Wednesday, May 16, 2007

The true heart of darkness


By Pepe Escobar
Asia Times

"......Leaving Baghdad at night, past curfew time, is one of the saddest experiences of our time. There are just a few dim lights down on the ground - as if the former pride and splendor of Islam are enveloped in a shroud. The only moving object is - what else - a serpentine US convoy about to go on a search-and-destroy mission in "normal life".

The Bush/Cheney half-trillion-dollar (so far) Iraq adventure razed to the ground an entire Arab state. Not just any Arab state; the cradle of civilization as we know it has been hurled back to medieval times (but with mobile phones for everyone; an Iraqna SIM card costs only US$10).

Blowback will be perennial: the "sanctions generation" - the angry young men who grew up deprived of everything during the 1990s - will never, ever forget it. Even if the Iraqi Parliament votes a timeline for the end of the occupation - as Sadrist leader Nasr al-Roubaie told Asia Times Online two weeks ago.

Iraq is and will remain the true heart of darkness of the early 21st century. Forget about Russia or China; now, finally, the administration of President George W Bush, the military-industrial complex and assorted armchair warriors can finally be assured that the United States has found an enemy for life. "

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