure. She goes on to say,
“At next week's meeting of the Core Group and in the weeks that follow, we will continue working with our partners to provide immediate humanitarian relief to the people of Lebanon that will be a focus of our efforts and the United States plans to contribute direct humanitarian assistance to Lebanon. We do seek an end to the current violence and we seek it urgently. More than that, we also seek to address the root causes of that violence so that a real and endurable peace can be established.”
This is a preposterous statement that flies in the face of the real situation. The United States government was not adverse to allowing the killing and destruction to proceed provided that it led to the appropriate outcome: the destruction of those who would oppose Israel’s dominance in the region.
The following statement demonstrates the arrogance of power and the ominous suggestion that through both political will and the unflinching use of military power, an entire region can be shaped to meet American/Israeli requirements.
“What we're seeing here, in a sense, is the growing -- the birth pangs of a new Middle East and whatever we do we have to be certain that we're pushing forward to the new Middle East not going back to the old one.”
Needless to say that the on going reality in the region is Israel’s overt plan to annex the West Bank territories that include Israeli settlements (a strategy that already has the approval of the Bush administration) and, therefore, unilaterally redraw its borders. This country, that is presumably to represent a beacon of democracy in this supposed new Middle East, has perpetrated crimes against humanity of the most outrageous kinds. In addition to illegally acquiring land, it also is intensely interested in water, an essential commodity in the region and has controlled water supplies in the West Bank and Gaza Strip since 1967. Through Israel’s unflinching use of raw military power to control its neighbors, it has in fact maintained a ghetto in the West Bank and Gaza and has managed to spread that humanitarian crisis into Lebanon.
We need to awaken to the reality of this world view that is essentially inimical to peace and unafraid to use whatever destructive means that is within its grasp to coerce the world to accede to its desires. It is a pathology of the most fearful kind. We need to awaken before it is too late.
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