By William Pfaff

April 23, 2010 "Tribune Media" -- Paris, April 20, 2010 – It is a dismaying reflection that the facilitator of major
violence thus far in the twenty-first century have been lies told by democratic governments. The lies are continuing to be
told, about the supposed “existential” menace posed by Iran to Israel, America and (if you believe some European
leaders) to Western Europe.

One can say there is nothing new about lies. I would argue that the influence of mendacious official propaganda in the
western democracies is probably greater today than in the last century.

There was a certain utopian innocence in the first half of the last century. The secular utopian promises were truly
believed. People were made happy by believing in the romantic futures they were told would follow the seizures of
power by Bolsheviks or the Italian Fascists. In Germany, Hitler offered vengeance and vindication to his people, and a
future of supremacy. Those were serious matters, but romantic notions too, used to justify the fulfillment of criminal
fantasies. At the end of the century, Slobodan Milosovich promised Serbs fulfillment of the dream of a greater Serbia
ruling its lesser neighbors.

One might have thought there had been a lesson in the brutal and senseless murder of millions in the world wars to deter
such ambitions.
But again the wars of Yugoslav succession were inspired by lies, deliberately perpetuated, reawakened lies about the
past, fictions about the malevolent ambitions of intimately related fellow-peoples of the former Yugoslavia, to produce
the murder of still more of them.

One might also have thought, at the end of that century, that Mikhail (and Raissa) Gorbachev’s inspired visitation by
reason and wisdom would provide a decisive lesson about ending the lies. Gorbachev’s first liberating proposal was
Glasnost – telling the truth. One might have believed that we would in the twenty-first century still be breathing the
oxygen of Glasnost.

It was not so. Injustice and lies in the Middle East were responsible for unnecessary new wars in the new century, in
which the United States took the lead. This time the lies were ideologically motivated and expedient lies.

First, it was that Saddam Hussein bore responsibility for the September 2001 attacks on United States. He did not.

Next was the fiction that Hussein’s government, during the period of UN sanctions before 2003, was able secretly to
construct nuclear weapons, despite the efforts of western intelligence to detect them or deter him, and the presence of
United Nations arms control inspectors. There were none.

Another fiction was that if Saddam’s Iraq did somehow obtain weapons of mass destruction, he could and would use
them to attack Israel or the United States, despite the massive retaliatory power possessed by both those states, and their
evident willingness to use it to revenge any attack.

When people insist that this danger from Iraq was not the product of western propaganda, but a reality, or at least a
plausibility, it becomes necessary to ask, as one does in the strategic studies business: How? Give me the scenario. Tell
me how this attack could come about. Without an answer, it was necessary to conclude that Iraq was attacked for
reasons having nothing to do with weapons of mass destruction.

According to the post-invasion testimony of Saddam Hussein’s associates, prior to the Gulf War he was interested in
weapons of mass destruction – in order to deter an attack by Iran! He feared revenge for his own invasion of Iran in
1980, and the 8-year war that followed, in which Iraq did use poison gas, and also enjoyed favor and support from the
United States.

The Iraqi dictator, following the Gulf War, decided that obtaining mass destruction weapons was no longer feasible, but
he deliberately cultivated an air of mystery about his intentions as a factor of deterrence of Iran.

The American invasion of Iraq in 2003 was motivated by the neo-conservative illusion that the Iraqi people would
welcome invasion and become a force for democracy, and friends to Israel. Instead, the death of Saddam Hussein and
destruction of his government, the wrecking of Iraqi urban society and the country’s infrastructure and industry, which
will take years to reconstruct, ignited anarchic insurrection and sectarian conflict, delivering the country into the power
and influence of a much larger and more important enemy of both the United States and Israel, Iran. Another lesson
about lies, one might have thought.

U.S. Secretary of Defense Robert Gates is reported to have sent a secret letter to President Barack Obama last January
reviewing the military options available if diplomacy and the new American attempt to intensify international sanctions
on Iran fail to produce the desired halt in Iran’s effort, if that is what it is, to build a nuclear deterrent.
If Iran does pursue a nuclear capability, once again it is to deter attack. Precisely the same objection exists to theories of
Iranian aggression as to those lies put forward in 2002-2003 about Iraq posing a nuclear menace to the world.

Once more the threat is a polemical invention, intended to frighten American, Israeli (and European) voters, and prompt
a preemptive attack on Iran. The reason Mr. Gates reports his uncertainties to the president is that he too recognizes that
the conflict with Iran is constructed from fictions – which, as with the lies about Iraq, may turn into another war, whose
consequences are sure to be worse for all concerned than the fiasco and tragedy of America’s invasion of Iraq.

© Copyright 2010 by Tribune Media Services International. All Rights Reserved.

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epppie · 13 weeks ago 0

You can safely assume that the Gates memo was intended for leakage and was written as propaganda. They have had war
plans in place against Iran all along.

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jojoos · 13 weeks ago 0

Big Lie "neo-conservative" --How about }sreal Firsters? I'm up front--Zionist Jews.

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normajean · 13 weeks ago 0

Scratch the surface, and you see that the brazen lie was always the prevailing story: 'purchasing' Manhattan island for $24.
worth of trinkets, making 'treaties' with natives with a 'forked tongue', denying blacks an education throughout the centuries,
withholding their freedom even after slavery, is it surprising Iran is not the universal enemy? Burned by the cruel Tuskegee
'experiment' , black Mississippians didn't trust their health-care providers, so right now, in 2010, the Islamic Republic came to
their rescue: http://articles.latimes.com/2010/jan/25/nation/la...

Reply 1 reply · active 13 weeks ago Report

Bene_Tleilax 53p · 13 weeks ago +1

Alright, I'm gonna say this one more fucking time: No One Is Going To Attack Iran. Period.

First of all, Iran is entirely capable of wiping out the Carrier Group currently sitting in the Persian Gulf: no US president is going
to preside over the annihilation of 100 fighter jets, three destroyers, a minesweeper, and a fucking aircraft carrier. That is about
$12 BILLION in hardware. Not to mention about 15,000 navy personnel.

Secondly, Iran is entirely capable of shutting down Hormuz - about 40% of the world's oil supply - for at least a year, and
probably FIVE years. No tanker operator in his right mind, nor any insurance company in theirs, would even fucking TRY getting
through. Oil would hit $400/bbl Overnight. It would hit $1000 in a few months. The world economy would fucking collapse.

Three, there are at least 5,000 Russian scientists and technologists working at the sites that would be "hit": anyone who thinks
Russia is going to sit back and watch thousands of their nationals slaughtered and do nothing has several screws loose -
Georgia killed 21 Russian peacekeepers in South Ossetia and Russia Obliterated Georgia's entire fucking military in about 4
hours. Expect the same. We're talking WWIII.

Fourth, China has about a quarter of a trillion in long term investments in Iran. An attack would be a de facto act of war on
China and China would, quite rightly, SINK the US dollar in a fucking heartbeat.

Reply 12 replies · active 12 weeks ago Report

lydia · 13 weeks ago 0

You dont understand that what they want is what you just say. They are completely crazy and their plan is just, word for word,
what you just told. The question is: how to stop them?

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Richard · 13 weeks ago -1

This is all about world dominion, Israel wishes to be the new Roman Empore. One must be really blind not see this in its
entirity. UK, Australia, N Zealand, Canada, US, Europe are governed and owned by the powerful jewish lobbies. Newly formed
Allies such as India, and others will also soon be under their thumbs too, a trick so neatly devised under the IMF run by yours
truly the right wing jewish parasites, to gain totally control and a wrongfully idea of world unity. Its more like control of all the
wealth on this planet, and those who defy them, well you guessed it, genocide brothers and sisters into a nice gas oven.

I do agree that Iran if attacked, will not sit there politely to be wiped off the map. Iran and Korea are the only 2 countries not
under contro of the IMF, Iran was initially was not under their control, but like killing 2 birds with one stone; the threat to Israel
was accomplished, and also the booty too. She fell and a new govt there will be the asslicker for the jewish elites. Please join
the dots. however, I do agree with blogger Bene Tleilax's point of view, he has hit the bulls eye. However, what is a threat to
Israel like Iraq was, will be sadly under the X-hairs of the American armed forces controlled as usual like in those days of
colonialism the jewish sraeli criminal overloads (its strange how history repeats itself, but NOW the truth is revealed....lets see
if people react and form that much awaited REVOLUTION), who fear total control by the Iranians who aid the Palestinians'
cause. Simple logic too. In the past colonial days, the jews were so damned smart in comparison to the goys, they got the
greedy maggots (from tremoundous research into goy 's greedy behaviour) manipulated and orchestrated them as mercenaries
from the West to cull people down in 3rd world countries, so that they could take over not only their prime land plus all their
resources. Haven't you noticed how the English speaking countries grew out of the native populations who were genocided and
sidelined ? And yet to today, there is no remorse. Can you imagine if the Westerners who didn't invade, genociide to the behest
of the jews, as to what their population and status would today ? I would say 4th world country status, with oveririding poverty.

We honor the dead on ANZAC day, reserved one day in a calendar year, but pray tell me, who honors the innocents world
wide who died who btw died by the very same people we are honouring today, sad to say they who butchered native
populations world wide are claimed to be heroes in their so call genocide country that they live in. What bloody irony ? If you
join the dots, once again, you will see how the cattle/sheeple have been brainwashed by the jewish criminal bankers into make
believing Europeans who arrived in Ausralia, New Zealand, US, Canada, South America, S Africa etc etc with the intention of
NOT living in harmony with the natives, but with the weapons of mass destruction. And YES to wipe off them of the map, and
form their own new founded countries. Like now iraq, iran, syria, palestine etc etc . Soon when these people will be displaced
we can see the gangsters calling themselves Iranians, Iraquies, Afghanies, etc etc, while the real peoples will be displaced and
wiped out forever. LOVELY CHANGE BY CIVILISED PEOPLE !!!! WOW !!! I wonder if people can see how the DNA
behaviour of these criminal parasite work while the dumb bastards who call themselves freedom fighters kill off their victims for
the jewish gangsters.. And yet people banter about voting them out by not electing them, who is kidding who ?. As if this will
work. Fro your information they control the whole shibang LOT matey. it is like HEADS THEY WING AND TAILS YOU LOSE.
Believing in this horseshit that it is their country they are fighting for, when the fact IT IS NOT. However, I would state that IF
ALL THE DEAD were honoured, and the perpectual lie, that a country born out of theft, genocides and colonilaism should be
castrated from the evil minds and current thinking of those who were like stone age people, entrenched with this pavlovian
technique of brainwashing. Heh ! folks, I am all for everyone being ONE in whichever country one lives in. BUT not divided by
stupid ideologies and LIES., such as believing in idiotic broken up talmudic racist like ideologies.

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Junious Stanton · 13 weeks ago -1

The writer calls iran the enemy of the US and Israel. If this is true, why is it so? Has Iran ever done anything to AmeriKKKa?
No. Has Iran ever meddled in US affairs or toppled a US government? No again. Even if Iran had nulear weapons how does
that pose any threat to the US or Israel? How and why is it acceptable for Pakistan to have nuclear weapons and even give
nuclear weapon technology to supposedly 'terrorist" states but Iran can not have peacful nuclear technology?!
Who is the only country to use atomic weapons on civilians? The US! What other ocuntry is a threat to use nulear weapons on
civilians? Israel! Who is the most imperialistic country in the region? Israel! This being the case who and what are the most
serious threats to world safety and security (especially considering their rogue elements are the ones who facilitated and
executed 9-11) at this present time? Is it coincidental these two countries are the ones beating the drums for war against Iran?

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Follow the Facts · 13 weeks ago -1

...I liked the article...but there are some problems...

Ending involuntary union (US) would automatically disable any pursuit of "external empire." – I consider the union to be the
"primary layer" of a double layered empire. – Without the "primary layer", the "secondary layer" could not be conceptualized, or
considered. – That's why it is critically important to prevent americans from even thinking about the political reality of the union,
the "primary layer." – The union is the engine at the hands of the Imperial operators...it serves them well...it hurts "the people"
as a whole.
The Imperial Operators have demonstrated their skill at keeping things under control by preventing, for now, almost ten years,
the truth about "911" from being universally understood. That was their pivotal event...the event that released them to pursue
their long term goals.
I sometimes ask people directly "what they think about 911"...everyone I ask believes it was a "terrorist attack" much like
suggested by Bush, etc. – Which means that the Imperial Operators are very much in control....
I don't believe Iran will be attacked either, – It would be inconsistent with the pattern demonstrated for a long time by the US
and Israel - they prefer defenseless "opponents" – that allows them to continuously keep control. – A strong opponent would
introduce too much uncertainty into their equations, which might risk their ultimate pursuits...
It is also, for the US, important not to ever suffer an obvious defeat anywhere along the line...weak "enemies" will allow the US
to slowly but surely expand its sphere of control....so far, nobody is opposing.

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skai · 13 weeks ago 0

It is not going to be long before USA falls to www.blip.tv/file/1382254 After the down fall of Israel, you yanks better buy prayer
mats, you would need it sooner than you think.

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 Fulanito · 13 weeks ago 0

Good article but Milosevic never argued for a Greater Serbia. That is a lie peddled by Pfaff. Milosevic wanted to preserve
Jugoslavija the way Saddam Hussein wanted to preserve Iraq. There were those who dreamed of Greater Serbia but Milosevic
was not one of them.

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Lies & Wars http://is.gd/bGFzG End the Lies, End the Wars for Zionism, & Disarm the Genocidal State
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