In These New Times

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Click on above link to see video.

Christopher King links the Anglo-American financial crisis to the same lack of morality that underlies US-UK-NATO murder in Iraq and Afghanistan. He calls on Europe to “reject the aggressive economic and foreign relations models” and the “fraudulent financial practices that have arisen from the failing social experiment” that is the USA.

The public of the United States and United Kingdom now realize that there is something wrong going on, now that they face imminent threats to their savings, housing and jobs. Nevertheless, the collapse of the housing markets and our financial systems are merely symptoms. Certainly there are greedy business executives who have access to other people’s money and incompetent government, but these are not fundamental. The underlying reason is loss of morality. 

Morality is not merely a set of rules governing behaviour. It is motivation, a state of mind. You might be aware that many serious criminals are apprehended by the police as a result of trivial offences such as traffic violations. This is because someone who is willing to commit major offences thinks nothing of minor ones. 

The issue has been clearly before our eyes for the last seven years since 11 September 2001, which is the period in which the US and UK both led the way into the invasions of Afghanistan and Iraq. Simultaneously they also laid the foundations for world financial collapse by both their invasions and financial practices. These arise from the same amoral state of mind.

We all know the connection instinctively. Assume that we know a politician who runs a bank and we also know that he takes bribes. Do we entrust him with our money? Very doubtful. We find out that he commits theft and fraud – no chance of leaving our cash with him. Then it’s reported that he commits murder, pays others to murder and steal for him and tortures people he doesn’t like. Will he run his bank honestly? Of course not. We want him in prison as soon as possible.

So why is the UK the best friend to the US? Why is it a collaborator in the US’s criminal behaviour? Why is the European Union following the US’s political lead? Are crimes committed by governments less reprehensible than those committed by individuals?

Do we really think that a government that murders on a mass scale, has legalized torture and breaks every principle on which it hung the Nazis, will be diligent in managing its economic system? Will it see anything wrong with selling enormous sums of worthless securities to the rest of the world, printing and borrowing money on demand to support its economy and wars? Will it care about destabilizing the oil markets, creating economic havoc and inflicting hunger on the poorest people on the planet? It will not. 

The deaths of half a million children and a million adults are so great as to be meaningless, so let’s consider a single case. In the video on the right a motor-cycle rider is blasted to shreds by a US drone. Who was this man really? What exactly was his crime and what was the evidence? Was the drone operator certain that he was a terrorist? Perhaps he was an Iraqi or Afghan who had lost friends and family to the invaders of his country and so he fought them. If so, was he really a terrorist, even if he fought the US/NATO occupation? 

This was a murder. I believe that this man was killed merely on suspicion and on no evidence whatever. That is murder. I do not believe that the drone operator who killed him knew anything of fact about him. The operator was following orders and we know what was said about that at the Nuremburg trials. You will see on the side of the drone in this case that there are 26 bombs painted on its side, that is, 26 attacks. Twenty-six murders like this and this. This is not “collateral damage” as the sanitized jargon of the NATO occupation would have it. It is murder and UK soldiers are being trained to carry it out in Arizona while EU soldiers collaborate in it.

We might ask whether one of these murderous attacks was the one that killed about 90 persons last August. These attacks on civilian groups aren’t isolated incidents. There are so many that they are evidence that the US and NATO bomb groups of people on no intelligence or information whatever. They are evidence that NATO, now under US command, is carrying out a war of terror on the Afghan population. Why is the EU colluding with the US in its crimes, of which this is merely one example? Every one of those 1.5 million dead has an identity and a story – and has been murdered. What sort of people will do this? Do you trust them with your money and welfare? With your life? Well, that’s what you’re doing.

The US is now regularly bombing Pakistan and in complete disregard of the same international laws that it hysterically accused Russia of violating merely weeks ago. Of course the invasions of Afghanistan and Iraq are themselves illegal.

Condoleezza Rice has the effrontery to continue the US vilification of Russia despite European media reports, where they report fact, not conflicting with the Russian version of events andeyewitness accounts.

It should be clearly evident from the facts before our eyes that if Europe wishes future peace and prosperity it should reject the aggressive economic and foreign relations models along with the fraudulent financial practices that have arisen from the failing social experiment that is the United States. Europe should develop its own models based on its long-standing and diverse cultures that include Russia. This means further development of the highly successful European Union. It is vital to restart the partnership discussions with Russia that the US succeeded in disrupting by its provocation over South Ossetia. Condoleezza Rice’s and theUS’s vested interests in demonizing Russia are obvious.

NATO is completely defunct in terms of European security. It always has been, although Europe was never recognized as merely the US’s buffer against attack by the Soviet Union. It now offers only trouble within Europe and involvement in the US’s criminal aggression. Europe needs to review its participation in this dangerous, criminal collaboration or leave it completely. Not only does it not need the United States economically, but continued military collaboration with it is dangerous to European interests.

Christopher King is a retired consultant and lecturer in management and marketing. He lives in London, UK.