Don't Look Now - the Emperor is Naked!

Now that the people of Tunisia and Egypt have managed to overthrow their dictators, both backed and supported by the US government, the drive for democracy is spreading wildly throughout the Middle East.

US Envoy to Egypt Frank Wisner and Hillary Clinton

(JAMESTOWN, R.I.) - The final outcome of the Egyptian revolution is unknown, but a clear result now evident to the world, is the exposure of US hypocrisy for its preaching’s on the virtues of democracy.

Hosni Mubarak -

The rest of the world has seen through our 30 year 1.3 billion dollar annual support of Mubarak, for even during the protests, Hillary Clinton supported the dictator, while US envoy to Egypt Frank Wisner, said it was “critical” that we support Mubarak, exposing the nakedness of advocating democracy while supporting dictatorships.

Amazingly however, some in this country do not comprehend that their country is an exporter and supporter of dictatorships around the world. For those in denial, and understandably it is difficult to admit your own government is hypocritical and supports dictators, consider a variety of countries around the world.

We are currently participating, with Israel, in the starvation of Gazans, because at our insistence they held and election, and to our shock and dismay Hamas emerged victorious in a legitimate election.

Immediately the US and Israel teamed up with our faithful puppet dictator in Egypt, Mr. Mubarak, to starve Gazans until they reverse themselves and vote according to our wishes. The starvation continues today, and apparently will continue until Gazans reverse their vote. If they would only vote the way we want, they might be allowed to eat.

Assasination of Rafik Hariri, Beirut, 14 February 2005

In Lebanon, Hezbollah has emerged as the controlling party, a situation we and Israel cannot accept, so we are doing our best to topple the government by rigging the investigation of the assassination of their Prime Minister, Rafiq Hariri. The US government is trying it’s best to rig this so Hezbollah will be blamed and discredited, and the citizens of Lebanon will then vote according to our wishes as well. Hezbollah has seen through the scheme, and exposed it to the citizens of Lebanon.

Contrary to mainstream US propaganda, Hezbollah is not labeled as a “terrorist” organization by most countries in the world; only four nations, including the US, Israel, Canada, and the Netherlands, do. If the US can rig the investigation and blame Hezbollah for the assassination, it would be easier to convince other nations that Hezbollah is a “terrorist” organization.

Hezbollah appears primarily interested in successfully resisting the frequent Israeli invasions of Lebanon, and providing for the social needs and defense of its people.

In nearby Haiti, a rigged election was held last November. At US insistence, the largest majority was excluded from participation, and Haitians resisted the interference by boycotting the election with 75% of eligible voters staying home.

This is akin to Republicans excluding Democrats from the next election and claiming victory, which I am sure they would love to do, if allowed. Even after the boycotted failed November election, the US stepped in and helped create an election committee that changed the results of the November election by throwing out the second place finisher and elevating the third place finisher to second, allowing him to participate in an upcoming special runoff election.

Jean-Bertrand Aristide

The only democratic election ever held in Haiti saw the triumph of the people’s candidate, the former Jesuit priest, Jean-Bertrand Aristide. The US however did not like Mr. Aristide, or his legitimate democratic victory, and participated in two attempts to overthrow him, finally succeeding and exiling him to a foreign nation forever.

One of his major crimes and a reason for his ouster by the US was his insistence that the Haitian workers deserved a minimum wage of one dollar per day.

Recently the notorious US backed former brutal dictator, Baby Doc Duvalier, who murdered and looted at will, and who was driven from power years ago, made his way back to Haiti, and the US remained silent about his return.

Even more recently Jean-Bertrand Aristide announced his intention to return to Haiti. In the middle of the glorious Egyptian rebellion, Hillary Clinton made a quick and pretty secretive trip to Haiti, where she applied great pressure on the current government to push on with the rigged election, and also put tremendous pressure on the government to make sure that Aristide was not allowed to return to his country.

Immediately after Haiti’s devastating earthquake, the US government’s response was to send 27,000 soldiers, allegedly to prevent riots and looting, but the real purpose was to insure that Aristide loyalists could not attempt to bring the people’s choice back home. So much for democracy in Haiti.

Now that the people of Tunisia and Egypt have managed to overthrow their dictators, both backed and supported by the US government, the drive for democracy is spreading wildly throughout the Middle East.

There are currently democratic struggles in Saudi Arabia, Yemen, Bahrain, Libya, Jordan, and Djibouti, all of whom have brutal repressive governments, and all backed and supported by the US government. (Flags shown at right)

A study of US interference in Latin and South America nations, and its support of repressive regimes, would encompass too much for this short piece, but may come later.

Don’t look now but the Emperor has no clothes; he is naked and exposed.

The rhetoric regarding the spreading of democracy is just that; it is “feel good” rhetoric designed primarily for the naive public.

The US government really does not want democracy; we have a special fondness for puppet dictators who will do our bidding by taking US bribe money, but that is apparently not sitting well with the protestors in the streets of all the dictatorships we support.

Salem-News.com Writer Joe Clifford, lives in historic Jamestown, Rhode Island, and has contributed a number of articles relating to foreign policy to newspapers in the Rhode Island area for years.

He graduated from Providence College where he earned an undergraduate and graduate degree. After a lengthy career as a high school teacher he turned to the study of US foreign policy, and then to writing, as a means of expressing an alternative perspective. His reading and research on foreign policy is broad and extensive, especially as the policy relates to the Middle East. His interest in foreign policy was inspired by the American misadventure in Vietnam. You can write to Joe at this address: jc21131@gmail.com