"Eritrea, dubbed as the 'African Cuba', may be a proud and determined
nation, but it was designated as total pariah and outcast state by most of
the Western powers. It was hit by sanctions and punished for who knows
what. "We are trying to be inclusive, democratic and fair", the Eritrean
Director of Education recently told me, in Kenya. "But the more we do, the
more we care about our people, the more infuriated Western countries appear
to be."
http://www.dailynews.lk/features/how-west-manufactures-opposition-movements
How the West manufactures 'Opposition Movements'
Tuesday, March 11, 2014 (All day)
complete with self-deprecation and a constant feeling of guilt; it is
ordering true and 'sincere' servility.
It appears that almost no country, no well-liked government can escape
annihilation, if it does not fully submit.
It went so far that unless the government in a developing countries such as
Philippines, Indonesia, Uganda or Rwanda, sends a clear message to
Washington, London or Paris that "we are here simply to make you, in the
West, happy", it would risk total annihilation, even if it was elected
democratically, even if (and actually 'especially if') it is supported by
the majority of the people.
All this is nothing new, of course. But in the past, things were done a
little bit more covertly. These days it is all out in the open. Maybe it is
done on purpose, so nobody will dare to rebel, or even to dream.
And so, the revolution in Egypt has been derailed, destroyed, and cruelly
choked to death. There is really nothing left of the so-called 'Arab
Spring', just a clear warning: "never try again, or else".
Yes, I saw the 'elites' of Egypt dancing, and celebrating their victory.
The elites love the army. The Army guarantees their continuous place at the
zenith, their power. The elites even make their little children hold
portraits of the military leaders responsible for the coup, responsible for
thousands of lost lives, responsible for breaking the great hopes and
dreams of the Arab world.
What I witnessed in Egypt was chilling, and it resembled the 1973 coup in
Chile (a country which I consider my 'second or third home'); the coup,
which I am not old enough to remember, but footage of which I have seen
again and again, in silent and never diminishing horror.
'Or else' could be the torture and murder of people in Bahrain. 'Or else'
could be Indonesia in 1965/66. Or it could be the 'collapse of the Soviet
Union'. 'Or else' could be civilian airliners exploding mid-flight; a Cuban
plane was destroyed by CIA agents. It could be ravaged Iraq, Libya,
Afghanistan, or Vietnam, Cambodia and Laos, bombed into the stone ages. 'Or
else' can easily be some fully devastated country like Nicaragua, Grenada,
Panama or the Dominican Republic. Or 'or else' could mean ten million
people butchered in the Democratic Republic of Congo, for both its natural
resources and for the anti-imperialist outspokenness of its great leader,
Patrice Lumumba.
Now in Egypt, Mubarak's clique is rapidly coming back to power. He was a
well-trusted 'devil', and the West quickly realized that to let him fall
would be a serious strategic blunder; and so it was decided to bring him
back; either personally, or at least his legacy, at the coast of thousands
of (insignificant) Egyptian lives, and against the will of almost the
entire nation.
The military of Egypt, of course, cannot be allowed to fall, either. The US
has invested billions and billions of dollars in it, and the soldiers are
now literally in control of half of the country. And it is a very reliable
organization: it murders without scruple any being attempting to build a
socially just society in this the most populous Arab nation on earth. And
it plays with Israel. And it loves capitalism.
Two countries are separated by thousands of miles, and belong to two
different cultures, located on two continents; Thailand and Egypt. In both
countries, people spoke. They voted in their leaders. Not some Communist
government, mind you: just a moderately socially-oriented one in Thailand,
and a moderately nationalist/Islamic one in Egypt.
In both cases, the feudal and fascist elites went to work, immediately.
Those that are behind them, that are financing them, and 'morally'
supporting them, is, I believe, absolutely clear.
***
Ukraine is not a fresh victim of destabilization tactics of the European
Union, which is so sickly greedy that it appears it, cannot contain itself
anymore. It salivates, intensively, imagining the huge natural resources
that Ukraine possesses. It is shaking with desire dreaming of a cheap and
highly educated labor force.
European companies want to get into Ukraine, by all means. But one has to
be careful not to allow the Ukrainian hordes to enter that sacred and
thoroughly racist fortress - the European Union. Europe can plunder all
over the world, but it is strict and brutal to those who want to get in and
'steal its jobs'.
Of course the EU cannot do in Ukraine, what it freely does in many places
like the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). It cannot just come and pay
some proxy countries, as it pays Rwanda and Uganda (that are already
responsible for the loss of over ten million Congolese lives in less than 2
decades), to plunder Ukraine and kill almost all those people that are
resisting.
Europe, again and again, for centuries, has proven that it is capable of
massacring entire nations without the slightest mercy, (while showing
almost zero historic memory) and with almost no moral principles, at least
compared to the rest of the world. But it is canny, and unlike the United
States, it knows plenty about tactics, strategy and PR.
What the EU did in Libya is clear. Anyone claiming that the United States
is acting on its own, must be exercising enormous discipline not to see how
closely linked are the interests and actions of the old and new usurpers of
Africa, Asia, Latin America, Middle East, Asia and Oceania. France is
acting, once again, as the arch neo-colonial thug, particularly in Africa.
But Ukraine is 'right there', too near geographically, to the EU itself. It
has to be destabilized, but it all has to appear very legitimate. 'The
rebellion', 'revolution', 'uprising of its people'; that is the way to
handle things 'properly'.
More than a month ago, a bizarre deal was proposed, where European
companies would be allowed to enter and clean Ukraine of its natural
resources, but the people of Ukraine would not be allowed to even come and
work in the EU.
The government, logically and sensibly, rejected the deal. And then,
suddenly, Thai-style or Egyptian-style thugs appeared all over the streets
of Kiev, armed with sticks and even weapons, and went onto trashing the
capital and demanding the democratically elected government to resign.
The groups of thugs include many neo-Nazis, anti-Semites and common
criminals. They are emboldened by the Thai-style fear of the Ukrainian
government, to use force. They are setting on fire police officers,
blocking and occupying government buildings, preventing the administration
from serving the people.
Just as their 'orange' predecessors, they have been manufactured and
carefully crafted, before being released into the wider world.
***
In Africa, just to mention a few cases, tiny Seychelles, a country with the
highest HDI (Human Development Index by UNDP) has for years been bombarded
with criticism and destabilization attempts. The Government provides
excellent totally free (including medicine) medical care and free
education. The people of Seychelles are well fed and housed. It is
definitely not a perfect society, but, together with Mauritius, it is the
best the African continent has to show. But that does not seem to be
relevant.
Propaganda from outside, as well as the mainly British-sponsored opposition
press, is trashing the system.
One wonders why, but then, on closer scrutiny and understanding of the
Empire, things become clear: The Seychelles used to cooperate closely with
both Cuba and North Korea, on educational fronts and in other fields. It
was too 'socialist' for the Empire. And for those retirees seeking an
exclusive hedonist lifestyle, it would be acceptable to be surrounded by
blue and maybe even by brown, but definitely not by red.
Eritrea, dubbed as the 'African Cuba', may be a proud and determined
nation, but it was designated as total pariah and outcast state by most of
the Western powers. It was hit by sanctions and punished for who knows what.
"We are trying to be inclusive, democratic and fair", the Eritrean Director
of Education recently told me, in Kenya. "But the more we do, the more we
care about our people, the more infuriated Western countries appear to be."
He was a very wise man and so he did not appear to be surprised. Both of us
were just 'comparing notes'.
Zimbabwe is another clear and extreme case. There, the West evidently and
openly supports 'the opposition', against the government that is loved and
supported by the great majority of citizens; the government of liberation
struggle against colonialism and imperialism.
Provoked by outrageous lies disseminated by the mainly British mass media,
I visited Zimbabwe last year, disputing point-by-point all the main
propaganda points directed against Harare. Needless to say, my report,
published by CounterPunch, created outrage against Western propaganda, all
over the African continent.
The West builds and feeds 'rebellions' and 'opposition' against Venezuela,
Bolivia, Cuba, Brazil, and Ecuador, to mention just a few countries high on
its hit list.
In Venezuela, the US sponsored an aborted coup, and it directly pays for
hundreds of organizations, 'NGO's' and media outlets, with the direct goal
of overthrowing the revolutionary process and the government.
In Cuba, the people of this proud and humanist nation have been suffering
for decades. They have been enduring what can only be described as
terrorism against their beautiful country. The US and the West have
sponsored invasions, terrorist acts, even attempts to influence weather
patterns and cause devastating droughts. Crops have been poisoned.
Any Cuban 'dissident', any thug that takes up arms against the Cuban system
and the government, would get immediate funding and support from the United
States.
Even Western media outlets, performing secret polls in Cuba, often come to
the conclusion that the majority of Cuban citizens support their system.
But that only infuriates the West further. Cuban people are paying a heavy
price for their freedom, for their pride, for their independence.
There are many other examples how the 'opposition' and terror against
'unpopular' (in the eyes of the West) governments are built.
Bolivians almost lost their 'white' and-right wing province of Santa Cruz,
as the US supported, many say financed the 'independence movement' there,
obviously punishing the extremely popular government of Evo Morales for
being so socialist, so indigenous and so beloved. Brazil, in one great show
of solidarity and internationalism, threatened to invade and rescue its
neighbor, by preserving its integrity. Therefore, only the weight of this
peaceful and highly respectable giant saved Bolivia from certain
destruction.
But now even Brazil is under attack of the 'manufacturers of opposition'!
I don't want to write at length about China here, in this report. Readers
are already familiar with my stand, but in summary: The more high-speed
trains the Communist government builds, the more public parks, free
exercise machines, more public transportation lines and wide sidewalks, the
more it attempts to make medical care free for all once again, the more it
attempts to make education free and public - the more it is being smeared
and called 'more capitalist than capitalist states (while over 50% of
country's production remains firmly in state hands).
Russia, like China, Cuba or Venezuela, is demonized relentlessly, every day
and every hour. Any oligarch, any deranged pop figure, who criticizes the
government of President Putin, is immediately elevated by the US, German
and other Western governments, to the level of sainthood.
All this is definitely not because of the Russian human rights record, but
because Russia, like the Latin American countries and China, is
determinedly blocking Western attempts to destabilize and destroy
independent and progressive countries all over the world. It is also due to
the increasing influence of the Russian media, particularly RT (Russia
Today), which became a commanding voice of resistance to Western
propaganda. Needless to say, this writer is proudly associated with RT and
its efforts.
***
It is certain that what the world is experiencing now, could be described
as 'the new wave' of a Western imperial offensive. This offensive is taking
place on all fronts, and it is rapidly accelerating. Under the proud Nobel
Peace Price winner, Barack Obama and his closest European Neo-cons and
'socialists with brown insides', as well as the re-elected fascist Prime
Minister of Japan, the world is becoming an extremely dangerous place. It
feels like some frontier town invaded by violent gangs.
The biblical perception of 'those who are not with me are against me' is
gaining new depth.
And be aware of the colors. Be aware of the 'uprisings', or anti-government
'protests'. Which one is genuine and which one is unnaturally created by
imperialism and neo-colonialism?
It all appears to be extremely confusing to the majority of people who are
getting stuffed on the corporate media feed. Actually, it is supposed to be
confusing! The more confused people get, the less capable they are to rebel
against real dangers and oppression.
But in the end, despite everything, on the 2nd of February, the people of
Thailand voted! They climbed the barricades; they fought with those who
were attempting to close polling stations.
And in Ukraine, the majority still supports their government.
And Venezuela and Cuba have not fallen.
And the jihadi cadres are not yet in control of Syria.
And Eritrea and Zimbabwe are still behind their leadership.
People are not cattle. In many parts of the world they are already
realizing who their real enemies are.
When the US sponsored a coup against Chavez, the military refused to
follow, and as a handpicked businessman was sworn-in as President, the
military began moving tanks towards Caracas, in defense of the legitimate
and elected leader. The revolution survived!
Chavez passed away, and some say that he was poisoned; that he was infected
with cancer, that he was hit from the North. I don't know whether it is
true, but before he died, he was photographed, bold and sweating, suffering
from an incurable disease, but determined and proud. He was shouting: "Here
nobody surrenders!" And this one image and one short sentence, inspired
millions.
I remember, last year in Caracas, standing in front of a huge poster
depicting his face, spelling out his words. I would thank him; embrace him
if I could, if he were still alive. Not because he was perfect - he was
not. But because his life and his words and actions inspired millions,
pulled entire nations from depression, from gloom and doom, from slavery. I
read from his face this: "They try to screw you by all means, but you
fight... You fall but you fight again. They try to kill you but you fight...
For justice, for your country, and for a better world." Chavez did not say
this, of course, but that is how it felt, looking at his photograph.
By then, most of South America was free and united against Western
imperialism, and hard to defeat. Yes, here, nobody surrendered!
The rest of the world is still very vulnerable and mostly in shackles.
The West is continuously manufacturing and then supporting oppressive
forces, be they feudal or religious. The more oppressed people are, the
less disposed they are to fight for justice and for their rights. The more
scared they are, the easier it is to control them.
Feudalism, religious oppression and cruel right-wing dictatorships, all
that serves perfectly well both the market fundamentalism of the Empire,
and its obsession with controlling the planet.
But such an arrangement of the world is abnormal, and therefore temporary.
Human beings are longing for justice and, in their essence, are a sharing
and decent species. Albert Camus, correctly, arrived at the conclusion in
his powerful novel "The Plague" (analogy to fight against fascism): "there
is more to admire than to despise in humans".
What the West is now doing to the world; igniting conflicts, supporting
banditry and terror, sacrificing millions of people for its own commercial
interests, is nothing new under the sun. It is called 'ordinary fascism'.
And fascism came and was defeated, in the past. And it will be again. It
will be defeated because it is wrong, because it is against natural human
evolution, and because people all over the world are realizing that the
feudal structures that Western fascism is trying to administer all over the
world, belong to the 18th century, not to this one, and should never again
be tolerated.
Andre Vltchek is a novelist, filmmaker and investigative journalist. He has
covered wars and conflicts in dozens of countries. His discussion with Noam
Chomsky On Western Terrorism is now going to print. His critically
acclaimed political novel Point of No Return is now re-edited and
available. Oceania is his book on Western imperialism in the South Pacific.
His provocative book about post-Suharto Indonesia and the
market-fundamentalist model is called "Indonesia - The Archipelago of
Fear". He has just completed the feature documentary, "Rwanda Gambit" about
Rwandan history and the plunder of DR Congo. After living for many years in
Latin America and Oceania, Vltchek presently resides and works in East Asia
and Africa. He can be reached through his website or his Twitter.
Received on Mon Mar 10 2014 - 22:01:14 EDT