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> Thur., Sept. 4, 2003
Pacifica's PeaceWatch
Today's Stories:
Congressman Jim McDermott Responds
to Secret Report About Lack of Planning for Post-War Iraq
US Faces Uphill Battle to Secure UN Participation in Iraq
Peacekeeping Effort
Veteran Canadian Politician Paul Hellyer on the Triumph of
the American Industrial Military Complex
Russell Mokhiber: We Had A Democracy Once, But You Crushed
It
Fiftieth Anniversary of the Overthrow of Iranian President
Mossadeq
Film Documenting the Political Dissident Group The Weathermen
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Congressman Jim McDermott Responds to Secret Report
About Lack of Planning for Post-War Iraq
A secret Defense Department report prepared for the Joint
Chiefs of Staff places the blame for the continuing turmoil
in Iraq on poor planning according to the Washington Times.
The report was also critical of the fact that Quote Weapons
of mass destruction elimination/exploitation planning efforts
did not occur early enough in the process to allow CentCom
to effectively execute the mission. The extent of the planning
required was underestimated. Insufficient US assets existed
to accomplish the mission. End Quote.
Iraq's WMD programs were the prime reason cited by Bush
for invading Iraq. Peacewatch spoke with US Representative
Jim McDermott, democrat of Washington to get his opinion on
the importance of this report.
Tape: US Representative Jim McDermott, democrat of Washington
State
US Faces Uphill Battle to Secure UN Participation
in Iraq Peacekeeping Effort
Secretary of State Colin Powell began UN negotiations earlier
this week on a new Iraq resolution that would hand over many
of the peacekeeping responsibilities to other nations. With
American casualties averaging about one a day, and several
military officials and politicians criticizing the administration
for not sending enough troops, the White House is scrambling
to convince other countries to participate in stabilizing
the region. The US faces much opposition, however-- including
from Germany-- which made its official announcement today
that it will not contribute troops to the effort. For an analysis
of the uphill battle the US faces at the United Nations, we
turn to Ian Williams, UN Correspondent for The Nation magazine.
He began by reminding us that the UN Security Council had
never supported the war in the first place.
Tape: Ian Williams is the UN Correspondent for The Nation
magazine.
Veteran Canadian Politician Paul Hellyer on the Triumph
of the American Industrial Military Complex
Well, the fact that the long-term occupation of Iraq is
much more difficult than the Bush administration planned for
has not gone unnoticed by Paul Hellyer. He’s one of
Canada’s most senior and most controversial politicians.
Speaking in Vancouver recently, he quoted the US’s own
internal military documents to prove that the war wasn’t
fought for exactly the reasons Americans were told.
Tape: Paul Hellyer is a veteran Canadian politician. The
Necessary Voices Society produced the recent speech in Vancouver.
Russell Mokhiber: We Had A Democracy Once, But You
Crushed It
The Bush administration on a number of occasions has spoken
of the need to spread democracy in the Middle East. Afghanistan
was to benefit from a democratic government, and democracy
was to be established in Iraq. To date, Afghanistan is still
in the hands of warlords and the Taliban. In Iraq, the United
States blocked moves to elect a governing council.
Russell Mokhiber, of the Corporate Crime Reporter examines
another country where the US’ promises of democracy
have not been realized.
Tape: Russell Mokhiber, of the Corporate Crime Reporter
Fiftieth Anniversary of the Overthrow of Iranian
President Mossadeq
We turn now to Mark Gasiorowski, Professor of Political
Science at Louisiana State University. Speaking with Goudarz
Eghtedari of community radio station KBOO in Portland, Oregon,
he described the 1953 CIA-led coup that removed the democratically
elected Iranian President Mohammed Mossadeq from power.
Tape: Mark Gasiorowski, Professor of Political Science at
Louisiana State University. Speaking with Goudarz Eghtedari
of community radio station KBOO in Portland, Oregon
Film Documenting the Political Dissident Group The
Weathermen
Finally, tonight, as we witness the birth of a burgeoning
anti-war movement that filled the streets of major cities
and captured the world’s attention in the lead-up to
the war on Iraq, we’re going to take a step back to
look at one group of political dissidents who captured the
headlines during the Vietnam War. During the 1960s, a group
of young students who had protested against the war became
frustrated with how they were unable to affect major political
change. Calling themselves the Weathermen, they decided to
take up arms to overthrow the United States government. Jerry
Quickly of Pacifica station KPFK in Los Angeles spoke recently
with Sam Green, one of the filmmakers of a new documentary
entitled "The Weather Underground."
Tape: Sam Green is one of the filmmakers behind the new
documentary "The Weather Underground.” He spoke
with Jerry Quickly of Pacifica station KPFK in Los Angeles.
For more information on the film, visit its website at www.shadowdistribution.com/weather/.
Thanks to Fidel Rodriguez for production assistance with that
piece.
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