U.S. Afghanistan Offensive Violates Olympic Truce
The target is any system that might question the prerogative of the U.S. empire to use deadly force whenever it wants.
Earlier today I sent a note to several friends, writing that it "would be interesting if the U.S. started the offensive in Afghanistan tonight, since the ancient Greeks stopped their wars to have Olympics; but we've followed a different path." Around four hours later -- shortly after putting out a news release "New Offensive in Afghanistan: U.S. Poised to Commit War Crimes?" -- I heard the breaking news: that the offensive in Marjah had begun.
According to the Perseus Project at Tufts University: "A truce (in Greek, ekecheiria, which literally means 'holding of hands') was announced before and during each of the Olympic festivals, to allow visitors to travel safely to Olympia. An inscription describing the truce was written on a bronze discus which was displayed at Olympia. During the truce, wars were suspended, armies were prohibited from entering Elis or threatening the Games, and legal disputes and the carrying out of death penalties were forbidden."
Last year, the International Olympic Committee was granted observer status at the UN. Earlier this week, the UN made formal its support for an Olympic Truce and a "truce wall" was put up where athletes and others can sign up to support the Olympic truce.
This attack on the people of Marjah is just one instance of the U.S. committing aggressive acts on holidays: In 1998, Bill Clinton ordered the "Desert Fox" bombing of Iraq just before the beginning of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan (though that attack also coincided with his scheduled impeachment vote). During the bombing of Yugoslavia the following year, many had suggested a slowing or stopping of the bombing on Orthodox Easter. Instead, the U.S. escalated the bombing of Yugoslavia that Sunday.
Of course, one could argue that the U.S. government commits so many crimes of aggression that some were bound to be on such holidays. The Iraq bombing was just before Clinton's scheduled impeachment vote. Similarly, crimes of aggression and war should never happen -- are, in fact, never justified -- holiday or not.
But this leads us to a deeper truth about the United States: The actual target is not Al Qaeda. Or Afghanistan. Or Iraq. The target is any system that might question the prerogative of the U.S. empire to use deadly force whenever it wants.
Often, it is the UN or journalists who might tell the world what the U.S. military is doing. But it could be anything that might stand in the Empire's way -- even a value of an ancient culture, the origin of the much celebrated Western tradition, that might tend, sometimes, toward peace.
