"If the American Population Had the Slightest Idea of What Is Being Done [to Afghan Civilians] in Th

[queerbychoice]

Thanks to Frank Aqueno for this great link:

Noam Chomsky on terrorism - interview conducted September 19, 2001

"The US has already demanded that Pakistan terminate the food and other supplies that are keeping at least some of the starving and suffering people of Afghanistan alive. If that demand is implemented, unknown numbers of people who have not the remotest connection to terrorism will die, possibly millions. Let me repeat: the US has demanded that Pakistan kill possibly millions of people who are themselves victims of the Taliban. This has nothing to do even with revenge. It is at a far lower moral level even than that. The significance is heightened by the fact that this is mentioned in passing, with no comment, and probably will hardly be noticed. We can learn a great deal about the moral level of the reigning intellectual culture of the West by observing the reaction to this demand. I think we can be reasonably confident that if the American population had the slightest idea of what is being done in their name, they would be utterly appalled."
- Noam Chomsky

Please Note: The above comments are already outdated: Pakistan has now indeed obediently withdrawn all such aid. The World Food Program run by the United Nations estimates that 5.5 million people in Afghanistan (which is one quarter of Afghanistan's entire population) will starve to death by the end of this winter unless that humanitarian aid is restored to them.

"Killing Civilians: Behind the Reassuring Words" by Norman Solomon

Comments

[crazyredhead888.livejournal.com]

I swear I read that the UN was sending food and supplies to Afghanistan...did you hear anything about that?
This is all so sad, it just breaks my heart, all the pain and suffering in this world. I saw the video on CNN or something today showing Afghanistan women getting shot in the head and I think it's because they were victims of rape. What is wrong with this world?

[queerbychoice.livejournal.com]

The U.N. is indeed sending food and supplies in now, although I haven't been able to find any news reports on how the U.N. got the U.S. to agree to it. Every report I've seen so far on the supplies now being sent in has conveniently omitted any mention that the U.S. ever forbade Pakistan to send supplies in the first place - the mainstream media just aren't mentioning that part of it at all. I'd love to know who got the U.S. to back down from that position, and how they accomplished it.

One possibility that comes to mind is that the U.S. didn't really back away from anything but simply doesn't have the necessary authority over the U.N. to stop them from sending food? I know that Pakistan's government had agreed to stop sending food, but maybe the U.N. had never agreed to it in the first place, so now the U.N. has just taken over sending all food in, and Pakistan's government is just sitting on the sidelines watching.

But like I said, I don't know exactly what's going on with that; the news reports have been awfully spotty.

Re:

[crazyredhead888.livejournal.com]

I can't keep track. By the time I watch and digest one news report it has already changed..it's all too much for me. Gives me a headache and makes me depressed.

[poohimsa.livejournal.com]

It's smart to appease Pakistan and ease their burden of refugees while preparing for military action. I bet that and pressure from the E.U. and U.N. caused the U.S. to change its tune.

Bush Administration to Join U.N. Effort to Raise $584 Million for Refugees (http://www.nytimes.com/2001/09/28/international/28DIPL.html?searchpv=past7days)