President OBAMA Please Contain PENTAGON

President OBAMA Please Contain PENTAGON

With Wisdom & Power for world peace

Monaem Sarker

Pentagon is the symbol of US imperialism to rest of the world. Though literally, Pentagon is the headquarters of the United States Department of Defense, located in Arlington, Virginia. The building is constructed in pentagonal shape in 1941 and that derives the name- pentagon. But since then it became the center of all blue prints made by the US imperialists in order to take control of the world. The largest office building approximately 23,000 military and civilian employees have become headquarter of international conspiracies.

United States today is enjoying position of the single conqueror of the world. Continuing its invasion from country to country it looted resources, took control of economy, prompted regional conflicts and backed up all unethical wars and brutality. Being imperialist the militarization of the economy is a must, so did the US. And that’s why the central military office expanded day by day and Pentagon became a symbol.

The Pentagon's "footprint" is firmly planted everywhere. Top administration officials began preparing the Pentagon to go anywhere and do anything, while rewriting, shredding, or ignoring whatever laws, national or international, stood in the way. White House looks at the Pentagon before every crucial decision. Every move by the US superpower and its aggressions are designed and executed by this authority. The Pentagon has marched into State's two traditional strongholds-diplomacy and development.

Another loathed organization Central Intelligence Agency-CIA is like Pentagon’s brother in arms. But White House rely more upon Pentagon than CIA as the power is concentrated there. It is said that, CIA is the spy group that push up a condition to war according to Pentagon’s plan of action.  

We should know the history of the invincibility of Pentagon. The US state was not imperialist from its first date. Gradually it placed itself as the leader of the imperialist block through a path of history covered with blood and tears.

Imperialist block once was dominated by the Europeans. Between the 1815 Congress of Vienna and the 1870 Franco-Prussian War, the United Kingdom reaped the benefits of being the world's sole modern, industrial power. As the ‘workshop of the world,’ the United Kingdom could produce goods manufactured so efficiently and cheaply that its goods could usually undersell comparable, locally manufactured goods in other markets. But the long-term effects of the Economic Depression in between 1873 and 1896 were particularly evident in the United Kingdom, the forerunner of Europe's industrial states. Rise of the US started since then. It first started to show down its imperialist face in 1898. The U.S. government packed thousands of soldiers and landed them in Puerto Rico, Cuba, Guam and the Philippines. The war of 1898 was the birth cry of this major new oppressor arriving upon the world stage--U.S. imperialism.

But even before becoming imperialist according to economic term, it had created example of aggressions. Monroe Doctrine of 1823 had declared that all of Latin America was a U.S. sphere of influence. According to the record in Pentagon, the U.S. carried out 103 interventions before 1895 including Argentina in 1852, Japan in 1853, Nicaragua in 1854, China in 1859 and Angola in 1860.

After winning their Civil War with the Southern slave-owners, the capitalists of the United States underwent explosive growth and tremendous transformation. Steam power, machines and electricity were being put to work everywhere and there were abandoning in production. Steel and coal production skyrocketed.

Very naturally they had to face with the maneuvers of their rivals in Europe. The core capitalist logic is "expand or die". That spurred the U.S. imperialists to lay plans for a global empire. Unable to contend in the contest for Africa, the United States aimed at vying with the European powers in Latin America, the Pacific Rim and China. Spain was rapidly losing its grip on the last of its rich colonies. The US did not want to loose that opportunity. It decided to act, before the people of these countries defeated Spain and claimed their independence. Filipinos found US beside them in the struggle for independence. Revolutionaries drove the Spanish Colonial Army out of virtually the whole Philippine Island chain. But when the final Spanish surrender came in August 1898, the American commanders refused to allow any Filipinos to participate. US President McKinley claimed god had personally told him that the Filipino people "are unfit for self government. So the U.S. would rule the Philippines for their own good." Aggression in Philippine continued till 1946. After that Philippine was declared as independent but in fact government, administration and economy there was the choice of the Americans.  

With the "Roosevelt Corollary" in 1904, they declared it was the right of the U.S. to dominate and invade any country in Latin America. There was no delay in executing the declaration. U.S. intervention in virtually every country of Latin America and the Caribbean followed. Haiti has long story of invasion by the US started from 1915. President Widraw Wilson did not waste time when an anti-American Rosalvo Bobo was about to form the government. American soldiers landed on another sovereign country. They continued to build up a market for their own interest by deploying a puppet government in the country. Even the custom house was taken control by the US soldiers. A thousand of people had been killed to suppress the protest against the invasion. The number is assumed to cross ten thousand. 

But to be the single most powerful imperialist it had to wait till the World War 2. Its rivals in Europe were almost devastated in the war that took place mostly on their land leaving the US with just few scratches. So they were well ahead of war devastated Europe in reconstructing the economy and military. And surprising enough that the Pentagon building was built right at the time when the US had the convenient time to proceed to rule over the world. Military doctrine of Pentagon has been using to manipulate pro-US governments in one hand and to force the nations to run pro-US economy on the other. Pentagon, other than economists, took the responsibility to project `globalization’ and `free trade’ as ideal system.  

Falling in the trap of globalization and agreeing with the structural adjustment programs many countries have to get down on their knees with debts. Even the United Nations said that the developing countries cannot reconstruct their economies without getting rid of debts. World Bank and IMF keeps pressuring on developing countries to withdraw public sectors and let them open to the private. Provisions should be open not only to local private entrepreneurs but also to foreigners. This is named as so called free trade. The consequence is, local capital cannot survive with the big imperialist capital. Market goes in control of the giant capital. National economy looses all its potential and becomes hostage to the foreign business groups. Americans keep subsidizing in its own land but restricts others to do so. Showing the glamour of high-tech, sells environment-hostile agricultural commodities. Many disputes followed in the WTO meetings. But Americans are firm on their stand.

American policy had a significant shift at the end of the Second World War. It understood quite well that soon after the war end, the world market would be redisributed. If it does not hold its stake before the ending of war, may lag behind. So it went on with newer sinister plans. Pentagon was constructed in 1941. The most brutal atrocities took place just 4 years after its establishment. 6 August 1945, is a date everybody remembers all over the world. Hiroshima and Nagasaki was devastated by the Americans with atomic bombs on the plea to `finish off the war earlier and save American lives’. But Japan was already cornered and surrendering was just a few days away. After sharp calculation the bomb was let to explode 1850 feet higher from the ground to use the most of its destruction power. Eighty percent of people of that locality died overnight. Millions of people became disable and carrying the horrible experience through generations. It was later disclosed that Pentagon wanted to demonstrate its military power so that everyone bows down him after the war. Such intense is its cruelty!  

Soon after the World War, Pentagon went with its sinister plans on the plea of fighting communism. To expand the territory of influence it took every cunning, brutal, deceptive step possible. United Nations was built mainly from American perspective. The word `United Nations’ was proposed by US president Roosevelt. Others honestly wanted to make the UN an effective body following the failure of League of Nations. Roosevelt had long meeting with Churchill and Stalin with his plans. Another big achievement by Americans was to convince others in forming World Bank and international Monetary Fund. But it’s an irony that the biggest defaulter in United Nations is the United States, though it takes most of the opportunity from this institution. Americans often use the donation to blackmail the UN.

Headquarters of World bank and IMF are in Washington DC. The rule is set to always appoint an American as the President of the WB and a European as the managing director of IMF. But America has always got the power to imply veto on any decision by IMF. Decisions of the bank will be made by the executive board. Members of the board are all rich countries. Power to vote on any decision depends upon the yearly contribution made by the countries. US share is the biggest of all. Even in the IMF, America has earned a strong voting right by having 19% of share. So it is clear that both the institutions are dominated by American interests.  

One of the most brutal atrocities was shown by the US military in the war in Korea during 1950-53. The American forces arrived in Korea in early September of 1945. Korea was not divided according to Korean people’s choice but due to imperialist conflicts between USA and USSR. It’s the CIA that provoked North part to attack the south where US control prevailed. Pentagon troops took the side of South and fired on civilian refugees. The US congress at once allocated 12 million dollars. American air raid devastated North Korean cities, even threatened to use atom bomb twice. South Korean military, police and paramilitary forces, with U.S. military knowledge and without trial, executed tens of thousands of leftist inmates and alleged communist sympathizers. Between 3,000 and 7,000 people were shot and dumped into mass graves in early July 1950. Some once-secret files show that a U.S. Army lieutenant colonel reported giving approval to the killing of 3,500 political prisoners by a South Korean army unit.  

Middle East crisis became critical in 1958. Lebanon was on a threat of civil war between Christian and Muslim rebels. Old dispute with Egypt also continued. Taking the advantage of the situation Pentagon designed `Operation Blue Bat’. President Eijenhaoar approved the plan. Lebanese pro-American government chief Chamilo Chamaun invited US soldiers to resolve the crisis. Pentagon warriors established military base on the plea to resist communist threat. Suppressing the rebels in most brutal way, they put a puppet government in power before getting back. Americans had made a strong position in Middle East at that time. 

Pentagon always took the side of autocratic anti-people government. Cuba is a burning example. In 1958, mass movements got pace in Havana against autocratic Batista government. Obviously Pentagon was on Batista’s side and went forward to save him. Embargos were imposed upon Cuba. But socialist Castro-led party managed to uproot the Batista government and took the power. It seemed that a country cannot even choose an ideology without Pentagon’s consent!

The Americans feared the Soviet expansion of communism or socialism, but for a Latin American country to ally openly with the USSR was regarded as unacceptable, given the Russo-American enmity since the end of the Second World War in 1945. Such an involvement would also directly defy America's Monroe Doctrine, which held that European powers should not get involved in American matters. In September 1962 the Cuban government saw what it perceived to be significant evidence that the U.S. would invade, including a joint U.S. Congressional resolution authorizing the use of military force in Cuba if American interests were threatened, and the announcement of a U.S. military exercise in the Caribbean planned for the following month. So USSR responded and planned to equipe Cuba with some missiles. America then placed missiles on the Turkish border of Russia as a couter step. Tension went high but negotiations stopped the greater dager.  

But the US embargo was tightened in 1962, accusing Cuba of being on the Soviet bloc. But till now that inhuman blockade is ongoing. U.S. embargo of Cuba has dramatically harmed the health and nutrition of large numbers of ordinary Cuban citizens. The embargo has prohibited ships from loading or unloading cargo in U.S. ports for 180 days after delivering cargo to Cuba. This provision has strongly discouraged shippers from delivering medical equipment to Cuba. Consequently shipping costs have risen dramatically and further constricted the flow of food, medicines, medical supplies and even gasoline for ambulances. The Foreign Minister of the Republic of Cuba, Perez Roque called the embargo "an act of genocide". Pentagon war mongers began intervening Latin America since 60’s. Their first attempt to invade a region of Cuba failed. Socialist Cuba standing at the edge of the US nose was the biggest headache for Pentagon. Exiled Cuban hooligans were gathered in Miami Beach and trained up by the US force to attack in Cuba. In 1976, a Cuban civil air flight was forced to land in Barbados by the Pentagon warriors. Till today numerous Pentagon attempts have failed to doom the socialist Cuba.     

Dominican Republic is another small country in Latin America. Leftist Juan Bosch defeated the repressive Rafael Trujillo government in 1962 election. He took various initiatives to aid national interest. Pentagon did not like it and helped organizing a military coup there. Protests were flamed out in the country. A civil war started. Pentagon went with the `Operation Power Pack’; the operation to uproot Juan Bosch government. In 1966 Pentagon ensured a pro-US Jacquine Bellaju’s government to be in the power.

Pro-US governments were also established in Iran, Chile, Guatemala and Indonesia during the cold war according to the design by Pentagon. Iranian elected Prime Minister Mohammad Mosaddek took initiative to nationalize the oil fields in 1953. Americans and their alleys were furious. And so Pentagon started `Operation Ajax’. But an attempted coup plan from American consulate in Tehran failed.

In 1954, Pentagon played a direct role to eradicate an elected government by military coup in Guatemala. But they had learnt a good lesson while invading Vietnam, a poor country of Indo-China. The country had been long fighting French colonial oppression. Even after the World War 2, French tried to keep the land in its control. But a glorious guerilla resistance started under the leadership of communists. Pentagon aided France with money and arms then. But when France was near to accept the defeat, Pentagon could not help start invasion. It started to move military force. Communists of North Vietnam were fighting pro-US governments in South Korea, Laos and Cambodia. Pentagon leaped with arms to annihilate them. They left no brutality to show there. Civil areas were devastated by `carpet bombing’. Chemical poisons had been spread over the crops field to create scarcity of rice and starvation. Vandalism went all over the country. 20 million of Vietnamese had been killed. The most brutal act was seen in My Lye mass murder in 1968. Over two million people were killed in the war, including 55,000 U.S. troops. America faced protests against the war in own country and shoot 12 people dead.       

Pentagon aided the killing force of Cambodia with all possible measures. Kennedy then was the President of United States of America. During the Regan period the whole Latin America witnessed the dreadful aggression of Pentagon. 

1970 and assasinated Bangabandhu. Salvador Aliened, socialist leader, came to the power in Chile. The country was advancing to economic stability quite smoothly under his wise leadership. Steps like nationalizing heavy industries, land reform programs had very positive impacts. Pentagon did not like that. Every attempt was made under `Operation Feubelt’ to create unstable situation in the country, using CIA. Success came to them with General Pinochet, after two failed coup attempts. The coup directed by Pentagon in 1973 left thousands of dead bodies of leftist workers. Millions of them were detained. Assassination of President Aliened was accomplished by dropping bombs on the President’s palace. Then the Pinochet government created a free land of Massaccar. State terrorism demonstrated the ugliest face in Chile with indulgence from Pentagon.   

1971. Pentagon actively took part against our glorious freedom struggle, aiding arsenals to Pakistan. A brave role from Soviet Union helped to terminate many of its conspiracy plans like sending warships. They had to admit defeat of Pakistan but did not rest from making secret-plots. Local collaborators were found out to overthrow Sheikh Mujib government. Famous journalist Laurence Filshutz showed in his writings, how CIA helped to execute the coup plan in 1975.

Echoes of Vietnam reverberated in Central America during the 1980s, when the Reagan administration strongly backed the pro-U.S. regime in El Salvador. Salvadoran civilians questioned the concentration of power and wealth in a few hands. Rightist death squads slaughtered Salvadoran protestors with the help of Pentagon. In Nicaragua, New Leftist Sandinista government was in power. That also made Pentagon discontented. CIA-trained Nicaraguan Contra rebels launched terrorist attacks against civilian clinics and schools run by the Sandinista government, and mined Nicaraguan harbors.

U.S. troops also invaded the island nation of Grenada in 1983, to oust a new military regime. Previously a mass upsurge put the revolutionary leader Mauris Bishop into power in 1979. Pentagon having a vow to act against pro people forces anywhere began acting to overthrow Bishop; at last, managed to organize a counter-revolutionary coup by the Assistant Prime Minister. US marines invaded the country in support of the military government. They made the world conscience confounded, bombing on a hospital there.

After 50s a number of countries were brought under military rules with direct plans and programs by Pentagon. These countries were- Benin, (1963-1964; 1965-1968; 1969-1970; 1972-1987), Burkina Faso (1966-1970; 1980-1991), Burundi (1966-1987), Chad (1975-1978) Congo (1968-1979), Egypt (1952-1958), Guinea (1979-1987), Ethiopia (1974-1987), Ghana  (1966-1970; 1972-1979),

Madagascar (1972-1975; 1977-1991), Mali (1968-1976; 1991-1992), Mauritania (1978-1992), Niger (1974-1989), Nigeria (1966-1979), Rwanda (1973-1975), Sierra Leone (1967-1968), Somalia  (1969-1976), Sudan (1958-1964; 1969-1986), Togo (1967-1969),Uganda (1971-1979), Argentina (1966-1973; 1976-1983), Bolivia (1964-1966; 1969-1979), Brazil (1964-1985), Chile (1973-1990), Colombia (1953-1958), Cuba (1952-1954), Ecuador (1963-1966; 1972-1979), El Salvador (1944-1980), Guatemala (1963-1966; 1970-1986), Haiti (1950-1956), Honduras (1963-1965; 1972-1982), Nicaragua (1950-1956; 1967-1979), Panama (1968-1989), Paraguay (1954-1993), Peru (1962-1963; 1968-1980), Venezuela (1935-1959), Myanmar (1962-present), Cambodia (1969-1975), Indonesia (1967-1968), Iran (1953-1957; 1978-1979), Iraq (1949-1950; 1952-1953; 1958-1979), South Korea (1961-1963; 1980-1981), Laos (1959-1960), Pakistan (1958-1971), Syria (1951-1954; 1963-1972), Thailand (1948-1973; 1976-1992), South Vietnam (1963-1975), North Yemen (1962-1978), Greece (1967-1974), Portugal (1968-1976) and Turkey (1960-1961).    

The U.S. returned in force to the Middle East in 1980. Shi'ite Muslim revolution in Iran overthrows Shah Pahlevi's pro-U.S. dictatorship. After the 1982 Israeli occupation of Lebanon, U.S. Marines were deployed in a neutral "peacekeeping" operation. But peace was just a word to them. They instead took the side of Lebanon's pro-Israel Christian government against Muslim rebels. Even onshore attack continued. U.S. Navy ships rained enormous shells on Muslim civilian villages to drown those under blood. Embittered Shi'ite Muslim rebels responded with a suicide bomb attack on Marine barracks. In retaliation, the CIA set off car bombs. But Syria and the Muslim rebels emerged victorious in Lebanon.

Pentagon launched a bombing raid on Libya in 1986. Libya was accused of sponsoring a terrorist bombing later tied to Syria. The bombing raid killed hundreds of civilians. But in spite of so much atrocities Gaddafi remained firm in his position.

Pentagon instigated the war between Iran and Iraq. US took Iraq’s side in the war. Its intention was clear; subduing the disobedient Iran. That intention let Pentagon forget that they had blacklisted Iraq as patronize of terrorists previously in 1979. US Navy attacked Iran on behalf of Iraq in 1987-88. An American naval warship patrolling in the Persian Gulf has shot down an Iranian passenger jet after apparently mistaking it for an F-14 fighter. All those on board the airliner - almost 300 people - are believed dead.

The plane, an Airbus A300, was making a routine flight from Bandar Abbas, in Iran, to Dubai in the United Arab Emirates. The US Vincennes had tracked the plane electronically and warned it to keep away. When it did not the ship fired two surface-to-air missiles, at least one of which hit the airliner. Killing was that kind of lighter thing to Pentagon. It should obviously bear in mind that they can do the same to any other Muslim coutries for their own interest.

Pentagon forces invaded Panama in 1989. Mission was to oust the nationalist regime of Manuel Noriega. He was accused by former ally Pentagon of allowing drug-running in the country. When coup attempts failed Pentagon decided to act on their own. U.S. bombing raids on Panama City ignited a conflagration in a civilian neighborhood, fed by stove gas tanks. Over 2,000 Panamanians were killed in the invasion to capture one leader.

The following year, the Pentagon deployed forces in the Persian Gulf after the Iraqi invasion of Kuwait. Saddam Hussein, former Iraqi ally, turned into villain for Pentagon. U.S. supported the Kuwaiti monarchy and the Muslim fundamentalist monarchy in neighboring Saudi Arabia against the secular nationalist Iraq regime. In January 1991, the US and its allies unleashed a massive bombing assault against Iraqi government and military targets, in intensity beyond the raids of World War II. Blood flowed through the country. Up to 200,000 Iraqis were killed in the war. But bombing was not all. Imposed economic sanctions denied health and energy to Iraqi civilians. Hundreds of thousands Iraqis faced death from that sanctions, according to United Nations agencies.   

Under President Reagan in the 1980s, the United States stepped up the use of military power for the political and economic aims of imperialism. In the confrontation with the Soviet Union Pentagon was turned into a god-like powerful institution.

When the historic fall of Soviet Union took place, the cold war has finished its part. Fighting communism was not a big issue existing. But Pentagon war mongers cannot live without war and expansion. They came up with newer plans to be the supreme power and not letting any rise of rival. Conspiracies went on specially targeting the energy rich countries.

The end of the Soviet Union did not lead to any substantial reduction of US defense expenditure or the strength of the armed forces or its armaments stocks. The US defense budget proposed which is more than the combined military expenditure of six other countries with the biggest military budgets: Russia, Britain, France, Germany and China. The number increased from year to year.

The first indication of the new orientation of US military strategy came with the Gulf war in 1991. In the attack on Iraq, the coalition led by the United States consisted of Britain, Germany, Japan and other allied powers with America providing the main equipment and fighting force. The use of high-tech weaponry for aerial bombing, missile attacks and crippling the enemy’s air and ground defenses indicated how the United States would use its economic-technological-military superiority to cow down or destroy potential enemies or threats.

The military doctrine enunciated after the collapse of the Soviet Union stated that the threat would now come from "regional powers". It was told that they had the capacity for substantial strength in conventional weapons and armed forces. Who are those regional force? No one, but such powers who did not accept the global hegemony plan of the NATO and Pentagon. The US Defense Secretary, the Pentagon man, Dick Cheney, ‘stated in March 1991: The Gulf War presaged very much the type of conflict we are most likely to confront again in this new era. Major regional contingencies against the foes well-armed with advanced conventional and non-conventional weaponry. In addition to Southwest Asia, we have important interests in Europe, Asia, the Pacific and Central and Latin America. In each of these regions there are opportunities and potential future threats to our interests. We must configure our policies and our forces to effectively deter, or quickly defeat, such regional threats.’

Strategic posture was formulated during the Senior Bush Presidency and the final shape to it was given by the Clinton Administration. September 1993 plans called for a mobile hi-tech force which could project power into regions important to our interests and to defeat potentially hostile regional powers, such as North Korea and Iraq. A new concept of ‘rogue state’ was introduced then. "Rogue" states are those who are unwilling or who refuse to fall in line with this new world order. Cuba, Iraq, Libya, Iran, Sudan and North Korea are some of the states so labeled. In a second category are other emerging regional powers who can pose a potential threat because of their capacity to become military powers and produce new weapons such as missiles or nuclear weapons. China, India, Egypt, Turkey, Argentina, Brazil are in this list. More money was allocated to develop high-tech weapons to kill people more accurately.

Conspiracy of a different nature went at the same time. Pentagon became a warrior of selling US `free trade’ and `democracy’ model. That was admitted openly by former defense advisor Anthony Lake. He told in a speech that, spreading democracy is a pro-US process that helps us exploring the free market of a country. That strategy is not new at all. In fact it is a continuation of President Eigenhaoar doctrine. 

World Bank, IMF and WTO- these three organizations formed a trinity created by the unanimity by the imperialist forces to share the world market in the name of free trade and so called liberalization. Pentagon already declared that it will give all military assistance to establish that kind of economic model. It’s a unique example of making one `liberal’ by threat. The state deviating from that model will become ‘rogue state’ and barrels of guns will be pointed at them. Sanctions, threats and blackmailing will be added in addition.  

The other prong of US strategy is to curb proliferation of nuclear weapons and new hitch armaments such as missiles. Earlier, during the Cold War, the US had the COCOM to maintain the monopoly of advanced arms technology. Now, the US has the Missile Technology Control Regime (MTCR), the NPT, the CTBT and the FMCT talks to institute such an international regime. Further the US is prepared to use the UN Security Council or direct-armed intervention to prevent other countries getting "Weapons of Mass Destruction". This of course is selectively applied. Iraq and Iran have sanctions against them for acquiring such weapons, while Israel, the firm ally of the US, is free to stock nuclear weapons.

Pentagon plans were well demonstrated in the first phase of Iraq war. After the cease fire with Iran in 1988, Iraq was drowns under debt. Its major two lenders were Kuwait and Saudi Arabia. Iraq appealed for free from debt but did not get good response. Meanwhile Kuwait occupied a big portion of Iraqi oil field in the border area. The world was facing a fall of oil price and market became unstable. Iraqi President then called on the American consulate in Baghdad and had very intimate discussions. Records revealed later that in that meeting Saddam Hussein presented his plan to attack Kuwait and US showed green signal. Iraq found it a trap only after invading Quait. Even so Iraq threatened to attack Saudi Arabia. And Pentagon made no delay to decide to deploy military force to save Saudi Arab! `Operation Desert shield’ prepared quickly the blue print in Middle East. Half a million US soldier gathered in the Middle East. America went to the United Nations after finishing military deployment. UN, in its resolution no. 678 summoned Iraq to withdraw form Kuwait within a fixed deadline. A coalition military force was formed with soldiers from different countries. US propaganda machines said that Iran has chemical weapons those were used during the war against Iran; even they had technologies to develop nuclear warheads. To build public support for US, a woman was brought into lime light. She was introduced as a nurse in Kuwait who personally have witnessed that Iraqi soldiers were killing children in hospitals by pulling them out from the incubators. The story was built to justify Pentagon actions. Later it was disclosed that, the woman was not even present in Kuwait during the invasion; in fact she was the daughter of the US diplomat in Kuwait. Air strike began on Iraq in early 1991. Two months of barbarous attacks killed 2278 civilians and wounded more than ten thousand people. United Nations remained silent to the atrocities as usual. Both sides agreed to cease fire after couple of months. Pentagon hoped that, it would succeed to execute a coup inside of Iraq by Kurdish and overthrow Saddam Hussein.        

In the 1990s, the Pentagon led a series of what it termed "humanitarian interventions" it claimed would safeguard civilians. US imperialists started that from 1990. Foremost among them was the 1992 deployment in the African nation of Somalia. The country was torn by famine and a civil war between clan warlords. U.S. forces took the side of one faction against another faction, and bombed a Mogadishu neighborhood. But they had to pay for it. Enraged crowds, backed by foreign Arab mercenaries, killed 18 U.S. soldiers, forcing a withdrawal from the country.        

Haiti was invaded again by Pentagon in 1994 with an old objective of replacing the government with their chosen one.

Example of "humanitarian interventions" was demonstrated in the Balkan region of Europe. Multiethnic federation of Yugoslavia broke up in 1992. The unrest condition in the consequence was the plea for Pentagon. NATO was another brainchild of Pentagon. It was formed to eliminate Soviet Union as well as communists through military operations but still existed after the fall of Soviet Union. In 1999 NATO member countries adopted a new strategic concept to intervene in any regional conflict or crisis around the world. The first demonstration was in Yugoslavia.

The U.S. watched for three years as Serb forces killed Muslim civilians in Bosnia. Then suddenly it started to launch decisive bombing raids in 1995. Even then, it never intervened to stop atrocities by Croatian forces against Muslim and Serb civilians, because those forces were aided by the Pentagon. In 1999, the U.S. bombed Serbia to force President Slobodan Milosevic to withdraw forces from the ethnic Albanian province of Kosovo, which was torn a brutal ethnic war. The bombing intensified Serbian expulsions and caused the deaths of thousands of Serbian civilians. All the happenings insist us to believe that, Pentagon actually wanted the ethnic conflicts to go on.

Misdeeds and looting worldwide cost America a lot. But Pentagon used the danger as a cause for newer intervention. After the 1998 bombings of two U.S. embassies in East Africa, the U.S. "retaliated" on Afghanistan. It was said that Osama Bin Laden was hiding there. At the same time a pharmaceutical plant in Sudan was bombed. After killing people there Pentagon said that it was mistakenly said to be a chemical warfare installation.   

But the greatest danger hit USA on 1st January 2001. Terrorist attack shook the whole country. One of the Frankenstein’s created by Pentagon derailed and killed thousands of American people on that day.

Al Kayeda and Osama Bin Laden were creations of Pentagon to fight Soviet communists. That Laden became disobedient turned against USA in the name of Islam. But Pentagon did not walk in the way of realization. Instead, it presented a new war mongering plan named ‘war against terrorism’. The rumor was spread that, Laden is hiding in Afghanistan. When Taliban’s of this country conducted barbaric rules, Pentagon remained leap-sealed. But suddenly they found that fundamentalism is a big problem! Within one month Pentagon jumped over Afghanistan. Vast localities including cities like Kabul and Kandahar was shattered with bombing. Operation Anaconda started on 2002. Putting a puppet government in the power Pentagon is still dominating the country. Very recently President Obama declared that Pentagon will give more attention in Afghanistan shifting from Iraq. Pakistan has been started feeling the pressure of that `attention’.

The Pentagon strategic ideologues have postulated that the United States has a moral duty to militarily act in any part of the world for humanitarian reasons. Kosovo is the first such "humanitarian intervention". But the definition of what constitutes a humanitarian intervention will be decided by the global interests of Pentagon. The repression of the Kurdish people in Turkey, the genocide which took place in Rwanda, the continuing deprival of the rights of the Palestinian people and many such other instances world wide do not merit humanitarian intervention, if the regimes responsible for such a situation happen to be allied or friendly to US interests. One of the most inhuman interveners Israel is the greatest alley of Pentagon. In 2007, the United States increased its military aid to Israel by over 25% to an average of $3 billion per year for the following ten year period, while ending economic aid. Aggressions on Iraq and Yugoslavia have highlighted the negligible human cost paid by the United States for military ventures.  

Ground for second time attack on Iraq was made during 2002 when Bush repeatedly backed demands for unfettered inspection and disarmament with threats of military force there. On March 20, 2003 the military invasion of Iraq began again under ‘Operation Iraqi Liberation’. The military objectives of the invasion were; end the Hussein regime; eliminate weapons of mass destruction. Baghdad fell, ending President Hussein's 24-year rule. In the invasion phase of the war 9,200 Iraqi combatants were killed along with 7,299 civilians. With the imposed puppet government invasion continues and Saddam Hussein was hanged without any trial.

Pentagon is solely trying to keep the US imperialist on the top by taking any measures necessary excluding any ethical considerations. One of its major challenges is not letting any other country to get strong economy and military power. So any promising prosperous country is a threat to it. In the name of globalization and free trade it spreads its self philosophical view of capitalism. Pentagon is developing its own economic philosophy in the name of globalization. Thousands of US military bases are still remaining all over the world. The US Military has bases in 63 countries and 2, 55,065 US military personnel deployed worldwide. Pentagon has established its control over 191 governments which are members of the United Nations. 

The malicious attitudes by the Pentagon force in Abu Gharib custody those we came to know through the strict censorship, shook the whole world in disgust. Charges of abuse at the custody came to light in 2004 after photographs emerged depicting prisoners being humiliated and threatened by guards. But even those brutal practices could not change Pentagon or White House’s conscience. Letting the dogs to bit the prisoners, forcing them to lie naked on the floor in shivering cold, sexual harassments- all were beyond Hitlarian ruthlessness. Guantanamo Bay is another example of a monstrous failure of justice in Pentagon style. Since October 7, 2001, when the current war in Afghanistan began, 775 detainees have been brought to Guantánamo. A report on Guantanamo detainees concluded that 55 per cent of the detainees had not been determined to have committed any hostile acts against the United States. Only 8 per cent of the detainees are alleged to be Al Qaida fighters. Many of the released prisoners have complained of enduring beatings, sleep deprivation, prolonged constraint in uncomfortable positions, prolonged hooding, sexual and cultural humiliation, forced injections, and other physical and psychological mistreatment during their detention in Camp Delta.

Recent most brutal atrocity was made in 2005 by the US marines. They raided a place named Haditha in Iraq and killed 25 citizens at a time. In 2006 a 14 year old girl in Iraq was raped and then murdered by the Pentagon warriors.

Pentagon never seiged its evil plans. It is continuing to formulate sinister designs to promote US imperialist plan for economic expansions and dominations. The giant created for aggression and expansion cannot be stopped without destroying. The net of interest and profit spread by the Pentagon must be torn out by the united resistance of world people.  

Afghanistan is the latest prey of Pentagon. Taliban’s were created by this Pentagon on the plea to uproot communists.  Osama  Bin  Laden  was solely their creation. Now they created unrest condition in the subcontinent to

eliminate Taliban’s. When driven out from Philippines they were looking for a plea to stay armed in Asia, luckily they got one. Attacking Kuwait by Iraq, they just trapped it and then conducted a devastating program there. Meanwhile Pentagon made its position solid in Saudi Arabia. Now they are in Indian sub-continent with slogan to fight Taliban’s. That’s quite frightening. American intervention in friendly disguise must be resisted. Because wherever they penetrated, succeeded to make culture, social system, agriculture and politician institutions paralyzed. It must come to an end. 

Pentagon’s threats to the world are backed up by their huge armory. Whole world is against war. But Pentagon imposes a war situation; solely for its own sake. Only war can boost up American economy, otherwise it gets collapsed. They do not want any country as rich in armory as America. If a single US nuclear bomb accidentally explodes, that will even destroy the country. The whole world is under threat because of Pentagon. USA must be disarmed first. It has no alternative.

Mr. Obama is in power now, delivering beautiful speeches praised by the whole world. But what people want is not hearing speech only but implementation. People of the world want to live in peace. Pentagon cruelty around the world needs to be an end. Otherwise human civilization will be destroyed by Patagonian dictatorship. The world of dream will be shattered. 

America always has been enjoying a geographical advantage. No big war took place in US soil not even the Second World War in which most of the Europe and Asia was devastated. No harm could touch their major infrastructures. So its time for the rest of the world to understand that they should not be the subjects of US plans of `divide and rule’. They should not fall in the trap of US military blue print, Asia, Europe & Africa must be united to resist the danger of barbaric rules through out the world.

In twentieth century, Sir Winston Churchill, with his vasl knowledge and experience, wrote that 'Britain had neither permanent friends nor permanent enemies, Britain had only permanent interest.' It would be interesting to know what are Britain's permanent interests in the world of today. Despise his vast intelligence, churchille obviously continued to believe, 'that the sun will continue to shine as ever over the British Empire.'

As a distinguished French social scientist, Mme christianne Hurtig wrote : "The United States is not a country, it is an idea. And, the idea is how to make money." President Mr. BARAK HOSSAIN OBAMA should realise the imperative of the twentyfirst century drawing inspiration from human history on this earth, "Human pession" as well as 'permanent values' are somehow involved. As a result of this interaction the overwhelming mass of people find their passion & values beeing neglected, one can confidently predict that a process of alienation would gather momentun and the power structure would collapse. In twentieth century, this is precisely what has happened. We think in the present time also, power is necessary but wisdom is essential. It is only power with wisdom that is good. We hope black President BARAK OBAMA with his power & wisdom will save his country & the globe. President OBAMA please contains Pentagon with your Wisdom & Power for the sake of world peace.

01 Sepember 2009

British Indian Colony : History of Exploitation

British Indian Colony : History of Exploitation

Atrocities and Cultural Annihilation

Monaem Sarker

As Robert Clive watched the ongoing war from the rooftop of the Plassey House, the foundation of a 200 years British Indian Empire was being laid down. Though not so sure of his victory at the beginning, Clive was emboldened by reinforcement from Madras. Moreover, the Nawab was also preoccupied with the invasion from the west by Ahmed Shah Abdali of Afghanistan. More than anything else, Clive succeeded infiltrating the Nawab’s highest ranks, his own family, his Army Chief and his financers. Collusion with Mir Jafar Ali Khan was accomplished through Watts and the ‘Nimak Haramer Deuri’ or the ‘Traitor’s Gate’ still stand today as witness to the secret meeting where Watts met Mir Jafar in disguise of a Borkha clad women in a Palanquin. Though grossly outnumbered by the Nawab’s yet formidable army, the tacit collaboration by the Nawab’s Army Chief was further augmented by the fact that the French assisted artillery of the Nawab failed to save their gun powder from the rain while the English was careful enough to cover it. Finally, in Plassey, the British company used 2 Howitzer ‘Rapid Fire’ field guns for the first time that was an invincible weapon for that time in history. The war gave Clive the glory of winning the Indian Empire for the British, latter known as ‘The Jewel in the Crown’. By promoting treason and forgery, the company rule started with an unsavory beginning and something of that bitter taste has clung to it ever since.

The East India Company had a much humbler origin. On 31 December 1600, the Company was formed through royal charter with monopoly on all trade with the East Indies. The Company's ships first arrived at Surat in 1608. Sir Thomas Roe reached the court of Mughal Emperor, Jahangir, in 1615 and gained permission to establish a factory at Surat. Gradually the British set up numerous trading posts along the east and west coasts of India. In 1717, the Company achieved the most critical success when it received a Dastak or royal edict from the Mughal Emperor exempting the Company from the payment of custom duties in Bengal. Taking this advantage, company employees carried on personal business without paying duty to Nawab Siraj ud Daulah.

The British conquest had a historical root. As early as in 1669 Gerald Ungier, chief of Bombay factory had written to his directors: "The time now requires you to manage your general commerce with the sword in your hands". As a policy, the Company had long since decided that regime change would be conducive to their interests in Bengal. In 1752, Robert Orme, in a letter to Clive, noted that the company would have to remove Alivardi Khan in order to prosper. Instructions on October 13, 1756 from Fort St. George, Madras instructed Robert Clive, "to effect a junction with any powers in the province of Bengal that might be dissatisfied with the violence of the Nawab's government or that might have pretensions to the Nawabship". Accordingly, Clive deputized William Watts, chief of Company’s Kasimbazar factory and proficient in Bengali and Persian, to negotiate with two potential contenders, one of Siraj's generals, Yar Latif Khan, and Siraj's grand-uncle and Army Chief, Mir Jafar Ali Khan. On April 23, 1757 the Board of Directors of the Company approved Coup d'état as its policy in Bengal. Mir Jafar, negotiating through an Armenian merchant, Khojah Petrus Nicholas, was the Company's final choice. Finally, on June 5, 1757 a written agreement was signed between the Company, represented by Clive, and Mir Jafar. It ensured that Mir Jafar would be appointed Nawab of Bengal once Siraj Ud Daulah was deposed.

During Warren Hastings, the first Governor General of India, expansion of British rule was pursued vigorously. In 1784 Hastings was succeeded by Cornwallis, who initiated the Permanent Settlement, whereby an agreement in perpetuity was reached with Zamindars or landlords for revenue collection. During Wellesley, total British territorial expansion was achieved. Major victories against Tipu Sultan of Mysore and the Marathas, and finally the subjugation and conquest of the Sikhs in a series of Anglo- Sikh Wars led to British occupation all over India. In some places, the British practiced indirect rule placing a Resident at the native ruler’s court. By Lord Dalhousie's notorious doctrine of lapse, native

states became part of British India if there was no male heir at the death of the ruler. Often annexation was justified on misrule. These annexation and harsh revenue policies led to many terrible famines in India.

One salient point in British ascendancy in India was their cunning strategy to use the feuds among local rulers to pit one of them against the other by taking side with those inclined to them. Even in deposing Siraj they manipulated the local conflicts. Later on conflicts between various Indian rulers was also successfully utilized by the British in spreading their domination all over India. This basic strategy of ‘Divide and Rule’ was persistent all through the British domination and lingered into the ending decades of the British rule inciting communal conflicts. They intentionally backed the two-nation theory to make sure that the British India gets divided into warring states and becomes weak in pursuing a real secular and united development approach facilitating neo-colonialism.

Exploitation

Since 1600, the British trading company used to buy delicate fineries from India and paid in gold and silver, an issue that created vast uproar of protest among the British people, resenting the draining of the precious metals from England to India. In those days, Europe had nothing to export that had demand in India. But as soon as the company seized control of Bengal Taxation, the income generated in India was enough to pay for its quality commodities and the exploitation became self-sustaining and more aggressive. Besides while vying for all of India and even for war waged in foreign location, the British Indian army was financed by the Indian money.

As colonizing by British went rampant they set to establish three major types of colonies. In Settlement colonies the colonizing country migrated to and eventually took complete control of the colony, their crops and animals. Colonizer’s culture was imposed on the existing one. Settlers killed many locals in violent confrontations or by exposure to disease. Colonies of settlement were located in temperate zones, with climates similar to Europe’s. Examples of settlement colonies include English colonies in parts of the United States, Canada, and Australia.

Secondly, Colonies of Exploitation were the tropical dependencies. Europeans went to these colonies primarily as planters, administrators, merchants, or military officers. Foreign colonizers established political control, if necessary using force against colonial resistance, but they did not displace or kill native societies. They also did not destroy indigenous (native) cultures. Colonies of exploitation included Indonesia and Malaya in Southeast Asia, and Nigeria and Ghana in West Africa.

In a contested settlement colony, a significant number of European settlers took up permanent residence. They tended to develop their own government, independent of, or even in defiance of, the parent country. Politically, white citizens dominated native peoples. Examples of contested settlement colonies include Algeria and Southern Rhodesia, both in Africa.

There are several other types of colonialism and imperialism, including preexisting empires. Preexisting empires were or had been powerful states that possessed a large population, strong political structures, and a sophisticated economy. India under English rule is an example.

For almost 200 years, wealth from India was systematically transferred to Europe. British Banks used Indian capital to fund industry in the US, Germany and elsewhere in Europe. Industrial revolution and modern capitalism in the west were based on the colonization of India. It was the forced pauperization of vast Indian population that allowed nations like Britain and US to industrialize and "modernize". This capital was collected through various means including uneven trades, forced use of land and labor, great remittance of Indian income and excessive extraction from the common Indians.

India provided capital to the nascent industrial revolution in England by providing cheap raw materials, capital and a large captive market for British industry. In certain areas, farmers were forced to switch from subsistence farming to commercial crops such as opium, indigo, jute, tea and coffee. This resulted in famines and uprisings on a large scale. In all these plundering exploits, the British company successfully used the local people to extract revenue from their own fellow citizens at the grassroots level. Weapons was used indiscriminately and often at inhuman scale to clear the way to exploitation and destitution.

Right after Plassey, the looting and exploitation by the company started unabated. As per agreement with Mir Jafar, Clive collected £ 2.5 million for the company and £ 234,000 for himself from the Nawab's treasury. In addition, Watts collected £ 114,000 for his efforts. The annual rent of £ 30,000 payable to the Nawab for use of the land around Fort William was also transferred to Clive for life. To put this wealth in context, an average British nobleman could live a life of luxury on an annual income of £ 800.

Later on, as soon as the company secured Diwani or Tax collection rights for Bengal, Bihar and Orissa, they fueled their exploitation of India by Indian resources. Excessive and atrocious taxing policy loosened widespread devastation in the agrarian sector with a height of inhumanity that killed millions of toiling Indians through frequent famines and perpetual pauperization.

Due to plundering of resources and sheer indifference to the dire straits of the victims, Indian people started suffering from full scale famines. The Great Bengal Famine of 1769-70, caused deaths to 10 million Indians in Bihar and Bengal. During 1782-84, 11 million died for famine in Madras, Mysore, Delhi and Punjub. During 1791-92, another 11 million died in Hyderabad, Southern Maratha country, Deccan, Gujarat, and Marwar. The Agra famine of 1837–38 caused 800,000 deaths. Orissa famine of 1866 killed 1 million. Rajputana famine of 1869 killed 1.5 million. The Great Famine of 1876–78 killed 5.25 million in British territories of Madras and Bombay alone. Bengal famine of 1943 killed 3 million in Bengal. All through the 190 years of British rule, economic exploitation continued, reflecting the fate of a Preexisting Colony of Exploitation.

Atrocities

Atrocities committed by the British started long before the 1757 Plassey conquest. With their usual cunning and calculative conspiracy, the British company successfully used the internal Indian conflicts to bring down many rulers. These were done coldly with unrestrained use of weapons and widespread atrocities. The started fortifying their trade posts with an imperial greed. The way the British supervised the execution of Siraj and his family after Plassey was another manifestation of wanton atrocities.

Rampant and coercive exploitation by the British incited many rebellions aimed to throw away the yolk of colonial subjugation. After Plassey and during the imperial expansion throughout India, the peasants in many areas flared many local peasant revolts and all of these uprising were quelled through extreme atrocities by the British. Especially after the Great Bengal Famine of 1770, both Hindu and Muslim peasants of north and central Bengal revolted against the British and their collective agents. Fakirs like Majnu Shah and Sanyasis like Bhabani Pathak led the uprising that lasted for three decades. It took the British at least a decade of burning villages and slaughtering Indians to quell the revolt. It was followed by another peasant uprising in Rangpur district of north Bengal in 1783-4, the Chuar uprising in Bankura and Midnapur that lasted till 1799. These revolts killed many British and the reprisals from them were brutal. Warren Hastings failed to suppress the Chuar uprising and finally in 1799, Governor General Wellesly crushed the uprising through a pincer attack. Many of the rebels were hung from trees near Salboni in Midnapor, a place still known as the ‘heath of the hanging upland’ or ‘Fanshi Dangar Math’. Among later peasant and working class revolts, more vital ones include Bheel uprising from 1817 to 1846 in Bundelhkand of Uttar Pradesh, Jat revolt of Rohtak and Hissar in Haryana, The Koli revolt of 1839 to 1845 all over Gujarat, aboriginal uprising during 1830 to1833 in Chotanagar among the Mundas. The most important revolt was by the major uprising by the Santals for attaining independence. These entire grassroots level survival struggle against the wanton exploitation by the British gained much ground and at those primary years of colonization they posed major threats to British presence and their mercantile exploitation that oppressed the grassroots poor. This threat of annihilation to budding British rule was smashed by insensitive and all-out atrocities and bloodshed resulting in defeat of the isolated but well-determined liberation struggles by the poorest of the poor under East India Company. Later on, the Muslim led Wahabi and Faraizi uprising, though inspired by Islamic principles, was in fact a direct struggle to uproot British rule from the subcontinent. Invariably in all these rebellion, the British applied wanton atrocities and unprecedented killing verging on genocide to quell the unrest and to secure their domination.

Drawing inspiration from these localized revolts, the Sepoy Mutiny of 1857 was fought by Hindu and Muslim sepoys together to oust the British, an incident cited by many historians as the ‘First Struggle of Independence’ in India. The exterminating violence resorted by the British in all revolts proved them to be a bloodthirsty rulers prepared to perpetrate any level of inhuman atrocities, violence and conspiracy to safeguard their colonial possession.

During the Sepoy Mutiny, rebel sepoys were blown by cannon fires and in Delhi, the Mughal princes were massacred en masse. Force was also used in compelling the local farmers to cultivate cash crops. Under the crown as well, atrocities were perpetrated to quell the armed revolts in various Indian sections. The cruel Jallianwalla Bagh massacre due to protests against the Rowlatt Act in 1919 is another example of such atrocities. In the two World Wars, the British entangled India and used Indian soldiers and money to fight the wars opposing Indian popular descent. During the nationalistic movements, police atrocities and hateful conspiracy by the British caused deaths to hundreds of patriotic Indians. The British are even indirectly responsible for the communal genocide during partition of India, as they are the one who deliberately incited communal hatred and pressed for the partition of India. Communal division of Punjab and Bengal and the Kashmir issue still remain as a problem today.

Atrocities by the British went unabated even after the Sepoy revolt as retribution to stop such occurrence in future. But little was the success of such moves. Driven by the paramount urge to extract as much of Indian resources for repatriating to England, their level of exploitation never was downsized and as local Indians got exposed to western education and comparatively human citizen rights prevailing in native lands of the colonial power, a steady sense of independence from the yolk of Foreign subjugation started taking organized forms leading India into nationalistic freedom movement. Starting from the armed resistance to oust British from India up to lawful movement for peaceful settlement of the colonial question, the British, though subdued enough not to be as brutal as before, left no stone unturned to quell such movement by armed might in addition to treachery, conspiracy and hateful collaboration of local cronies.

As awareness and fighting spirit of the Indian mass escalated, the British realized the ineffectiveness and risk of all out suppression of the Indian demand for their legitimate rights. Nevertheless, they utilized every opportunity to split the solidarity of Indians to weaken their demand. Engineering communal divide between Hindu and Muslim communities was one such manipulation that has enduringly negative impact on the oppressed Indian mass and caused indescribable communal conflict and colossus bloodshed both before and after the partition of India. Not much earlier than 1919, the Jalinwalabagh massacre represents such an atrocity on unarmed public to quell the newly emerged nationalistic movement for self rule that was ultimately demanding ousting of the British rule.

Cultural Annihilation

The British looked down at the Indian people. Ironically, Indian civilization was far superior to the colonizing England. It only lacked the modern weaponry. From the very beginning, the British negated Indian culture. They introduced alien education to cut off the Indians from their traditional heritage and cultural pride. Zamindar and rich middle class went to England to be educated in ‘civilized’ values by a country which gained economic power through enslaving others and through insensate violence against colonized people.

For running the Indian Empire, owing to limited number of Britons, the service of Indian people was imperative. So, a class of clerically competent Indian people was educated in British system to create a specific class in India who, according to Macaulay, would be individuals ‘Indian in Body but British in Mind’. As many of the Indians, especially the Hindu community was admiring and supporting the British, they vigorously set themselves to learning the clerical version of British Education with a distinctive plot– serving as English speaking loyal subjects as well as to glorify the superficial English education as the pinnacle of wisdom. This alienated them from the persistent plights from British exploitation and made them an accomplice in annihilating the heritage of Indian culture and education that used to be far more superior then the British. At one point these middle class Indians were ashamed of their Indian ancestry and most of these so called English educated people turned into die hard supporters of British colonialism. As leading Indians started abhorring everything Indian, excessively obsessed to destroy the centuries old and racially harmonious Indian wisdom, they failed to appreciate both Indian and British education from the right perspective. In all forms of arts and literature practiced among these privileged collaborators of British exploitation, the indigenous culture appeared obsolete and crude.

Through superior technology, huge resources plundered from the colonies and their supreme status as colonizers, they were able to impose their culture on the subjugated populace, a phenomenon that Rudyard Kipling ironically described as ‘white men’s burden’ to emancipate barbarian colonized people, whereas most had a superior culture.

Thus the older and intrinsically richer Indian civilization was pushed to the backstage. What ensued was an almost irreversible decay in the sense of self-identification for the Indian Mass. The greatest blow to the Indian culture was the inciting of communal tension by the British which disrupted the century-old coexistence of various religions. The ‘divide and rule’ policy of the British had led to the demise of communal and racial harmony and assimilatory culture that once earned respect world over. Totally disoriented by the British plots, the Indians became foreigner in their own land and acted as puppets of the British in all the ill designs against the local people, economy and culture.

From the Plessey until the Partition, the British conquest and empire building followed a dark path of vile conspiracy, wanton bribing, breach of faith, sheer atrocity and indiscriminate exploitation to destroy the economy, culture and the very fabric of the superior Indian civilization. People of the subcontinent are still reeling from the blow. Many of our current dire straits are a direct predicament of denuding the Indians from their ancient and profoundly richer culture having a lot to offer to the British colonizers.

The deep rooted exploitation, indiscriminate atrocities and deliberate cultural annihilation perpetrated by the British in India has irrevocable ramification for the later history of this subcontinent. People of this one time British colony still suffer from the pervasive decay and lingering divide created and nurtured by the British colonizers. By all standards, the British owe to the colonized Indians and their present generation a profound, true and far reaching ‘Apology’ for their vile maneuvers in the colonial days. This type of ‘historical’ or ‘official’ apology is not a new phenomenon and it has many noticeable precedents. Universal human justice demands that this issue of outrageous siphoning of Indian resources and the permanent harm inflicted by the British rule on the Indian people should be brought into account.

Recent years have seen a wave of official apologies for wrongs committed in the distant past. Most recently in 2008, Italy apologized to Libya for colonial misdeeds and the Canadian and American government apologized to the Red Indians as did Australia to its aboriginal people. Former Japanese Prime Mi Junichiro Koizumi expressed “deep remorse” for Japanese World War II era conduct in China and Korea. Following the presidential victory of George W. Bush in November 2004, a website ‘sorryeverybody.com’ suddenly appeared permitting Americans “to offer apologies to the rest of the world.” Other instances include Tony Blair’s 1997 regrets for British inaction during the Irish Potato Famine in the mid-nineteenth century; Danish Prime Minister Poul Nyrup Rasmussen’s apology for the forced relocation of Inuit people in 1953; President Bill Clinton’s apology for failure to act during the 1994 genocide in Rwanda; France’s acknowledgement of the massacre of Algerians at Sétif in May 1945; a Canadian government apology in 2001 for military executions during the First World War; a German government apology for the colonial-era massacre of ethnic Herero people of Namibia by German soldiers; and Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon’s apology for his part in the incitement that led to assassination of Yitzhak Rabin. The most famous apologizer of recent times was the late Pope John Paul II, whose apologies reached far back in history, and included contrition about the Religious Wars, the Inquisition, Jews, women, Blacks, schisms, Martin Luther, and the Church’s denunciation of Galileo.

Along with these, there are refusals to apologize for historic wrongs. Thus, despite requests, Soviet and later Russian leaders have never apologized for the massacre of thousands of Polish officers in the forest of Katyn in 1940; the Israelis refused the invitation of Egyptian Foreign Minister Mahmoud Riad in 1968 to apologize for their “aggression” the year before; Australian Prime Minister John Howard would not apologize for the European settlers’ treatment of the aboriginal population in that country; and President George Bush, Sr., declined to apologize for the Americans’ use of the atomic bomb against Japan in 1945.

Despite such cases, the wave has continuing force. Apologies are scarcely ever rejected for being irrelevant or misplaced, but rather for being insufficient, inadequate, or insincere. So the British also owe us a sincere and significant apology, at the soonest possible time. We should demand all possible reparations to address this history of Himalayan plunder and inhuman atrocities inflicted for centuries upon this subcontinent, effect of which still remain as the principle obstruction in the development of this region.

On 30 August 2008, Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi apologized to Libya for damage inflicted by Italy during the colonial era and signed a 5-billion-dollar investment deal by way of compensation. Similarly, universal justice demands that Britain should also make a compensating apology for the harm inflicted on British India. A compensation of 5 million pound for each of the 190 colonizing years would be the minimum for making a plausible apology.

29 September 2008