To quote George W. Bu$h: "My message is that if you harbour a terrorist, then you are a terrorists. If you feed [i.e. fund] a terrorist, then you are a terrorist. If you develop weapons of mass destruction that you want to terrorise the world [with], you'll be held accountable."
Let us address each of these points in turn. Firstly, the U$ for the past 55 years has been running a terrorist training camp in the state of Georgia. This illustrious institution is called the Western Hemisphere Institute for Security Co-operation (Whisc), and had been known until January 2001 as the "School of the Americas." The camp, based in Fort Benning and funded by successive U$ administrations, has been responsible for the training of various ruthless (pro-American) terrorist groups. A random selection of those groups reveals those who received terrorist training here include Guatemala's D-2 death squad, responsible for the slaughter of tens of thousands of Mayan Indians, as well as 40% of the ministers of that murderous regime. Two thirds of the military leadership responsible for the El Salvadorian death squads' atrocities are among the graduates of the SoA. Several of ex-Chilean dictator Pinochet's top men, including those who ran the secret police and the main concentration camps, along with various others responsible for atrocities in Colombia, Mexico, Panama, Ecuador and Peru (to name a few), were all students of the SoA. There is, on top of this, the U$'s training of the Contras who rampaged in Nicaragua in order to overthrow the elected Sandinistas, and the fact that the U$ is harbouring of its own state terrorists such as George Bu$h Sr. and Henry "let's overthrow democratic governments" Ki$$enger.
Point Two: The U$ has a long history of funding terrorists, especially those who the U$ now call 'terrorists'. A few brief examples include; Saddam Hussien's regime before 1991, i.e. when they were fighting a 'just' war against the Ayatollah's Iran. As opposed obviously to the 'unjust' war they were fighting in Kuwait. The mujaheddin in Afghanistan, responsible for slaughter, the overthrow of a progressive regime, a brutal civil war, the creation of the power vacuum that enabled the rise of the Taliban and now call themselves the Northern Alliance. The U$ even funded the activities of Osama bin Laden before he turned on them. The U$ is also currently pumping billions into, and maintains a private army in, Colombia. This is ostensibly a 'war on drugs', in reality it is the sponsoring of death squads that massacre innocent Colombians. It is an attempt to check the rising power of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (Farc) and the National Liberation Army (ELN), both of which are thorns in the U$'s side as regards Latin American policy. How long before they move against the Zapatistas in Chiapas, Mexico?
Then of course there is, arguably, the most infamous state terrorists of them all; Israel. Israel, who send in F16 jets, provided by the U$, to fire missiles at buildings where they think militant opponents to their regime and occupation of Palestine may be operating. Are we to believe that even if they take out their target, that no-one else is killed in these attacks? The Israeli policy of assassination may even be compared to the tactics used by Pinochet's regime in Chile. And as for Ariel Sharon, this man bears "personal responsibility"(1) for the 1982 slaughter of over 900 innocent Arab refugees in Sabra and Shatila in Lebanon. These attacks were carried out by the so-called Christian Phalangists of the Lebanese Forces, which were at that time under the control of the Israeli Defence Force, which Sharon, as Defence Minister, was in direct command of. Recently published documents shown just how deep the complicity went.
Point Three: As for those who "develop weapons of mass destruction", what exactly does the U$ administration regard National Missile Defence (or whatever its called this week) as? Is it not the basis for the biggest weapon of mass destruction ever invented? NMD poses as direct threat to the whole world, and its not even up and running yet! With this weapon the U$ could hold the whole world to ransom, and attack any 'rogue state' that does not toe the Neo-World Order line. However, the really insane thing about NMD is that it will not, and cannot, prevent horrific events such as those on September 11th from occurring. Added to this is the largest nuclear arsenal in the world, controlled by the U$.
The U$ has over the years funded, trained and harboured terrorists while simultaneously developing the most powerful arsenal of mass destruction in the world. To my mind this implies that either the U$ administration does not realise the double standards at work here (in which case the too stupid to be the policeman of the world) or they simply do not care about them (in which case they are in no moral position to dictate to the world). Personally, I believe it is the latter. Therefore, reading this evidence begs the question; Should the U$ not, technically, be bombing itself "into the Stone Age"?
As revolutionary socialists, we expose these Capitalist double standards, but does the fact that the U$ can be labelled, under its own terms, a terrorist state mean that we advocate the bombing of the U$, or Britain, or Israel? Of course it does not! We look at the bigger picture and correctly point out that as long as Capitalism and Big Business run the show, oppression, repression and mass murder will continue, as will the violent acts that occur in response to such savagery. Both are equally as 'terrorist' as each other. There can be no peace under Capitalism, because war is both in the nature and interests of the Capitalist system. As Socialist Party TD Joe Higgins correctly pointed out at a recent public meeting, to the Capitalists it matters only in whose name terrorist acts were carried out. Capitalism is only too willing to instigate and support wars that are in their own interest, such as the current war in Afghanistan. And it is for this reason that the thousands of American and pro-American terrorists (state and otherwise) will never be brought to account for their crimes under the current system. Its time for an alternative!