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Boogieman's
Death Won't End Iraqi Resistance
By
Dennis S. Boatwright, Prisonersolidarity.org
Dec. 3, 2006
The
targeted killing of Jordanian-born guerrilla leader Abu Musab al-Zarqawi
was celebrated by the Bush administration as evidence of the success
of US military operations in Iraq. This celebration occured when
conditions in
Iraq were spiralling out of control, and George Bush's approval
ratings
hovered at a dismal 33%. Defense spokespersons insisted that Zarqawi's
death
delivered a major blow to the morale of Iraqi resistance fighters.
Iraqi
resistance is frustrating US imperial designs and revealing the
folly of foreign policy. The Bush strategy has been to present snapshot
accounts of conditions in Iraq that minimize the chaotic situation
in the country, while magnifying trivial events that will presumably
be interpreted favourably by American citizens.
The
assassination of Zarqawi was a political windfall for Bush and the
Republican Party at a time when polls showed growing dissatisfaction
among Americans regarding how Bush was running the country, particularly
his handling of Iraq. Prior to the announcement of Zarqawi's death,
the Bush administration was beleaguered by mounting criticism for
the NSA's domestic spying program and for the savage massacre of
24 unarmed Iraqi civilians by US marines in the town of Haditha.
No high-ranking official has since been held accountable for those
shocking murders. The entire Bush administration has been tight-lipped
regarding accountability for those horrendous killings. Since the
news of Zarqawi's killing, members of Bush's cabinet have taken
every opportunity to hold news conferences -- standing next to repulsive
post-mortem posters of Zarqawi -- to take some credit for the resistance
fighter's death.
In
spite of the White House's exuberance, Iraqi resistance will continue.
Zarqawi's importance was inflated by the Pentagon and the media,
to project
him as a bigger, more formidable threat than he actually was. Because
the US
has been unable to capture its real target, Usama Bin Laden, Zarqawi
was offered as his equivalent. Iraqi resistance and attacks that
the Pentagon linked to Bin Laden in the past were suddenly now said
to be Zarqawi-inspired. There are reasons for this.
The
US strategy is to present Iraqi resistance as a small, marginal
group of
criminals and not a country-wide popular uprising. In fact, the
US Defense
Department frequently changes the personalities it claims are fuelling
Iraqi
resistance, as it changes its many false pretexts for invading Iraq.
Initially, the Pentagon attributed the uprising to disgruntled,
unemployed Ba'ath members. Once the absurdity of this claim became
obvious they attributed the rebellion to Sadaam Hussein loyalists.
Since that time they have randomly attributed the resistance to
Muqtada al-Sadr, Iran, Sunni Militia and al-Qaeda affiliates. In
addition to personalities, the Department of Defense has framed
Iraqi resistance as a localized phenomenon.
At the beginning of the invasion they tried to isolate the resistance
to the 'Sunni Triangle', thereupon Fallujah, and eventually to Sadaam
Hussein's hometown of Tikrit. If Americans were to view the resistance
as a popular uprising, the Pentagon would not be able to portray
US soldiers as welcomed heroes in Iraq.
On
the contrary, polls indicate that more than 80% of Iraqis want US
forces to immediately withdraw. Consistent with that percentage,
studies reveal that the current Iraqi resistance consists of average
Iraqi citizens. Only a negligible amount consists of foreign jihadists
or al-Qaeda. The US's exaggeration of Zarqawi's role has always
been questioned by critical observers. Many see Zarqawi as another
boogieman created by the Department of Defense to justify continuing
the occupation in Iraq. U.S. intelligence indicates there was no
sign of al-Qaeda or Zarqawi activities in Iraq prior to the US invasion.
To
be sure, the Iraqis do not need Zarqawi or Bin Laden for inspiration.
The
US occupation itself provides more than enough motivation. Zarqawi
is now
dead. U.S. officials, however, wasted no time replacing him with
another prefab boogieman--Abu Hamza al-Mujaher. If Al-Mujaher is
killed or captured the US will find someone else to replace him,
and they will continue to do this as long as they remain in Iraq,
which means as long as Iraq has oil and serves geopolitical value
to US national interests. If these new boogiemen are not terrifying
enough, then the Pentagon can use ghosts of Zarqawi or Bin Laden
to explain Iraqi guerrilla attacks.
The
US will continue to downplay popular support of the resistance and
claim
some mystical person or opaque terrorist group is responsible for
the unrest. Circumscribing the resistance to specific areas or a
lone Islamic personality will not mitigate the attacks against US
forces. The resistance will only end--as it ended in Vietnam--when
the US withdraws its troops. The newly US-installed puppet government
in Iraq is viewed as illegitimate and will never be able to quell
the uprising if US forces withdraw. What is obvious is that the
US presence in Iraq has created many angry Zarqawi-like fighters
that are lined up to fulfill the vacancy of the next assassinated
boogieman.
---
Dennis Boatwright is a 36-year old, self-taught Detroit native who
has been
in prison since 1989. His academic interests include economics and
political
science, with a strong focus on International Relations and Pan-African
politics. He is multi-lingual and is an avid learner. He is being
held at a
maximum-security prison, where he is held in his cell for 23 hours
per day.
He enjoys being challenged to the best of his abilities and describes
himself as open-minded, yet serious about life and the causes he
represents.
If
you are the editor of a progressive publication, Dennis Boatright
would
like to hear from you. This talented prisoner is seeking opportunities
to
publish his work as a contributing writer. He looking for pen pals
and would
appreciate receiving copies of political journals and books (publications
must be mailed directly from a publisher or bookstore). To contact
Dennis
Boatwright you may write to him at the address listed below.
The following link offers tips for writing to prisoners:
http://www.prisonerlife.com/tips.cfm
You
may write to Dennis at:
Dennis Boatwright, #206715
Alger Maximum Correctional Facility
P.O. Box 600
Munising, Michigan 49862
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