| March
19 - The Not in Our Name Project (NION) is pleased to announce
publication of The 'Shock and
Awe' Experiment on its website. This research document is a compilation,
analysis, and discussion of available information on the Pentagon's
"Shock and Awe" battle plan for Iraq especially as it affects
civilian infrastructure and the civilian population.
(The report
can be viewed at http://www.notinourname.net/Resources_and_Commentary.html.
A printable pdf version will be posted shortly.)
The NION Project
is posting this report because it believes the document is a valuable
and timely contribution to people's understanding of the exact
nature of the Bush administration's bombing and invasion of Iraq.
The document
contains an in-depth analysis of the concept of "Shock and Awe"
warfare as set forth by its architects and authors in "Shock and
Awe: Achieving Rapid Dominance," a book published by the National
Defense University (December 1996), an institution funded by the
Pentagon. The concept came into the news recently when on January
24, 2003 CBS News reported and confirmed that the Shock and Awe
concept was the basis for the U.S. war plan for Iraq. CBS reported
that a Pentagon official briefed on the plan has said, "there
will not be a safe place in Baghdad."
Primarily,
The 'Shock and Awe' Experiment seeks to further public awareness,
and to build a foundation for press, organizations, and individuals
who wish to make informed statements on the subject.
The report,
believed to be the first of its kind, is intended to serve as
a resource for journalists and students who wish to increase their
understanding of the "Shock and Awe" battle plan and its potential
impact on Iraqi society. It provides a systematic and rigorous
analysis of the "revolutionary" new Shock and Awe doctrine, including
a thorough analysis of the plan's heavy emphasis on targeting
civilian infrastructure, and can serve as a research tool for
those who care to explore specific dimensions of the issue further.
Shock and Awe
warfare explicitly calls for targeting civilian infrastructure
such as "water supplies, food processing and sanitation." It emphasizes
bombing in such a way to "create fear" and cause severe, widespread
"psychological and emotional" effects. The Shock and Awe Experiment
discusses the legal and humanitarian dimensions of war on Iraq
in this context, drawing on many reputable and authoritative sources,
citing international and humanitarian legal precedents. It references
many declassified Defense Intelligence Agency documents and two
recently leaked UN humanitarian crisis planning documents. The
'Shock and Awe' Experiment also reviews the surprisingly limited
discussion of Shock and Awe in the American media landscape during
the past 7 weeks since the original news "leak" on CBS News.
NION
is a national network resisting the international aggression,
attacks on civil liberties, and profiling, roundups, and detentions
of immigrants that the Bush Administration has enacted since
September 11. NION's website is at www.notinourname.net
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