State-Sanctioned Murder
The State of Israel does not acknowledge that its secret service agency, Mossad, has been involved in targeted assassinations, but it is a well-known 'secret' that this is just what occurs when an enemy of the country who has been responsible for the murder of its citizens is stalked by agents of Mossad. One less threat to the country. One after the other.In the latest such assassination which took place in Dubai with agents using forged passports of other countries the world was caught up in the outrage of the affair. Mostly, to be fair, about the use of forged passports from countries friendly to Israel, who don't think highly of being compromised in such skulduggery, nor their citizens potentially being placed in danger because of the misuse of their official documents.
Most civilized countries, in any event, look askance at the practise of cold-bloodedly stalking someone for the purpose of assaulting and murdering them. But then, most countries aren't faced on a daily basis, with the threat of attacks against their citizens and their sovereignty. Nor have they had to mop up mass atrocities perpetrated by their neighbours. The Supreme Court of Israel, however, orders the IDF to make arrests wherever possible, rather than use targeted assassinations as an exemplary tool in ridding the country of terror-antagonists.
So a funny thing happened recently in the United States of America. The new Obama administration made much of the steel-fisted war readiness of the former Bush administration, and hints were made of an officially-sanctioned plan to 'take out' enemies through targeted assassinations. Of course, the dovishly friendly Obama administration is making full use of drones in Afghanistan and Pakistan, and if that's not targeted assassination what is?
Aside from the fact that a good number of innocent civilian bystanders somehow get in the way and pay the supreme price for that. Just as when the IDF uses targeted assassinations to destroy the likelihood of further mass depredations on its population, civilians occasionally also become victims. And just as the U.S. apologizes whole-heartedly for those errors, so too does Israel.
And now, the Obama administration will no longer officially use such distasteful terms as "Islamic Radicalism" lest it unduly disturb those to whom friendly overtures are constantly being made, despite their being spurned by many in the world of Islam. And even while continually expressing its distaste for the sternly warlike methodology of the Bush administration, the Obama administration seems to be setting a like course.
Born of necessity, to be sure.
No one in authority around Washington appears to have any memory of any American president having ever previously authorized the assassination of an American citizen. And here we have notice that the Obama administration has done just that; sent out orders for the assassination of radical Muslim cleric Anwar al-Awlaki whose blandishments, encouragements and recruitment of radicals within the U.S. appears to have been too uncomfortably successful.
The al-Qaeda-affiliated guiding light behind two known events, one catastrophic, the other a near-hit appears to have awakened the Democratic administration to the reality of U.S. radicals posing as great a threat to the country as any originating from without the country.
Labels: Conflict, Middle East, United States
posted by Pieface @ Friday, April 09, 2010
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