Deadly Curveball

By Dr. Aslam Abdullah

Do you remember Mr. Powells’s speech at the UN where he proudly presented the case for the Iraq war? He mentioned an authentic Iraqi source confirming what he said the world already knew. He called that source “Curveball.” So authentic was this source that the United States, its allies and the opposition leadership of Iraq not only trusted him but gave a green signal to him for the destruction of the country. Based on the information received from “Curveball,” the Pentagon and intelligence apparatus of the country devised a plan to invade Iraq and sustain the US presence there. Based on the information, the drama of bringing down the statue of Saddam Hussein was staged. The actors were selected and the script was read loud loudly on television.

Sermons were given in holy places using the information provided by Curveball.

Now Curveball has been identified. Sources say Curveball was an alcoholic, a failed engineering student, who never had any access to the political leadership of Iraq, and was once convicted of theft. The sources also say that the German intelligence didn’t trust his testimony and warned the US about him.

The Bush Administration used his testimony. Who knows if someone in the Bush Administration prepared him to give the testimony that would later be used to serve the military plans. It is apparent that the decision to invade Iraq was taken after the 9/11 attacks.

What is ironic is that the world’s most sophisticated media bought the political propaganda of the administration and banged the drums of war and sang the chorus of blood.

We don’t much about the game as is played in the highest echelons of politics. We know only what we have been informed by the elites. Rarely, we find someone with a clear conscience speaking out to reveal the truth. But even that does not bring about any significant change in the situation.

The lies and the unholy alliances between the world’s leading arm dealers and a naive religious clergy driven by its zeal to grab power and settle political accounts with the dictator Saddam Hussein have created an Iraq where death and destruction are justified by everyone who is involved.

These leaders do not appear to care about, much less shoulder the responsibility for, the deaths of perhaps half a million people following the US invasion based on the testimony of Curveball.

In fact, many of these leaders appear to have performed outright war crimes war crimes, perhaps even genocide. It is reported by many media sources that during the early years of the invasion, efforts were made on the part of the controller of the war to fan the Shi’a-Sunni divide and support the two groups as needed with arms and explosives.

It is clear that even the most powerful elected body in the US cannot do anything to bring about changes in the Iraq policy.

Congress, despite having democratic majority, could not do anything about the military spending even though every Democrat spoke about it and pledged to work to bring the war to an end.

It is obvious that people are powerless in the US when it comes to the interests of arms dealers. It is obvious that the so called representatives of the people so often become the representatives of those who are powerful, ignoring their own mandate.

It is obvious that despite all major international documents on the sanctity and sacredness of human life, those who are powerful are not concerned about a few million lives lost in their efforts to increase their profits through selling arms and guns.

It is obvious that the truth is often ignored by the media and that that part of the truth is displayed that serves the interests of the most powerful.

Curveball, apparently, curved a lot more than expected. He caused so many problems in world politics that the dead bodies resulting in part from his testimony are piling up, the millions whose lives have been upended –transformed by the war into refugees or debilitating injury are increasing, and those who perpetrated the war claim for themselves the mantle of benificent protectors of democracy.

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