{"id":232003,"date":"2023-03-27T12:01:09","date_gmt":"2023-03-27T11:01:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/?p=232003"},"modified":"2023-03-21T04:11:48","modified_gmt":"2023-03-21T04:11:48","slug":"the-iraq-war-20-years-ago-no-shame-no-lessons-learned-no-arrest-order-on-nato-state-leaders","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/2023\/03\/the-iraq-war-20-years-ago-no-shame-no-lessons-learned-no-arrest-order-on-nato-state-leaders\/","title":{"rendered":"The Iraq War 20 Years Ago: No Shame. No Lessons Learned. No Arrest Order on NATO State Leaders."},"content":{"rendered":"<blockquote><p>19 Mar 2023 &#8211; <em>Writing this, I must admit that my rage and pain build up inside, still twenty years later. Below, see what TFF and I wrote back then and why we were, simply put, making better predictions on a shoestring budget than the US and other NATO decision-makers on multi-billion-dollar budgets. <\/em><\/p>\n<p><em>Like other wars and interventions, this was no \u201cmistake\u201d. It was an unavoidable consequence of Western MIRE \u2013 Militarism, Imperialism, Racism and Exceptionalism. <\/em><\/p>\n<p><em>The West has learned nothing. Militarism is now its main cohesive force into its manifest destiny: Decline and fall.<\/em><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p class=\"has-text-align-center has-small-font-size\" style=\"text-align: left;\"><strong>President George W. Bush announcing that he has just started the war on Iraq. Listen carefully! All the arguments and aims he presents were either false, mistaken or outright lies. And sanctimonious.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"BUSH ANNOUNCE IRAQ WAR\" width=\"500\" height=\"375\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/3Cx3YjKV-L4?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/p>\n<div aria-hidden=\"true\">\n<p class=\"has-luminous-vivid-orange-color has-text-color has-medium-font-size\"><strong>TFF\u2019s fact-finding missions and scattered memories<\/strong><\/p>\n<p class=\"has-drop-cap\">Permit me start out with a quotation from the British <em>Stop The War Coalition\u2019s<\/em> newsletter:<\/p>\n<blockquote><p><em>\u201cA report <a href=\"https:\/\/click.actionnetwork.org\/ss\/c\/atcYNHk4Eh2YdGnwBh-YDJ8SLq3QxPBL0ZlL-wQU8KJfZMiKXhuK1XjL2UrBEn-eeNk0jpwWK0Q9xjmycm09O5Wt4bLkr0OVNtAQBY1h8vJ_sAO9jssh9VTZmrJLNwS8WNgudlFEeFhr2VBb7rcaIOdEKWMNV-JEZyHqzXDs2hna-bcS4e206dz1OFECbpTaqCxwUrO1C5VFkIrVQ6UDwInaeBXMUFZZMiMidHO9VO1k2o8eG4TIZ3rfWD1guK53c-U_4yh7dWoxyhuxUGgiC5SxBqkV4J_DG4RNzmVACFRigF5E4jc7uZKOgAGcDlq_U4TLDaoQBHMOcqBck1vwnD5lm1oZOrdnyoxrXr0nOzU\/3uk\/4igMLTMfRZyZ3LY_mcyWyg\/h1\/MZLq6vsA__icAiuZwKkYlusZVwfFKIsVIDN8gwMHJuE\"  target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">released this week<\/a> by the Costs of War Project estimates that between 550,000-580,000 people have been killed since March 2003 in Iraq and Syria and \u201cseveral times as many may have died due to indirect causes such as preventable diseases.\u201d<\/em><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>It goes on to say that \u201cmore than 7 million people from Iraq and Syria are currently refugees, and nearly 8 million people are internally displaced in the two countries.\u201d These devastating statistics tell us more of what we already know: the Iraq War was an utter disaster, and the perpetrators should be brought to justice.<\/p>\n<p>This coming week marks 20 years since the invasion led by George Bush and Tony Blair.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>You should be aware also that the US is still on the ground (the US Embassy in Baghdad is the largest anywhere in the world) \u2013 it has a series of <a href=\"https:\/\/covertactionmagazine.com\/2023\/03\/13\/syrian-government-condemns-visit-of-general-mark-milley-and-accuses-u-s-occupying-forces-of-stealing-countrys-oil\/\"  target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">military bases in Syria and steals its oil on a daily basis<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>More people died in Iraq because of 13 years of sanctions than because of the military death and destruction.<\/p>\n<p>And <a href=\"https:\/\/www.militarytimes.com\/opinion\/commentary\/2020\/02\/06\/the-iraq-war-has-cost-the-us-nearly-2-trillion\/\"  target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">the costs of this war alone<\/a> have been close to US$ 2 <em>trillion<\/em>. And here the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.militarytimes.com\/news\/your-military\/2023\/03\/17\/wars-in-iraq-and-syria-cost-half-a-million-lives-nearly-3t-report\/?SToverlay=2002c2d9-c344-4bbb-8610-e5794efcfa7d\"  target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">estimated costs up to 2050<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>And \u2013 I predict \u2013 the Western mainstream media will do very little about these crimes, the mass killing, this utterly failed war \u2013 morally, in terms of international law and in terms of winning the hearts and minds of the Iraqi people.<\/p>\n<p>And they will keep on focusing on the European war in Ukraine and the suffering of those who are white, Christian and victims of Russia\u2019s comparatively small \u2013 but yes, inexcusable \u2013 war there.<\/p>\n<p>Why? Because it suits NATO, the EU and the declining West in general. And because, by focusing on Ukraine, NATO countries\u2019 war crimes fall into the darkness. Harold Pinter would probably say about it \u2013 it didn\u2019t happen; nothing ever happened there.<\/p>\n<p>Is anybody in the political, military and media wars of the West having second thoughts today? Does anybody have the civil moral courage to apologise?<\/p>\n<p>No \u2013 those same Military-Industrial-Media-Academic Complex (MIMAC) elites continue to destroy our world, incapable of learning any lessons. And there should be plenty to learn.<\/p>\n<div class=\"wp-block-spacer\" aria-hidden=\"true\">***********<\/div>\n<p class=\"has-drop-cap\">I did fact-finding in Iraq twice, the second time shortly before the US-misled coalition of the willing did its \u2018shock and awe.\u2019 My dear colleague, friend and former UN peacekeeper, retired lieutenant colonel <em><a href=\"http:\/\/www.oldsite.transnational.org\/SAJT\/tff\/people\/c_harleman.html\"  target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Christian H\u00e5rleman<\/a><\/em> \u2013 who at the time was also the chairman of the TFF Board \u2013 and I did 160 interviews with people at all levels, from the #3 man in the system, <em>Tariq Aziz<\/em>, Baath party member, military, UN staff \u2013 over scholars, diplomats, NGO\/women\u2019s organisations to the proverbial taxi driver and people in tea houses \u2013 in Baghdad, Babylon, Basra and the UN mission at the border with Kuwait. We gave a lecture for high-level militaries and diplomats at the <a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/House_of_Wisdom\" >House of Wisdom, <em>Bayt al-\u1e24ikmah<\/em><\/a>, also known as the Grand Library of Baghdad.<\/p>\n<p>Although everyone we met felt misunderstood, demonised and tense at the prospect of Bush\u2019s and Blair\u2019s bombs soon falling, we \u2013 Westerners \u2013 were treated everywhere with respect and kindness. For instance, a lady in the reception of our hotel had found that both our birthdays were in January, so we found a beautiful bouquet of flowers in our room that day.<\/p>\n<p>In the spring of 2004, I published my book (in Danish) <em><a href=\"http:\/\/www.oldsite.transnational.org\/SAJT\/forum\/meet\/2004\/forudsigelig_fiasko.html\"  target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">\u201cPredictable Fiasco. The Conflict With Iraq and Denmark As An Occupation Power\u201d<\/a> <\/em>(Tiderne Skifter, Copenhagen, 296 pages). Being in Baghdad for just 24 hours, any fool \u2013 such as I \u2013 would predict that the US\/West would never win the hearts and minds of the Iraqis. No way!<\/p>\n<p>This is not the place to go through all that again.<\/p>\n<p>At writing this, my rage and pain build up inside still twenty years later.<\/p>\n<p>I wonder where this boy is today. If he is. I took these photos of him in the old town\u2019s book bazaar \u2013 he would be about 25-16 today. If he is, what is his and his family\u2019s life like today? How did this criminal war shape his childhood? What has it done to his well-being \u2013 innocent as he was?<\/p>\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-large is-resized\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-27043 jetpack-lazy-image jetpack-lazy-image--handled aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/transnational.live\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/Ahmed_ForFrame-kopia-1.jpg?resize=497%2C394&amp;ssl=1\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 497px) 100vw, 497px\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/transnational.live\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/Ahmed_ForFrame-kopia-1.jpg?resize=1024%2C813&amp;ssl=1 1024w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/transnational.live\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/Ahmed_ForFrame-kopia-1.jpg?resize=300%2C238&amp;ssl=1 300w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/transnational.live\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/Ahmed_ForFrame-kopia-1.jpg?resize=768%2C610&amp;ssl=1 768w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/transnational.live\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/Ahmed_ForFrame-kopia-1.jpg?resize=1200%2C952&amp;ssl=1 1200w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/transnational.live\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/Ahmed_ForFrame-kopia-1.jpg?resize=220%2C173&amp;ssl=1 220w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/transnational.live\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/Ahmed_ForFrame-kopia-1.jpg?resize=570%2C452&amp;ssl=1 570w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/transnational.live\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/Ahmed_ForFrame-kopia-1.jpg?resize=701%2C556&amp;ssl=1 701w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/transnational.live\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/Ahmed_ForFrame-kopia-1.jpg?resize=1067%2C847&amp;ssl=1 1067w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/transnational.live\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/Ahmed_ForFrame-kopia-1.jpg?w=1449&amp;ssl=1 1449w\" alt=\"\" width=\"497\" height=\"394\" data-recalc-dims=\"1\" data-lazy-loaded=\"1\" \/><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"wp-block-spacer\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-large is-resized\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-27045 jetpack-lazy-image jetpack-lazy-image--handled aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/transnational.live\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/AhmedNew-kopia-2.jpg?resize=504%2C672&amp;ssl=1\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 504px) 100vw, 504px\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/transnational.live\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/AhmedNew-kopia-2.jpg?resize=768%2C1024&amp;ssl=1 768w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/transnational.live\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/AhmedNew-kopia-2.jpg?resize=225%2C300&amp;ssl=1 225w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/transnational.live\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/AhmedNew-kopia-2.jpg?resize=900%2C1200&amp;ssl=1 900w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/transnational.live\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/AhmedNew-kopia-2.jpg?resize=600%2C800&amp;ssl=1 600w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/transnational.live\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/AhmedNew-kopia-2.jpg?resize=300%2C400&amp;ssl=1 300w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/transnational.live\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/AhmedNew-kopia-2.jpg?resize=150%2C200&amp;ssl=1 150w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/transnational.live\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/AhmedNew-kopia-2.jpg?resize=570%2C760&amp;ssl=1 570w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/transnational.live\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/AhmedNew-kopia-2.jpg?resize=701%2C935&amp;ssl=1 701w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/transnational.live\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/AhmedNew-kopia-2.jpg?w=960&amp;ssl=1 960w\" alt=\"\" width=\"504\" height=\"672\" data-recalc-dims=\"1\" data-lazy-loaded=\"1\" \/><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<p>And there were these two extraordinarily decent, competent and kind people with whom we spent hours \u2013 Saddam\u2019s weapons expert and liaison with the West on the issue of weapons of mass destruction, <em><a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Amir_Hamudi_Hasan_al-Sadi\"  target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Amir al-Saadi<\/a><\/em> and <em><a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Aqila_al-Hashimi\"  target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Aquila al-Hashimi<\/a><\/em> who was shortly after killed \u2013 as was the legendary CARE worker, <a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Margaret_Hassan\"  target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"><em>Margaret Hassan<\/em><\/a>, who was abducted and murdered, and whom we also interviewed.<\/p>\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-large is-resized\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-27047 jetpack-lazy-image jetpack-lazy-image--handled aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/transnational.live\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/AqilaAmir_Text.jpg?resize=654%2C888&amp;ssl=1\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 654px) 100vw, 654px\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/transnational.live\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/AqilaAmir_Text.jpg?resize=754%2C1024&amp;ssl=1 754w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/transnational.live\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/AqilaAmir_Text.jpg?resize=221%2C300&amp;ssl=1 221w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/transnational.live\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/AqilaAmir_Text.jpg?resize=768%2C1044&amp;ssl=1 768w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/transnational.live\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/AqilaAmir_Text.jpg?resize=1130%2C1536&amp;ssl=1 1130w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/transnational.live\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/AqilaAmir_Text.jpg?resize=570%2C774&amp;ssl=1 570w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/transnational.live\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/AqilaAmir_Text.jpg?resize=701%2C952&amp;ssl=1 701w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/transnational.live\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/AqilaAmir_Text.jpg?resize=1067%2C1450&amp;ssl=1 1067w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/transnational.live\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/AqilaAmir_Text.jpg?w=1154&amp;ssl=1 1154w\" alt=\"\" width=\"654\" height=\"888\" data-recalc-dims=\"1\" data-lazy-loaded=\"1\" \/><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<p class=\"has-luminous-vivid-orange-color has-text-color has-medium-font-size\"><strong>A selection of what TFF and the author published twenty years ago<\/strong><\/p>\n<p class=\"has-drop-cap\">These materials \u2013 twenty years back \u2013 are found at old homepages and archives. Here most of them are made available at your fingertips:<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.oldsite.transnational.org\/Art\/photoseries\/iraq_index.html\"  target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">The 30 photo series: Iraqi faces and surfaces 2002-2003<\/a><br \/>\n\u201cWith these pictures, I want you to get a sense of the simple fact that Iraq is not only Saddam Hussein, weapons and wars. Iraq is 24 million fellow human beings. It has been a civilisation for some 7,000 years. It has a distinct, rich culture; it has norms, and \u2013 above all \u2013 it has pride. I have never visited a country with so much kindness and hospitality \u2013 a genuine welcoming of the stranger.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>***********<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.oldsite.transnational.org\/SAJT\/forum\/meet\/2003\/AT_WAR_IRAQ.html\"  target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Operation Think Freely About Iraq # 1: March 27 \u2013 April 8, 2003<\/a><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.oldsite.transnational.org\/SAJT\/forum\/meet\/2003\/At_War_ThinkFreely2.html\"  target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Operation Think Freely About Iraq # 2: April 9 \u2013 April 27, 2003<\/a><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.oldsite.transnational.org\/SAJT\/forum\/meet\/2003\/At_War_ThinkFreely3.htm\"  target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Operation Think Freely About Iraq # 3: April 28 till May 15, 2003<\/a><\/p>\n<p>It was obvious from the first weeks that the world was fed by totally one-sided opinion-forming journalism and that the US people who came to Iraq did not have the faintest idea about how to govern it.<\/p>\n<p>***********<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.oldsite.transnational.org\/SAJT\/features\/2003\/Collection_Iraq.html\"  target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">TFF Collection Iraq 1, <\/a><a href=\"http:\/\/www.oldsite.transnational.org\/SAJT\/features\/2003\/Collection_Iraq2.html\"  target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">2<\/a>, <a href=\"http:\/\/www.oldsite.transnational.org\/SAJT\/features\/2004\/Collection_Iraq3.html\"  target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">3<\/a> and <a href=\"http:\/\/www.oldsite.transnational.org\/SAJT\/features\/2004\/Collection_Iraq4.html\"  target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">4<\/a> \u2013 December 2002 \u2013 January 2005<br \/>\nSome 130 articles by TFF Associates alone \u2013 and more by other authors.<\/p>\n<p>***********<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.oldsite.transnational.org\/Area_Index_MiddleEast.htm\"  target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">TFF from February 2006 \u2013 January 2012<\/a><br \/>\nAbout 40 articles between February 2006 and January 2012 (search yourself for \u201cIraq\u201d)<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/tffblog2011-2017.transnational.live\/category\/middle-east\/iraq\/\"  target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">TFF from 2012 \u2013 2017<\/a><br \/>\nAlmost 600 articles focused on the Middle East, of which 101 with the hashtag \u201cIraq\u201d.<\/p>\n<p>Jan Oberg (in Danish) <em><a href=\"http:\/\/www.oldsite.transnational.org\/SAJT\/forum\/meet\/2004\/forudsigelig_fiasko.html\"  target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">\u201cPredictable Fiasco. The Conflict With Iraq and Denmark As An Occupation Power\u201d<\/a> <\/em>(Tiderne Skifter, Copenhagen, 296 pages, only available in secondhand bookshops as the publisher went out of business).<\/p>\n<p class=\"has-luminous-vivid-orange-color has-text-color has-medium-font-size\"><strong>Diagnosis \u2013 Prognosis \u2013 Solutions<\/strong><\/p>\n<p class=\"has-drop-cap\">So much about TFF\u2019s <em>Diagnoses<\/em> and <em>Prognoses<\/em>. We did not continue the work in Iraq and have not visited Iraq since 2003.<\/p>\n<p>But we did bring forward a series of peace proposals \u2013 Treatment\/Solution \u2013 <em>before<\/em> the war. It was a 14-point program developed by <em><a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Hans-Christof_von_Sponeck\" >Hans von Sponeck<\/a><\/em> \u2013 who had resigned from the UN after more than 30 years of service, including as UN Assistant Secretary-General and UN Humanitarian Coordinator for Iraq because, as he said, he would not preside over a genocide on the Iraqi people \u2013 and myself.<\/p>\n<p>We sent it to what was considered one of the finest and most trustworthy media in the world, <em>International Herald Tribune<\/em>. That was in December 2002, and it was accepted. Then it was delayed and then rejected. Read it here with an introduction to this bizarre and disgraceful example of the <a href=\"https:\/\/oberg.life\/2023\/03\/05\/experiences-with-the-media-over-almost-50-years\/\"  target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">mainstream media manipulations then \u2013 and even worse now<\/a>:<\/p>\n<blockquote><p><em><strong><a href=\"http:\/\/www.oldsite.transnational.org\/SAJT\/pressinf\/2003\/pf170_IraqEuropeChoice.html\"  target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">A Road to Peace with Iraq \u2013 Europe\u2019s Choice<\/a><\/strong><\/em><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>In summary, the US\/NATO\/EU world has learned no lessons from Yugoslavia, Kuwait, Somalia, Afghanistan, Iraq, Libya, and Syria. NATO\u2019s provocative expansion over 30 years right up to the border of Russia indicates the same \u2013 while not meant as an endorsement of the Russian invasion of Ukraine.<\/p>\n<p>They\u2019ve all been examples of the <strong>MIRE<\/strong> mentioned above \u2013 Militarism + Imperialism + Racism + Exceptionalism.<\/p>\n<p>And the media play the same role now as back then \u2013 just more uniform, more ignorant of the basic criteria of quality media work \u2013 <em>knowledge<\/em>-based, <em>diversity<\/em> in perspectives, solid check of <em>sources<\/em>, <em>independent investigation<\/em>, aiming at <em>objectivity<\/em> to the extent humanly possible, serving <em>public education<\/em> and being <em>critical of power<\/em> as well as revealing its <em>abuse<\/em>.<\/p>\n<p class=\"has-drop-cap has-vivid-red-color has-text-color\">In the field of global affairs, this type of journalism is no longer to be found in the Western mainstream, influential media \u2013 something I have dealt with at length in a 50-year perspective <a href=\"https:\/\/oberg.life\/2023\/03\/05\/experiences-with-the-media-over-almost-50-years\/\"  target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">here<\/a>. These media have, compared with 2003, become even more tightly integrated into the<a href=\"https:\/\/vimeo.com\/557705016\"  target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"> <strong>MIMAC<\/strong> \u2013 the Military-Industrial Media Academic Complex<\/a> \u2013 the elites networking in a murky, criminal society far away from democracy with its checks and balances.<\/p>\n<blockquote><p><em>\u201cIt is enough that a lie is believed for three days \u2013 it has then served its purpose.&#8221;<\/em><br \/>\n&#8212; Marie de Medici (1573-1642), Queen Consort and Queen Regent of France<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p class=\"has-drop-cap has-vivid-red-color has-text-color\">Unlike our mainstream adversaries, warmongering propagandists and other destructive forces, TFF has no source of state, corporate or institutional finance whatsoever. Such are the conditions for truly independent peace research in these times. Everything <em>peace<\/em> has been cancelled. But we are still here \u2013 and will be. Thanks to <em>you<\/em>.<\/p>\n<p class=\"has-vivid-red-color has-text-color\">TFF and this homepage operate entirely on voluntary support from its readers, and we who produce it are all volunteers. To support TFF, you do not have to agree with every argument or article, only welcome alternative voices, research-based knowledge and dialogue about important matters.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\"><span class=\"embed-youtube\"><iframe loading=\"lazy\" class=\"youtube-player\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/ZEg6Ht2pNH0?version=3&amp;rel=1&amp;showsearch=0&amp;showinfo=1&amp;iv_load_policy=1&amp;fs=1&amp;hl=en-US&amp;autohide=2&amp;wmode=transparent\" width=\"640\" height=\"360\" sandbox=\"allow-scripts allow-same-origin allow-popups allow-presentation\" allowfullscreen=\"allowfullscreen\"><\/iframe><\/span><\/div>\n<\/figure>\n<p class=\"has-text-align-center\" style=\"text-align: center;\"><strong>Who said Freudian slip?<\/strong><\/p>\n<div class=\"wp-block-spacer\" aria-hidden=\"true\">\n<p><em>__________________________________________<\/em><\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 40px;\"><em><a href=\"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/08\/JanOberg-scaled-e1596967349638.jpg\" ><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignleft size-full wp-image-166625\" src=\"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/08\/JanOberg-scaled-e1596967349638.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"100\" height=\"143\" \/><\/a> Prof. Jan Oberg, Ph.D. is director of the <a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/transnational.live\/\" >Transnational Foundation for Peace and Future Research, TFF<\/a> and a member of the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/\" >TRANSCEND Network for Peace Development Environment<\/a>. CV: <a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/transnational.live\/jan-oberg\" >https:\/\/transnational.live\/jan-oberg<\/a><\/em><em><br \/>\n<a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/transnational.live\" >https:\/\/transnational.live<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/transnational.live\/2023\/03\/18\/jan-oberg-the-iraq-war-20-years-ago-no-shame-no-lessons-learned-no-arrest-order-on-nato-state-leaders\/\" >Go to Original \u2013 transnational.live<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>19 Mar 2023 &#8211; Like other wars and interventions, this was no \u201cmistake\u201d. It was an unavoidable consequence of Western MIRE \u2013 Militarism, Imperialism, Racism, Exceptionalism. The West has learned nothing. Militarism is now its main cohesive force into its manifest destiny: Decline and fall.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":166625,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[40],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-232003","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-transcend-members"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/232003","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=232003"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/232003\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":232007,"href":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/232003\/revisions\/232007"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/166625"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=232003"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=232003"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=232003"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}