Re: USA Africa Dialogue Series - What was I saying?

My recollection is that the term terror/terrorists began with bush at 9/11. Sure, it existed before, but he created the phrase "war on terror." Since then the term has expanded geometrically so that now all regimes in the world label their opposition "terrorists." It is a means of authenticating those in power, as toyin says, delegitimizing opposition, and thus undermining political systems that permit oppositional politics, i.e. democracies. It is basically antidemocratic by permitting those in power to define those who do not legitimately oppose their power. 

Remember, how in the older days when we espoused revolution more enthusiastically, another term came to be used, or set of terms. They were defined around "state" as in "state terrorism," where the state permitting itself to perform acts it denied to individual groups, typically oppositional groups. Close to that were "raisons d'etat," or the state's rationalizations for its actions, or kissinger's realpolitik, another form of raison d'etat.

The united states supported israel, but not unconditionally because it also wanted saudi oil, not to mention iraqi or iranian or uae etc oil. It supported, and continues to support egypt, with billions in military aid annually. It had a middle eastern policy, not just an israeli policy, and israel, after all, has no oil, only jews with a jewish lobby in the u.s. that did not prevent trump's election, and ultimately supported trump.

Already i've read of biden opposing an israeli invasion of gaza; the u.s.is not automatically pro netanyahu.

Recall trump's son in law making deals with the saudis….

Ken

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From: usaafricadialogue@googlegroups.com <usaafricadialogue@googlegroups.com> on behalf of Toyin Falola <toyinfalola@austin.utexas.edu>
Sent: Wednesday, October 18, 2023 9:43:40 AM
To: usaafricadialogue@googlegroups.com <usaafricadialogue@googlegroups.com>
Subject: Re: USA Africa Dialogue Series - What was I saying?

 

Dear sir:

Hegemonic power is framed in moral terms: power is moral; challenges to power is immoral. Whatever power does is regarded as moral. Power then defines challenges to it in amoral terms as in terrorism. Critics of power are then labeled: anti US/anti-order, anarchists. And what you wrote below, to power, is treated as out of order. And to defenders of power, they ask: "why did you leave your shit-hole country to teach us what to do?' Hegemonic power, historically, has always been dangerous.

TF

 

From: usaafricadialogue@googlegroups.com <usaafricadialogue@googlegroups.com> on behalf of Sabella <sabidde@gmail.com>
Date: Wednesday, October 18, 2023 at 8:21 AM
To: USA Africa Dialogue Series <usaafricadialogue@googlegroups.com>
Subject: USA Africa Dialogue Series - What was I saying?

1.    According to Emmanuel Macron, we should be afraid of "Islamist Terrorism," but should have no fear of apartheid and or settler-colonial states.

2.    They said we should be afraid of immigrants, but they have nothing negative to say about neo-imperialists and their predatory tendencies.

3.    Recent events have shown that the US is not and cannot be an impartial arbitrator in the ongoing Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

4.    Some rich and powerful individuals are threatening educational institutions and critics of the State of Israel for "holding on to their beliefs." What's the moral of their action? "He who pays the piper dictates the tune."

5.    In today's America, there is a price to pay for the public support of the Palestinians. For more than three decades, I have been a supporter and an advocate of the two-state solution and the right of both peoples to live in peace and peacefully.

6.    Why is it so difficult to understand and or accept the fact that Statehood for the Palestinians is the right and just thing to do and would lessen the tension in the Middle East?

7.    According to a news report, "Germany's Scholz warns Iran, Hezbollah not to enter Middle East conflict." Ha, there is God ooo…why not advise the White House not to overtly/covertly enter/send military and intelligence aid to Israel?

8.    "The emperors and generals who sent their men to war in August 1914 thought in terms of weeks, not months, let alone years." - John G. Stoessinger

Sabella O. Abidde

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