Effects of pastUSpolicy remain to haunt Obama
by Rachelle Marshall
(source: Media Monitors Network)
"Archbishop Tutu praised the weekly vigils as “a nonviolent struggle that will bring Palestinians their freedom.” But so far Israel has been no more willing to respond to a nonviolent plea for justice than it is to abide by international law. In July 2004, the Israelis, with U.S. support, ignored a decision by the International Court of Justice that declared construction of the wall inside the West Bank a breach of humanitarian law that “cannot be justified by military exigencies or by the requirements of national security.” The ruling was endorsed by all 15 judges except the American member."
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"To put it simply, we need to worry a lot less about how we communicate our actions and much more about what our actions communicate."
— Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Mike Mullen in a critique of administration efforts at “strategic communication,” The New York Times, August 27, 2009.
Two successive wars in Iraq demonstrated America’s unparallelled power to destroy, and its willingness to use that power. Uncritical support for Israel exposed the limits of America’s commitment to human rights. In order to repair the damage done by these actions President Barack Obama will have to make hard choices and take bold actions.
