Frank Morales calls the “Salvadorisation” of Iraq a P2OG operation. He cites military analyst William Arkin’s, The Secret War, an article that caused talking heads to turn Donald Rumsfeld’s way when the Los Angeles Times published it on October 27, 2002, as it detailed Pentagon plans to dramatically expand its “black world” operations by deploying the covert unit (with an eerily familiar name). A 30-page unclassified excerpt from the Defense Science Board‘s, “DSB Summer Study on Special Operations and Joint Forces in Support of Countering Terrorism,” can be downloaded in power point from the Federation of American Scientists‘ website.
Arkin ended by saying layers of bureaucracy should calm “those who worry that all these secret operations and aggressive new doctrines will turn the United States into the world’s policeman.” Comedians for Empire, there are plenty. Arkin should value rare opportunities to remind Americans of what’s been done in their names. Defending the publication of more than 3,000 codes in his book, Code Names: Deciphering U.S. Military Plans, Programs and Operations in the 9/11 World, Arkin wrote, “Democracy works better, and a brighter and safer future is more likely to be achieved, when the people understand what is being done in their name.” Time’s a wastin’.
Morales argues P2OG’s presence in Iraq by referencing examples like Colombia, a country too long ravaged by U.S. policing, yet another reason for this post.
Take Action for Peace in Colombia.
It may not help, but at least AFSC’s blueprint for peace makes more sense than Naomi Klein’s for Iraq.