[Marxism] Iraq glossary

[Louis Proyect <lnp3@xxxxxxxxx>]

Counterpunch, April 23, 2004

Graveyard of Justifications
Glossary of the Iraqi Occupation
By PAUL de ROOIJ

It is amazing to me that they [CentCom] aren't more careful with their
language. They are talking about it in a language very much of early
colonialism, or just in a language of pure military ramboism.

Rahul Mahajan, FlashPoints.net, April 14, 2004, commenting on CentCom's
[US military command] use of the word "cleansing".

Any time there is war or an occupation of another country, propagandists
or their media surrogates require language that mollifies, exculpates
and hides the grim reality or sordid deeds. In an attempt to gain a
deeper understanding of what is really happening in Iraq, this glossary
elucidates the terminology commonly used in the media. Its aim is to
enable us to peer through the linguistic fog.

There is a fundamental problem with such a glossary. The propagandists
will coin terms to exculpate or palliate aspects of the occupier's
activities, and aspects of the occupation whose mention cannot be
avoided. However, propagandists loathe referring to the uncomfortable
and repugnant aspects of the occupation or war. For example, it is very
clear that the US military will not publicize lists of Iraqi civilian
deaths (NB: they compile some lists, but these aren't made public [1]).
Iraqi hospital officials are "discouraged" from compiling lists of
civilian casualties and granting journalists access to morgues. The list
of "forbidden" compliant media topics is rather long, but a subset is
presented below.

Finally, the justifications for the war against Iraq, and the subsequent
occupation, have changed over time, and the third list below documents
the justifications proffered by the American occupiers to date. This
growing list is the graveyard of justifications.

The Glossary
Abused terminology Translation

---

Al-Qa'ida:

Bogeyman Rex.

There was no link between Al-Qa'ida and pre-2003 Iraq, and even now, the
US can't point to evidence of an Iraqi connection.

---

Ambassador:

Proconsul.

It is rather odd to call Paul Bremer an ambassador; the man even wears
army boots!

---

Anti-Iraq forces:

Catchall Opposition -- (and clear example of doublespeak).

"Soon after the Occupation, the United States and its allies--military
and ideological--referred to the Iraqi resistance as 'foreign elements'
'terrorists' or 'former loyalists of the Saddam regime'. This
phraseology has now become redundant and US military spokesman are now
referring to the guerrillas as 'anti-Iraqi forces' as if to suggest that
the US, British, [...] and Polish troops represent Iraq but the Iraqis
who resist the occupation are anti-Iraqi."
--Tariq Ali, "The Iraqi Resistance: a New Phase", CounterPunch, April
10, 2004.

Referring to many groups conveys the impression that a significant
segment of the population is ganging up against the US, and this is
counter to the propaganda claim that the opposition is a "small
minority". Furthermore, Americans, including Bush, are notorious for not
knowing who is who in a country. So, forget the details, and go for a
catchall group!

---

Avenge:

Kill 100X of theirs for each one of ours.

"Iraqi history is already being written. In revenge for the brutal
killing of four American mercenaries -- for that is what they were -- US
Marines carried out a massacre of hundreds of women and children and
guerillas in the Sunni Muslim city of Fallujah. The US military says
that the vast majority of the dead were militants. Untrue, say the
doctors. But the hundreds of dead, many of whom were indeed civilians,
were a shameful reflection on the rabble of American soldiery who
conducted these undisciplined attacks on Fallujah."

--Robert Fisk, "By endorsing Ariel Sharon's plan George Bush has
legitimised terrorism", The Independent, April 16, 2004.

NB: the principle of avenging the occupier's losses by collective
punishment is a war crime. In Lidice during World War II, Germans killed
at least 172 civilians to "avenge" some of their own, and this was
considered a war crime. In Fallujah, the killing of four mercenaries has
resulted in "hundreds" of Iraqi civilians killed. Ariel Sharon would
approve.

Full: http://www.counterpunch.org/
--

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