United States Imperialism Threatening War Against Iran During Contested Presidential Elections Struggle
Antiwar and peace activists must demand that no military actions be taken during the transitional process and beyond
There have been serious threats to the Islamic Republic of Iran and its allies in the aftermath of the contested presidential and congressional elections in the United States.
Inside the U.S., the incumbent administration of President Donald J. Trump has refused to concede electoral defeat in the November 3 elections where challenger and former Vice President Joe Biden and California Senator Kamala Harris won both the popular vote and the electoral college.
During this uncertain period there is a threat of the launching of yet another military assault on the peoples of West Asia and other geo-political regions of the world. Iran has been singled-out as purportedly conducting research which could lead to nuclear weapons capability.
What is not assertively emphasized by the Trump administration, President-elect Joe Biden, Congressional spokespersons and the corporate media is that the existing regime walked away from the negotiated agreement which was signed by several European states, the People’s Republic of China (PRC), the former President Barack Obama and the Iranian Foreign Ministry. With the suspension of participation in the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) by the Trump administration, Washington then enacted additional sanctions against Tehran. (See this)
In fact, more sanctions against Iran were announced on November 18 by the Trump White House which has sought to disenfranchise tens of millions of people within majority and near-majority municipalities and rural areas where African Americans and other oppressed peoples reside. What legitimacy does any government within an imperialist system have in relationship to threatening and waging military conflict directed towards other independent states? Sanctions are acts of war and the impact of such economic measures are illustrated clearly in Iran, Iraq, Syria, Cuba, Venezuela, Zimbabwe, Sudan and other geo-political regions of the world. (See this)
The administration has been discussing plans for the attempt at “regime change” in Iran. Such discussions should not be taken lightly since only earlier in the year during January, two leading military officials from Iran and Iraq, Maj. Gen. Qasem Suleimani and the leader of the Popular Mobilization Forces, Abu Mahdi a-Muhandis, were killed in Baghdad by a Pentagon targeted assassination. These military actions and the further boisterous propaganda against the Tehran are contributing to the escalation of tensions in West Asia, including Iraq, Yemen, Syria and Palestine.
These military threats are based upon falsehoods related to the role of Iran in the region and the existence of a resistance axis which extends from Palestine to South Lebanon, Syria, Iraq, Yemen and Tehran. These anti-imperialist forces in West Asia are continuing to be on the frontlines against the aggressive policies of the State of Israel bolstered by Washington and its allies in the Gulf monarchies such as Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates. These states recently signed “peace accords” with Tel Aviv while the Palestinian people remain imprisoned by the racist apartheid regime which is funded by Washington and Wall Street.
An article published by the Guardian newspaper on November 18 says:
“Fears that Donald Trump might try to wreak havoc on the world stage in his final, desperate, weeks in office appear to have been well-founded, after he reportedly asked for options on bombing Iran. A report in the New York Times said Trump was advised against strikes on Iranian nuclear sites by senior officials warning of the risk of triggering a major conflict. But it added that the president may not have entirely given up on the idea of staging attacks on Iran or its allies and proxies in the region.”
A military strike on Iran would prompt retaliatory responses from Tehran and its allies throughout the region. The attacks could lead to an extended war which would be inherited by the Biden-Harris “government in waiting.” An ill-advised military maneuver by the Trump administration will undoubtedly weaken the social fabric of the U.S. and its people. The country is facing the worst public health crisis in more than a century. Hospitals and the entire largely privatized healthcare system are being stretched to its structural limits. Schools have suspended in-person learning in many areas while millions of households among the working class and poor are ill-equipped with the proper infrastructure to participate effectively in online education.
Iran Vows to Resist Any Incursion by the U.S. and its Allies
During the evening hours of November 17 there were several news reports indicating that the Israeli Airforce had engaged in strikes inside Syrian territory. Some dispatches stated that the Israeli strikes were in the Golan Heights while others said Damascus repelled an attack. (See this)
The incumbent President Hassan Rouhani of Iran has taken a firm position on the necessity of the White House to shift its orientation towards Tehran. Rouhani is demanding respect towards his nation noting otherwise there will be no fundamental change in the character of relations.
A Press TV report said of the Iranian political leader that:
“President Hassan Rouhani says current developments indicate that the new U.S. administration would need to switch from a posture of threats against Iran to one of seeking opportunities with the country. Speaking at a cabinet meeting in Tehran on Wednesday, Rouhani said the incoming U.S. administration would return to a situation in which rules are respected. ‘With the situation that has been brought about, we will in the future be moving from an atmosphere of threats created by this rogue [U.S.] administration to one of opportunity,’ he said.”
Overall, the international community, including the oppressed, former colonial, semi-colonial, neo-colonial, socialist and non-capitalist governments are welcoming the potentialities associated with the departure of the Trump regime. Whether these aspirations will result in concrete reforms related to Washington’s foreign policy remains to be seen. The Democratic Party governments do not have a record of peace and recognition of the sovereignty of nations around the world. A brief cursory review of the histories of U.S. interventions during the post-World War II period in Korea, Vietnam, Dominican Republic, Grenada, Lebanon, Iraq, Haiti, Somalia, Libya, Syria, Yemen, Afghanistan, Panama, among a host of others territories subjected to sanctions, provocations, drone strikes, targeted executions, destabilization efforts and economic exploitation., illustrates clearly that the majority of people need to remain vigilant in their opposition to U.S. imperialist militarism.
The Role of the Antiwar and Peace Movements in the Imperialist States
Considering the transitional crisis in existence among the two leading bourgeois parties in the U.S., those who are in principled opposition to imperialist militarism must demand that the current war propaganda and sanctions tyranny levelled against Iran and other targeted states be halted immediately. There is a need for the drafting of an agenda which outlines the parameters of antiwar and anti-imperialist organizing related to the current lame duck administration as well as moving forward into a Biden-Harris configuration.
President-elect Joe Biden has been a proponent of imperialist wars which have proven disastrous for both the peoples of the U.S. and the around the globe. The proclivities towards intervention and occupations by the Democratic Party leadership, Cold War liberals and all apologists for the Pentagon, should be countered with concrete arguments and slogans that advance the interests of the working class and the oppressed, in alliance with the peoples within the international community.
Moreover, the large-scale presence of the Pentagon in far too numerous nations are not only a threat to global peace and security, it is a drain on the capacity of the peoples of the U.S. to address the enormous and burgeoning social problems stemming from the COVID-19 pandemic, astronomical unemployment, impoverishment, racial unrest and intensifying class struggle. The movement to acquire genuine democratic rights for the working class and oppressed in the U.S. can only benefit the political and economic aspirations of the proletariat and nationally oppressed worldwide.
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Abayomi Azikiwe is the editor of Pan-African News Wire. He is a frequent contributor to Global Research.
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The Globalization of War: America’s “Long War” against Humanity
Michel Chossudovsky
The “globalization of war” is a hegemonic project. Major military and covert intelligence operations are being undertaken simultaneously in the Middle East, Eastern Europe, sub-Saharan Africa, Central Asia and the Far East. The U.S. military agenda combines both major theater operations as well as covert actions geared towards destabilizing sovereign states.
- ISBN Number: 978-0-9737147-6-0
- Year: 2015
- Pages: 240 Pages
List Price: $22.95
