Dissident Voice

June 27, 2003

So, Iraq is conquered, occupied, pacified, liberated, not to mention thrown into lawless destruction, and the dangerous and evil leadership under former good friend Saddam Hussein is ousted, though the top guys are still, like Bin Laden, at large. Only something like a hundred thousand troops are presently needed to keep the country under something that the optimists consider to be "control" even if the truth is that the only things under control are the Iraqi oil wells. Some American soldiers die every week in their quest to win "hearts and minds" of the occupied people and as the resistance gets more and more organized we can expect that number to raise. To stay in control perhaps the occupiers in the end will need a few hundred thousand troops. No problem, unquestioning and ignorant soldiers trained to kill are still in good supply in the "fatherland of corrupt leaders". As long as American parents accept the cheapening lie for their sons' and daughters' demise in the flower of their youth, that he or she died for "America, Freedom and Democracy," there will be no shortage of willing occupiers. Body bags are cheap and hypocritical phrases cheaper. And after all Iraq only has a population of some 20 million to control!

Now we wait with bated breath who will be the next victim on the Bush/Rumsfeld/Powell/Wolfowitz list of targets. The standard phrases "they are pursuing WMD, have connection to terrorists, are a threat to us" have lately been uttered about Iran, North Korea, Syria, Saudi Arabia, Sudan, Libya, Lebanon, Yemen and, if we listen carefully, France! If Mr. Bush is allowed to stay in power after the next presidential election, which should be doable with the support of the giant PR-machines working to keep the population brainwashed and paranoid, we can expect Iran -- remember they have OIL -- to be attacked in the beginning of the next presidential term. Mind you, it is not impossible that the White House madmen might get it into their heads that it's preferable to do it earlier so as to whip up more patriotic fervour come election time. Whatever the case Iran will be a new pushover. To begin with!

Iran may be a democracy and the leader may have the support of 70% of the population in free and fair elections, but that doesn't make up for a ridiculously insignificant military machine in comparison with the one under the command of the world's most rogue state, the US. However, since the oil, not to mention imagined WMD and terrorists, are either on the ground or under it, the occupying American forces, after the preliminary "shock and awe" treatment from safe distances, need to be a bit more numerous than those in Iraq. After all the population as well as the country is three times bigger and likely to be much more hostile to tries to win hearts and minds after experiencing earlier American puppets like the Shah. Let's say 300,000 American soldiers are needed to control the oil wells and defend themselves and any future puppet regime installed by the occupier. So far 400,000 will rule Iran and Iraq. Or perhaps soon 600,000 when the resistance is stepped up. No problem there's plenty where those 600,000 came from. And the costs can easily be covered with funds diverted from such unnecessary tasks as education, health care and social security.

But now we are slowly getting into some complications. Suppose Saudi Arabia needs to be occupied too. They might be the US' Mideast puppets, but are not completely housetrained. Not like doormat Tony Blair. So, bomb away again and then send in 100,000 of those trigger happy and nervous 19 year old heroes and a few old generals. And what about Syria? Don't they need some occupying and liberation too? OK, send in another 100,000 after the bombs have stopped falling. When we add North Korea, Sudan, Libya and Lebanon to the list we are getting into some difficulties. Unless the Pentagon can manage to dream up completely new and more efficient forms of population control, the number of American soldiers having to serve abroad for an indefinite time as occupiers will very soon exceed the one million mark. Since we can expect the number of people who resent being occupied to raise sharply (Al Qaeda operatives will have to stand in line with all the new volunteers in the "hit-America-where it-hurts"-brigades), we have to foresee an increase in terrorist activities in the American homeland. Which will of course demand increased spying personnel, strengthened security measures and some of those nice new patriotic laws that allow the security agents to do absolutely anything they fancy and lock up every "suspect" who doesn't voluntarily shout HEIL BUSH and stand at attention in front of every American flag. One John "Alert Orange" Ashcroft will be five to few to fill the demand for scary TV appearances!

Can it really come to this, you may ask? Will my shopping be impeded by soldiers parading on the way to the next war? Will my favorite moronic TV show or reality-soap be squeezed out by the daily "occupation-news" telling which occupying American soldiers were killed today in which country? Will I be denied the latest stock market or Dow Jones updates 72 times a day because the only businesses that does any business will be the arms manufacturers? Or the most interesting question of them all: Will the administration be able to brainwash me and other Americans into supporting the new wars in the lunatic belief (ours or theirs) that they are for the sake of freedom, democracy and American security? That we better enjoy them because it's the American Way?

A good guess is: why not? A president and an administration, who not only manage to come to power against the wish of a majority of the people, but can in spite of that manage to gather a majority support for an illegal war based on lies and deception, can expect to rule either forever or until that majority comes to its senses, whichever comes first!

On the other hand, miracles have been known to happen! Perhaps the better alternative to eternal wars could be no wars and the American people could be led by some clever angels through the labyrinths of logical thinking and come out in the sunshine on the other side where the young don't willingly give their lives for corporate agendas or sick power ambitions and instead of getting shot at in the name of oil are greeted as friends and equals.

But who believes in angels these days?

Jerre Skog is a Swedish writer, musician and independent observer living in Germany. His writings, politics and satire, can be found on www.skog.de and comments are welcome at jerre@skog.de