Abdul Haqq ibn Omar
The list of countries the US considers as enemies is very long. Apart from Zionist Israel, there is hardly a country in the world the US would call a ‘friend’. The US is welcome to Israeli friendship. We are known by the company we keep.
For decades, Britain called itself America’s indispensable ally but it does not qualify for this ‘honour’ anymore. In recent years, both Germany and France have also come in for US tongue-lashing. The first for getting too cozy with the Russians, the second for flexing its cultural muscle in defiance of the uncouth Americans.
The US and Zionist apartheid state share many things in common. Both are colonial states established on other peoples’ lands. They have oppressive systems at home and pursue expansionist policies abroad. And they are cesspools of corruption with their police forces (in Israel’s case, its army of occupation) have a free hand against the ‘Other’.
In the US, it is blacks and people of colour that are targeted; in the Zionist entity, it is the Indigenous Palestinians. Their prisons are full of the downtrodden where physical and psychological torture are rampant. Not surprisingly, the armed forces of both countries are being investigated by the Special Prosecutor at the International Criminal Court (ICC).
Let us, however, identify some of the countries the US has on its enemy list that keeps expanding (it never contracts!).
1: China
The People’s Republic of China has recently emerged on top of the list of US enemies. For months, US President Donald Trump and his equally aggressive Secretary of State have blamed China for ‘spreading’ the Coronavirus. Trump calls it “Kung flu” while Pompeo has dubbed it the “Wuhan flu”. China is not amused.
While speaking to the conservative Hudson Institute in Washington DC on July 7, FBI director Alexander Wray said China posed the “greatest long-term threat” to the future of the US. He rattled off a long list of alleged misdemeanors by Beijing including espionage, targeting of Chinese nationals in the US as well as indulging in unfair trade practices. “China is engaged in a whole-of-state effort to become the world’s only superpower by any means necessary,” warned the FBI chief darkly. The sky will definitely fall now.
Has the US not been doing precisely that since World War II and even vowed through the neo-con cabal in 1997 never to allow a rival power to emerge to challenge US global pre-eminence? Perhaps, the “exceptional superpower” believes it has a divine right to dominate the world!
2: Islamic Iran
Until China was declared the greatest threat, Islamic Iran occupied the top spot. Surely Iran does not pose a military threat to the US. Its annual defence budget at $15 billion is miniscule compared to America’s $750 billion (50 times that of Iran). So, what is America’s problem?
Iran has broken the chains of US slavery and insists on pursuing an independent course of action. It is subjected to a raft of US sanctions—all illegal—and Washington has blocked tens of billions of dollars of Iranian money. This is grand larceny.
Washington accuses Iran of destabilizing the region. Not true, but even if true, why should this be any of US’ business? Iran occupies the eastern shores of the Persian Gulf; it has repeatedly offered a hand of friendship to its Western neighbors. The US is located thousands of miles away so what business does it have prowling the Persian Gulf threatening Iran?
The real reason for US hostility toward Islamic Iran is the latter’s determination to chart an independent domestic and foreign policy free from Washington’s coercive tactics. The US fears Iran because its influence is spreading. Countries elsewhere are being inspired by Iran’s example to stand up to US bullying.
3: Russia
During the cold war, Russia (or the former Soviet Union) was seen as the principal enemy of the US. With the disintegration of the Soviet Union, its successor state Russia was considerably weakened. Initially, Russia under Boris Yeltsin was little more than a US colony. Its resources were plundered by American multinationals in tandem with the corrupt Russian mafia.
Since the emergence of Vladimir Putin as Russia’s leader, the country has gradually inched its way back into prominence. While economically, Russia is no match for the US, it has taken impressive strides in the military arena. Moscow has also gained political and strategic influence, largely at the expense of the US. Together with China and Iran, Russia has also created an informal alliance that scares the US.
4: North Korea
The US has been relentlessly hostile to North Korea since the Korean war of the early 1950s. An uneasy truce went into effect in 1953 creating the two Koreas—North and South—while the US maintains a large number of troops there. Subjected to severe sanctions, Washington’s aim is to bring down the North Korean government. In recent years, the US has attempted to denuclearize the North. Anyone for the denuclearization of the US under a madman, or even a sober president?
5: Venezuela
Under what is referred to as the ‘Monroe doctrine’, the US considers Latin America as its exclusive domain. Until the Bolivarian revolution in Venezuela led by Hugo Chavez, Venezuela was also under US domination. American multinationals plundered the country’s natural resources—oil and gas and a vast array of minerals—for decades until the Bolivarian revolution. Since then, the US has targeted Venezuela and subjected it to a raft of sanctions.
Last year it even attempted a coup d’etat against the democratically elected government of Nicolas Maduro by propping up Juan Guido, speaker of the National Assembly. The US appointed him ‘president’ and recognized him as the ‘legitimate ruler’ of the country. Gangsterism comes to mind. US-imposed sanctions have badly affected its economy. Islamic Iran has boldly stepped forward to help Venezuela with fuel, food and medicines to overcome the disastrous consequences of sanctions. Naturally, the Washington warlords are upset!
6: Cuba
Tiny Cuba has been under US sanctions since Fidel Castro and his small band of comrades overthrew the US puppet regime of Fulgencio Batista in 1959. Under Batista, most of Cuba’s sugar plantations were handed over to foreign ownership as did 70% of Cuba’s arable land. It led to widening the gap between rich and poor (what else is new?). Castro’s revolution ended such exploitation.
The CIA attempted to assassinate Castro more than a dozen times but failed. Cuba has stood firm even after Castro’s death despite US attempts to undermine the government. Today, tiny Cuba is one of the leading countries in the world providing support in the medical field. During the COVID-19 pandemic, Cuban medical teams have been sent to a number of countries to help them cope with the crisis. Compare this with the US, the self-appointed superpower, which has the highest infection rates and the largest number of deaths in the world.
7: Syria
Syria has been targeted for regime change operations when a full fledge war was launched against it in early 2011. Mercenaries from numerous countries backed by the US and its regional puppets flooded the country causing havoc. Syria’s allies—Iran, Hizbullah and then in 2015, Russia—came to its aid preventing collapse of the government. Much of the country has since been cleansed of the mercenaries but at enormous cost in human and material losses.
Syria’s other ‘sin’ is that it borders Israel and refuses to recognize the Zionist entity that has illegally occupied the Golan Heights. Syria is also part of the resistance axis confronting imperialism and Zionism.
8: Hizbullah
The Islamic resistance movement in Lebanon, Hizbullah has the singular distinction of confronting Zionist Israel and driving it out of much of South Lebanon. No Arab army or a combination of Arabian armies has managed to achieve this feat. It is an important component of the resistance front. For standing up to US and Zionist bullying, Hizbullah is targeted by Washington.
9: Hamas and Islamic Jihad
Palestine’s two Islamic movements have for decades stood up to Zionist cruelties and have remained unbowed. It was their resistance in Gaza that drove Zionist occupation troops from the tiny enclave that today suffers an illegal Israeli siege causing massive suffering. Resistance to foreign occupation is a fundamental right recognized by the UN and international law. Yet the US continues to brand both groups as ‘terrorist’.
Nelson Mandela, the icon of anti-apartheid struggle in South Africa was also branded a terrorist by the US. He was even barred from entry into the US. Each time he did so, the US State department had to issue a special waiver. This ludicrous restriction was formally lifted in 2008. Washington’s branding of Hamas and Islamic Jihad show it is an enemy of people’s legitimate rights.
10: The Taliban
The US invaded Afghanistan in October 2001 following the 911 attacks in which the Taliban had no role. Even the US did not accuse any Afghan of involvement yet the US invaded the country and its occupation troops are still there. The Taliban were declared a terrorist organization and its leaders placed on a no-fly list and their accounts frozen. While the freezing of their accounts made no difference to the Taliban since they do not maintain accounts in Swiss Banks or accounts anywhere!
After 19 years of fighting, the Americans were been forced to negotiate with the Taliban for a deal. This was signed in February 2020 and the Americans want the hell out of Afghanistan.
What the Taliban—and Hizbullah—experience shows is that both the US and its Zionist ally can be defeated. Derogatory labels should not deter people from struggling for their fundamental rights. America’s rulers are thugs and bullies. They are nobody’s friends, not even of the American people in whose name they claim to rule. The disastrous impact of the pandemic on the American people is clear proof that the ruling oligarchs do not care for anybody.
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