by Patrick Lang (bio below)
I have been careful not to say that anyone ever lied about any of this Iraq business in the Bush Administration or nearby in the “Bushes” (as the Rev would say). I have done so because I do not KNOW that they did, and because I think that a massively delusive disconnect from reality is the more likely explanation for their statements.
Politically, some of these statements are interesting, as are the boringly easy way that they are “taken up” by the press and repeated over and over ad nauseum. Perhaps you remember the “mantra” before the January election. “Iraq’s first ever democratic election.” was the “drift.” Interesting statement this, because Iraqis voted in parliamentary elections for the Ottoman Parliament in Istanbul when they were part of the empire and then voted for 35 years more or less for parliamentary representatives under the Hashemite Constitution from the twenties to the late fifties. the press finally “tumbled” to the truth in this matter and began saying that it was the first democratic election “in 35 years,” but it took a while. Was all this a deliberate falsehood? I don’t know and so will not say so, besides, as I said before, self delusion and group-think are satisfactory explanations.
Now we have administration spokespersons like Dr. Rice making peripatetic appearances on the Sunday Newsies to tell us that the government produced by these last elections will be the only constitutional and democratic government in the Arab World.
Really?
If that is so, then why were we so thrilled with the prospects of elections in Iran a while back? Why did Rice and K. Hughes spend so much time in Egypt seeking to influence the process there in the recent election? If the process was seen to be utterly corrupt and without merit as an exercise in Democracy then why did we lend credence to it by participating in the grand “dog and pony show” which preceded the election. What’s the deal? It seems that we only complain of election processes when the results are not what “we” want.
We claim to have friends among the governments and politicians of the Middle East. We went to a lot of trouble to advance the cause advocated by Saad Hariri in Lebanon in their last parliamentary election. We also seem to be fairly happy with the result. Do we not believe that the election was constitutional and democratic and that the government that resulted was legitimate. If we do not, then we are sponsors of an undemocratic government.
What about Jordan. King Abdullah’s little country has a parliament. It has two houses and at times in the past members have been elected who did not please the king in their politics. When will we begin to harass the Hashemite Kingdom with accusations of tyranny and illegitimacy? Never, I hope.
Hypocrisy? You bet.
Col. Patrick W. Lang (Ret.), a highly decorated retired senior officer of U.S. Military Intelligence and U.S. Army Special Forces, served as “Defense Intelligence Officer for the Middle East, South Asia and Terrorism” for the Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA) and was later the first Director of the Defense Humint Service. Col. Lang was the first Professor of the Arabic Language at the United States Military Academy at West Point. For his service in the DIA, he was awarded the “Presidential Rank of Distinguished Executive.” He is a frequent commentator on television and radio, including MSNBC’s Countdown with Keith Olbermann (interview), CNN and Wolf Blitzer’s Situation Room (interview), PBS’s Newshour, NPR’s “All Things Considered,” (interview), and more .
Personal Blog: Sic Semper Tyrannis 2005 || Bio || CV
Recommended Books || More BooTrib Posts
Novel: The Butcher’s Cleaver (download free by chapter, PDF format)
“Drinking the Kool-Aid,” Middle East Policy Council Journal, Vol. XI, Summer 2004, No. 2
God I hate the Pottery Barn analogy, but I fear that in this case it is not only apt, but quite intentional.
Take this administration at their word on this – they are out to bring Democracy™ to the region. We’ve seen enough of their contempt for democracy in this country to understand their definition. A global ownership society, an entire world of eager, easily manipulated and eventually apathetic consumers.
technically, they can ignore the Persians in Iran and say they are not part of the Arab world. Of course, as out current in experience in Iraq teaches us, Iran may not be an Arab country but it has a big role in the Arab world.
Turkey also has a role.
As for Jordan, I wonder what a truly constitutional monarchy in Jordan would look like. I assume it would be a lot less friendly with Israel. Is that acceptable? How about in Egypt?
I think we should be patient, but we should be encouraging more representative government in the Arab world, even if we don’t love the first fruits.
One of the main reasons that representative governments there would not be friendly to us is that we have spent so much time preventing any threats to the Sauds, the Hashemites, and Mubarak.
If we had been fighting for their rights like we fought for the rights of Eastern Europe, we would be in a much better situation.
Have things gotten so bad that we have to keep going down this track to prevent blowback? Didn’t 9/11 show us the futility of that approach?
If US would like to encourage democracy (in the accepted sense, not its current practical use of the word) anywhere in the world, two terrific first steps would be 1) Cease aggression and disarm, and 2) Work toward establishing a legitimate and representative government in the US itself.
Both worthy aims. How to get there, now that’s the tricky part.
Thanks for bringing our relationship with Jordan to the fore. Jordan has been our friend in the straight-talking way. They’ve always been clear about their objections and agreements with us over the years.
Their royal family could have been of the old model, yet Hussein (R.I.P.) refused that tyrannical model and introduced a democracy in which there is social mobility. As a result the royal family retains large influence and Jordan has accomodations among its Bedouin and Palestinian population and the possibility of dissolution into parts is largely rejected by its populace. Most people can understand that the small country is caught between a rock, a hard place, and the deep blue sea, being between Iraq and Israel and Saudi Arabia. It survives and appears destined to survive with a kind of democracy which isn’t exactly American.
Bushco isn’t likely to even understand the subtlety of the Jordanian state, nor its internal balances. If Jordan goes in a direction Bushco doesn’t want, or has policies Busco doesn’t like we may well hear of its “tyranny.”
The madness of the trumpeting of “Democracy” enforced with an iron fist of an outside force for an agenda not of the inhabitants is truly illogical, it is part of the whole “spin” mentality of those who’s only rule in life is to constantly politically campaign for US consumption.
There are no “States(wo)men” in this administration.
(taxpayer dollars, that is) to provide an increasing number of Dyncorp operatives to protect its favored client state status and keep an iron crackdown on a population, about 2/3 of which are Palestinians, who are not as enthusiastic about US policies as Abdullah the Hashemite, whose collaboration and complicity with whatever US wishes to do or tell him to do make him a serious candidate for most.docile.dollaho.ever.
there was a poll back in 2003 that showed about 3% of Jordanians had a positive opinion of America.
I think Morocco was worse.
I’m sure these Kings would be slaughtered tomorrow if not for their American trained praetorian guards.
But Abdullah’s wife? They might let her live.
3%? Cripes, that’s within the margin of error for a zero positive opinion of the US. Seems to go without saying that the victims and potential victims of empires are usually not particularly thrilled (we’ll call that my entry for “understatement of the century”).
What alternatives do you offer in the present time? It’s all business plan and conspiracy? How about letting them find their own way?
without US interference. US has plenty of own way to find for itself, right there at home.
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Historical highlights ::
Father and son
“Treason doth never prosper: what’s the reason?
For if it prosper, none dare call it treason.”
▼ ▼ ▼ MY DIARY
Thanks again for your service and sharing your experience here for better understanding.
This would be off-topic so I don’t expect any answer in this diary but could you possibly shed some light on the use of distinguishing legitimate propaganda from disinformation in discussing these topics?
I don’t want to ever inadvertantly cause harm in these discussion forums by bringing in information I come by honestly and have no way of knowing it’s true intention. If I naturally question all deception, won’t some of it eventually be a type that’s planted for ‘positive perception management’?
Thanks.
Rumi
A good point and I am not sure of the answer. If the propaganda were directed and somehow limited to the insurgents and their supporters, then the answer would be easy, but it is so difficult to keep it from contaminating what we are trying to do in Iraq and from being fed to Americans that on balance, I would not do anything involving the press. Pat
Thanks for the help and the reply. I’m sure I’m not the only one who wonders about that.
I can sift through the MSM and insurgency – ground conditions without too much trouble. It’s the situations that never get much press that are public but obscure.
I go with a 10 for 1 ratio of not mentioning 10 for every one I do. It would be easier if there were uniforms.
Another question or two if and when it’s convenient for you.
It appears a major upheaval of some intelligence agencies is unavoidable in the near future. That may or not be true but most signs indicate it’s possible. Without putting you on the spot, would that be a good thing, you think? Also, is it possible to regain control of the PMC sector, globally, of that industry?
Hey not to undermine your point because you are dead right overall. But a minor nit. Iran is not part of the Arabic world, of the Muslim world yes, but it is Persian culture not Arabic. So listing Iran as a counter example to the Arabic world claim isn’t quite as effective.
Here in the US we tend to think of Arabic and Muslim as interchangeable but it simply ain’t so.
Iran’s Persian identity is key to it’s view of itself and it’s conflict with Iraq and the Arabic world – which tends to get lost in US talk of the region.
Michael,
I realized this and went back and changed it on my site but it was already here.
It is true that Persians are somewhat different but nevertheless the Bush expectations were the same. Pat