Home

Comment by Larry Ross, December 30, 2005

Long term C.I.A. analysts, authors of the following dire warning against a U.S. war with Iran, are saying what many others have said on our website, that Bush plans this war with Iran; that it is linked to U.S. Israeli policy; that it could become nuclear and threaten all humanity; that this war is very much against the interests of the U.S. and others; that the neocons have pushed this policy as well as initiated the war on Iraq primarily to satisfy Israel's territorial ambitions; that most Americans fear to speak out because they have been conditioned to believe that those against Israeli policy are anti-Semitic.

In fact the wars against Iraq and Syria, and the land grab and Israeli settlement of Palestinian territory is against the long-term interests of Israel. Therefor to campaign against Israeli aggression and the Sharon regime, is a very pro-Jewish thing to do and essential for Israeli survival.

There could be Arab-Israeli peace, and the middle east could become a garden of Eden, if Israel gave up it's territorial expansionism and sincerely negotiated peace with it's neighbours. Israel knows very well that it's defence security can never be challenged by the Arab world which could be destroyed by Israel's arsenal of over 200 nuclear weapons. In the long term, a nuclear-free middle east and a nuclear free world is a necessary condition for human survival. That should be Israel's real interest and it is an achievable goal.

The Christisons encourage all peace movements everywhere to give this a high priority, and campaign against a war with Iran that could kill millions.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

It's More Important Than Halting Nuclear Proliferation

Let's Stop a US/Israeli War on Iran

By Bill and Kathleen Chistison - Former CIA analysts, Counterpunch, December 29, 2005

The peace movements of the entire world should be in crisis mode right now, working non-stop to prevent the U.S. and Israel from starting a war against Iran. (See the James Petras article in CounterPunch on December 24, 2005 titled Iran in the Crosshairs for the best summary of the present situation.) The reckless and unnecessary dangers arising from such a war are so obvious that one wonders why normal political forces in the two aggressor countries -- both of whom love to glorify themselves as democracies -- would not prevent such a war from happening.

But the "normal political forces" in both the U.S. and Israel have become badly distorted. Democracy has been seriously undermined in both. The cowboy-like personalities and aggressive tendencies of both countries' leaders tend to feed on each other. Domestic political difficulties and coming elections in both countries probably add to the macho inclination of the ruling elites to use force to remove any problems facing them. The glue binding these tendencies together is the ever-strengthening institutional link between defense establishments and military-industrial complexes in both countries, as well as, in the U.S, the growing power and influence of the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) over both major political parties. The entire mix increases the probability, against all common sense, that this absurd war will actually happen.

Nothing else more dangerous to the world, to the Middle East, to the oppressed Palestinians, or to the true interests of the United States is happening today -- anywhere. Americans who do not want an eruption of a new world war, started by our own government, ought to be strongly lobbying the Bush administration and all members of Congress against supporting any military action by the U.S. and Israel against Iran. Globally, people who oppose such a war should be lobbying their own governments in similar fashion.

Background

It is worthwhile to discuss briefly the broader context of why a war with Iran today seems a real possibility. During his all-out public relations effort in late 2005 to regain support for his policies in the Middle East, Bush has made it clear that he plans to continue his drive for complete victory in the "War on Terrorism," without making significant changes in his own, very aggressive, foreign policies. Those policies will make this planet a less safe, more unjust place to live for most people around the world, as well as for most of us living in the U.S. The special relationship between the U.S. and Israel has long played an important role in these aggressive policies.

Continue.......