I still do not see deliberate killing of thousand of civilian there.




1948: Israel established. U.S. declines to press Israel to allow expelled Palestinians to return.

We "failed to press" someone? That's compared to 3800 dead bodies?



1949: CIA backs military coup deposing elected government of Syria.

We backed _their_ coup? They fight, and it's our fault that we look out for our interest?



1953: CIA helps overthrow the democratically-elected Mossadeq government in Iran (which had nationalized the British oil company) leading to a quarter-century of repressive and dictatorial rule by the Shah, Mohammed Reza Pahlevi.

Need more data on this one... May be you are right. Still it's not the example I am looking for.


1956: U.S. cuts off promised funding for Aswan Dam in Egypt after Egypt receives Eastern bloc arms.


"Cuts off promised aid". Again, bad, bad US.


1956: Israel, Britain, and France invade Egypt. U.S. does not support invasion, but the involvement of its NATO allies severely diminishes Washington's reputation in the region.

"US does not support the invasion"




1958: U.S. troops land in Lebanon to preserve "stability".

"to preserve stability". Look what a fine job they had been doing before us, and after us.


early 1960s: U.S. unsuccessfully attempts assassination of Iraqi leader, Abdul Karim Qassim.

"unsuccesfully". OK.


1963: U.S. reported to gives Iraqi Ba'ath party (soon to be headed by Saddam Hussein) names of communists to murder, which they do with vigor.

What makes you think that communists are any better than Ba'ath? Especially in 1963?


1967-: U.S. blocks any effort in the Security Council to enforce SC Resolution 244, calling for Israeli withdrawal from territories occupied in the 1967 war.

May be right or wrong, but that's diplomacy. Nothing that calls for a cold-blooded murder of thousands.


1970: Civil war between Jordan and PLO. Israel and U.S. prepare to intervene on side of Jordan if Syria backs PLO.


"prepare to intervene" ?


1972: U.S. blocks Sadat's efforts to reach a peace agreement with Egypt.

Huh? Sadat was an Egiptian, no?


1973: U.S. military aid enables Israel to turn the tide in war with Syria and Egypt.


And if it did not, US would have had millions of dead Jews on its consciense.

1973-75: U.S. supports Kurdish rebels in Iraq. When Iran reaches an agreement with Iraq in 1975 and seals the border, Iraq slaughters Kurds and U.S. denies them refuge. Kissinger secretly explains that "covert action should not be confused with missionary work."


We failed to support rebels all the way. And now that we try to do it in Afghanistan, you aren't happy either.


1978-79: Iranians begin demonstrations against the Shah. U.S. tells Shah it supports him "without reservation" and urges him to act forcefully. Until the last minute, U.S. tries to organize military coup to save the Shah, but to no avail.


Now we are faithful to our allies. And you are still not happy. In any case, even if US tried to save a bad regime, it failed. And what replaced the regime is not much better. And still I see no call to murder here. Iranians got thier revenge already, in less painful ways.


1979-88: U.S. begins covert aid to Mujahideen in Afghanistan six months before Soviet invasion in Dec. 1979. Over the next decade U.S. provides training and more than $3 billion in arms and aid.

Soviet involvement in Afghanistan started years before the actual invasion. Afghanistan was essentially another Checoslovakia for Soviet Union.


1980-88: Iran-Iraq war. When Iraq invades Iran, the U.S. opposes any Security Council action to condemn the invasion. U.S. soon removes Iraq from its list of nations supporting terrorism and allows U.S. arms to be transferred to Iraq. At the same time, U.S. lets Israel provide arms to Iran and in 1985 U.S. provides arms directly (though secretly) to Iran. U.S. provides intelligence information to Iraq. Iraq uses chemical weapons in 1984; U.S. restores diplomatic relations with Iraq. 1987 U.S. sends its navy into the Persian Gulf, taking Iraq's side; an overly-aggressive U.S. ship shoots down an Iranian civilian airliner, killing 290.

The airliner catasrophy comes close. But, if I remember correctly, "overly-aggressive" is not just your assesment of this. The carier of the ship's captain was over. The Navy apologised. No one selebrated in the streets.



I am sorry, I don't have time to go answering to you entire list. I find all of them, even taken together, pathetically short of provoking the murder we witnessed. By all means, go buil your own economy, expand your diplomatic influence, even in vest some money in our politicians (just try not to get caught). But don't murder people.

I cannot do much if you feel differently. You are certainly entitled to your own opinion. But I hope US will be able to do something about bin Laden who actually put his feelings into actions.

Our position towards Israel is already very different. We _will_ shoehorn them into the territory that we think is appropriate. Don't you see all the pressure now? THEN we will have a real problem: what to do when that does not help, and halved Israel is still hated as much as before?

P.S. Bin Laden won this particular round: if you hit US hard enough, it will change policy.