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When Corporations Choose Despots Over Democracy
“People holding a sign ‘To: America. From: the Egyptian People. Stop supporting Mubarak. It’s over!” so tweeted my brave colleague, “Democracy Now!” senior producer Sharif Abdel Kouddous, from the streets of Cairo.
More than 2 million people rallied throughout Egypt on Tuesday, most of them crowded into Cairo’s Tahrir Square. Tahrir, which means liberation in Arabic, has become the epicenter of what appears to be a largely spontaneous, leaderless and peaceful revolution in this, the most populous nation in the Middle East. Defying a military curfew, this incredible uprising has been driven by young Egyptians, who compose a majority of the 80 million citizens. Twitter and Facebook, and SMS text messaging on cell phones, have helped this new generation to link up and organize, despite living under a U.S.-supported dictatorship for the past three decades. In response, the Mubarak regime, with the help of U.S. and European corporations, has shut down the Internet and curtailed cellular service, plunging Egypt into digital darkness. Despite the shutdown, as media activist and professor of communications C.W. Anderson told me, “people make revolutions, not technology.”
The demands are chanted through the streets for democracy, for self-determination. Sharif headed to Egypt Friday night, into uncertain terrain. The hated Interior Ministry security forces, the black-shirted police loyal to President Hosni Mubarak, were beating and killing people, arresting journalists, and smashing and confiscating cameras.
On Saturday morning, Sharif went to Tahrir Square. Despite the SMS and Internet blackout, Sharif, a talented journalist and technical whiz, figured out a workaround, and was soon tweeting out of Tahrir: “Amazing scene: three tanks roll by with a crowd of people riding atop each one. Chanting ‘Hosni Mubarak out!’ ”
Egypt has been the second-largest recipient of U.S. foreign aid for decades, after Israel (not counting the funds expended on the wars and occupations of Iraq and Afghanistan). Mubarak’s regime has received roughly $2 billion per year since coming to power, overwhelmingly for the military.
Where has the money gone? Mostly to U.S. corporations. I asked William Hartung of the New America Foundation to explain:
“It’s a form of corporate welfare for companies like Lockheed Martin and General Dynamics, because it goes to Egypt, then it comes back for F-16 aircraft, for M-1 tanks, for aircraft engines, for all kinds of missiles, for guns, for tear-gas canisters [from] a company called Combined Systems International, which actually has its name on the side of the canisters that have been found on the streets there.”
Hartung just published a book, “Prophets of War: Lockheed Martin and the Making of the Military-Industrial Complex.” He went on: “Lockheed Martin has been the leader in deals worth $3.8 billion over that period of the last 10 years; General Dynamics, $2.5 billion for tanks; Boeing, $1.7 billion for missiles, for helicopters; Raytheon for all manner of missiles for the armed forces. So, basically, this is a key element in propping up the regime, but a lot of the money is basically recycled. Taxpayers could just as easily be giving it directly to Lockheed Martin or General Dynamics.”
Likewise, Egypt’s Internet and cell phone “kill switch” was enabled only through collaboration with corporations. U.K.-based Vodafone, a global cellular-phone giant (which owns 45 percent of Verizon Wireless in the U.S.) attempted to justify its actions in a press release: “It has been clear to us that there were no legal or practical options open to Vodafone ... but to comply with the demands of the authorities.”
Narus, a U.S. subsidiary of Boeing Corp., sold Egypt equipment to allow “deep packet inspection,” according to Tim Karr of the media policy group Free Press. Karr said the Narus technology “allows the Egyptian telecommunications companies ... to look at texting via cell phones, and to identify the sort of dissident voices that are out there. ... It also gives them the technology to geographically locate them and track them down.”
Mubarak has pledged not to run for re-election come September. But the people of Egypt demand he leave now. How has he lasted 30 years? Maybe that’s best explained by a warning from a U.S. Army general 50 years ago, President Dwight D. Eisenhower. He said, “We must guard against the acquisition of unwarranted influence, whether sought or unsought, by the military-industrial complex.”
That deadly complex is not only a danger to democracy at home, but when shoring up despots abroad.
74 Comments so far
Show AllThe encouragement was billions of dollars of good deals on military equipment.
Its really difficult to say this, but American Tax dollars for the military industrial complex is the biggest corporate welfare entitlement program we support.
If you are in the business to create,design, manufacture weapons of war, there has to be a demand.
There are at least three areas of demand, 1: country's defense preparedness. 2. Billions given to country by the USA in the form of aid to be used in buying Military weapons. 3: Wars.
With the money the Military Industrial Complex brings in, fro a couple of million here or there world wide, you can create wars, or needs , or buy politicians and high ranking officials in defense ministry's, or the pentagon.
And now, apparently , we are become the experts in security , and the deployment of police state infrastructures.
The whole world knows it, but the dumb ass sheep in America have no clue, the we, America, create have the worlds ungly problems, wars , unrest, we spread stasi corporate evil, not democracy.
infowars.com V You are the Resistance,,,, Alex Jones , pervasive truth
I get sick every time I read or hear about the US Government rating different nations for political corruption. They usually cite Uganda or some other remote third world nation as being the most corrupt, not taking into consideration that such nations' corruption most often does not extend beyond their own borders, or affect one or two neighboring nations at most.
If I were to measure every nation's level of corruption based on all the applicable metrics, the US would win as the most politically corrupt nation on earth when you consider the sheer monetary amount, and the global impact that US corruption begets, often affecting nearly every nation on the planet.
Dr. King said it right, shortly before the c.i.a. blew him away. " The u.s. IS the greatest purveyor of violence in the world." And the band plays on... BUT soon it will playing a dirge for the Fascist amerikan empire !
bornfreemen
I'm sorry, but though you have the first part correct...
" American Tax dollars for the military industrial complex is the biggest corporate welfare entitlement program we support"
This part...
"America, create have the worlds ungly problems, wars , unrest, we spread stasi corporate evil, not democracy"
is patently absurd and factually baseless. It's like the suggestion that because America is the largest contributor of foreign aid to Egypt the other 60-65% from other countries is free and without strings and only our aid is responsible for Egypt's problem's or if it was withdrawn Egypt would be magically transported to Allah's garden. Its simply untrue.
Basing a hypothesis on one factor is seldom condusive to the truth. Look at Amy's article closer and you will find she only named American corporations. Gee whiz, the rest of the world's corporations (the major portion in Egypt) are going to be dissapointed they are not there after all and are not providing services.
Goodman is an American journalist reporting to an American audience. Why do you find it strange that she reports on US corporations?
If you have evidence that corporations based in some other nation are giving aid to Egypt solely for the purpose of getting it back through sales of military goods then please present it.
q
Hi again mightymite,
""America, create have the worlds ungly problems, wars , unrest, we spread stasi corporate evil, not democracy"
is patently absurd and factually baseless."
Respectfully, I disagree with you, from the perspective that the mighty USA could be a force for peace in the world, but we are a force for war. Ours is a culture of death and fear, which is sad, except for it's something Americans obviously need to work through.
Also, we do not own what will happen to other people when they act according to their own will. We only own our part.
I believe that if we spread good will, it would come back to us, and also help cause more universal good will. Can you give me an example from history where this has ever been tried?
BORN FREE: I agree with your assessment and term it: Mars rules.
Just as films depict the Mafia king-pins going to church to make their confession so they can "clean the slate" and return to "business," in the Homeland Security State so many church goers support these wars with the name of Jesus sung like a talisman, while the killing goes on uninterruptedly.
Were minds not under such dark hypnotic spells, the smell of the carnage would fire up the conscience and make these types of acts--for profit (for a few)--impossible. Then as a nation we'd grieve all that has been done in our names, and begin the work of healing and reparation. ONLY that will reverse the karma this nation has sewn... for a land to which so much was given, to spend its fortune (and human resources) robbing other lands with the help of diabolical armaments constitutes a sin against nature and all sentient beings.
As the Amerikan empire falls (to eventually restore itself like the risen Phoenix), Israel will lose its key ally. Both nations (with others bearing similar histories) have used violence to fulfill the intentions of small groups of empowered elites at GREAT cost to a great many others. This species of aggression is against Universal Law and summons a cosmic version of "The Equalizer."
siouxrose: You always cut to the chase. I love your first paragraph:
"Just as films depict the Mafia king-pins going to church to make their confession so they can "clean the slate" and return to "business," in the Homeland Security State so many church goers support these wars with the name of Jesus sung like a talisman, while the killing goes on uninterruptedly."
As a practicing, but radical Catholic, I believe the vast vast percentages of Christians in America are hypocrites, not only those government employees living in the surrounding Washington suburbs. Such Christians have never understood how Christ criticized such religious hypocrisy. Such Christians simply do not know the mind and basic teachings of Christ. Christianity in America has never transcended American culture.
Ever so well put, Siouxrose and Stephen, Karma is an uncompromising friend, pushing individuals, nations, even the World along the upward path. looking at the longer view, there are better, peaceful times ahead, but much must come down.
"Then as a nation we'd grieve all that has been done in our names, and begin the work of healing and reparation. ONLY that will reverse the karma"
I wholeheartedly agree, Siouxrose.
Hi Siouxrose,
I posted this on another article, but perhaps it is apropos here also.
--------------------------
Years ago, a book was published titled "The Hundredth Monkey." It detailed the observation of a "monkey island" where the food was tossed onto a sandy beach, where it was picked up and eaten by the monkeys. One day, a monkey washed the sand off his food before he ate it. That eventually caught on and other monkeys washed their food. The interesting thing was that, somehow, after this became common on this particular preserve, monkeys on other preserves with no contact with the original one started washing their food also.
Perhaps we are becoming the "hundredth monkey" now. Perhaps this love of freedom and cooperation will begin to spread around the world. Perhaps, eventually, every land will become the hundredth monkey and freedom will become the norm. The despots and the greedy will be thrown out and that stolen surplus will find its way to be shared to make a better world for all.
Perhaps...
--------------------------
Perhaps this is the meaning of the 2012 change. Perhaps we are finally approaching the end of greed and the beginning of love and truth. I'd love to see that happen before I kick the bucket.
Oceania has always been at war...Oceania has always been at war...Oceania has always been at war........
thanks again for the warning Ike.
why didn't you do something?
John F. Kennedy got shot for it!
As did Martin Luther King and Robert Kennedy.
Yes. And this explains all the denial about the fact that the US government assassinated all of them with great care in the execution and cover up STILL functioning to this day.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UUdqgD6-cLM
I submit to you that if a man hasn't discovered something he will die for, he isn't fit to live.
-- Martin Luther King Jr., Detroit, June 23, 1963
Was MLK Egyptian?
Probably so, but the fingerprints of the CIA were all over Oswald as the scapegoat.
"thanks again for the warning Ike.
why didn't you do something?"
He did do something. He overthrew a democracy in Iran, and installed the Shah so the oil companies could increase their profit. Thanks Ike, from the people of Iran.
Actually, most people do understand how the arms industry conducts it's 'business' both with and without govt support. The problems it: How do we stop them?
"If you go back to the record of the Constitutional Convention, which took place in 1787, almost immediately after the end of the war, you see that they are already moving in another direction. James Madison -- who was the main framer, and one of the founding fathers who was most libertarian -- makes it very clear that the new constitutional system must be designed so as to insure that the government will, in his words "protect the minority of the opulent against the majority" and bar the way to anything like agrarian reform. The determination was made that America could not allow functioning democracy, since people would use their political power to attack the wealth of the minority of the opulent. Therefore, Madison argues, the country should be placed in the hands of the wealthier set of men, as he put it."
noam chomsky
for the fools who really "believe" in amerikan democracy still there ought to be some rockefeller medication to take the edge of that for ya, or put it back on as the case may be
or for the empirical scientific among you - give me some evidence that there is democracy in the us
bush stole two elections like this was a banana republic, raygun was quite literally out of his mind, clinton - enuff said about that nwo scumbag, and you can go on and on...
the president - now we have ones that don't even have their birth ceritificates - man have we lowered the bar
we are now primed to have nazinegger become the first admitted non-birth'd prez
psychophants in the house and congress willing to suck a turd through a straw for some money
politicians are like god in the sense that they can't handle money - you gotta keep giving them money
voting, that manly act of social melding is so strong an instinct in this country that many folks often return from the grave to cast ballots for folks they don't even know
why some are so committed they vote over and over again
no virginia, i mean amy, there is no democracy in this shitpile called amerika - never was, never will be
oh, by the way, there aint none in pharoaland either
"psychophants in the house and congress willing to suck a turd through a straw for some money"
Now that you mention it, I may have voted for that guy.
If the US money flow to War Inc., was stopped. They would eventually find another supporter. Still, that is not reason enough to continue funding war and oppression. The Lockheed Martins would be just as content designing, building and manufacturing technologies for space exploration instead of war.
Investors want security, so they prefer finance over production, although finance is a burden upon production. Finance wants security, so they prefer monopoly over competition. Monopoly wants security, so they prefer tyranny over democracy. Since the emergence of investment markets, this scenario has always applied and will always apply.
Class - got any more info on Godzilla?
Unfortunately I am not employed by FEMA, so I have nothing further. Also, needless to say, I am not a professional reporter, so I don't have any contacts with FEMA who owe me any favors, or etc. Like everyone else, I can only hope that someone who does work for FEMA has enough conscience to contact WikiLeaks and provide them with those documents.
we can only hope.
it was the only thing that made sense.
Bringing the matter closer to home: what is being planned for the rescue of Bradley Manning?
Does anyone believe that he is receiving the treatment that is best for him, medically speaking, or legally? So, what are the avenues for taking him out of the prison he is in and getting him the environment which is appropriate? He can be physically removed by thousands storming the place, or the buildings can be surrounded by thousands of supporters, just like the people of Egypt are doing, or Congress can be mobbed to shame them into some weak, sniveling, gestures, as they usually do. But, hey, this guy has done a lot to us Americans who have been itching to have better documentation about the US military thugs who are robbing us blind so that they can play their "arcade games" with real victims.
Lets get Bradley Manning out of their bloody clutches. So how?
this may not amount to anything but for what it's worth:
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2011/feb/01/bradley-manning-uk-citizen
First we vilify the multinational corporations for buying our government, so that we'll give billions in weapons to repressive regimes, so that our jackals will neutralize anyone who stands up for another nation's people.
Then we vilify the social conservatives who shack up with the crooks.
Then we vilify the progressives who sleep with various Democratic crooks off and on, knowing that they're only going back to their honey in the end. Politics makes strange bedfellows.
A more accurate title for Amy's fine article would really be "When Empire Chooses Despots Over Democracy" --- which, of course, our disguised global corporate/financial/militarist EMPIRE, only posing as the former country called the United States, always does!.
Now the reactionary, nay fascist, US corporate media has started referring to the two groups in the square as the "anti-government" side and the "pro-government" side.
The US based ruling-elite's global corporate/financial/militarist EMPIRE, which is hiding behind the facade of its TWO-PARTY 'Vichy' sham of faux democratic government, is thus using the highly fascist and for the first time OVERT propaganda terms in their control of US corporatist media whores as saying on US national TV for the whole US populace and lying that this confrontation is between the "pro-government protesters" and the "anti-government protesters".
This is a huge revelation of overt fascism in the US!
This is propaganda from a now clearly fascist EMPIRE which is exactly akin to the Nazi Empire's behavior --- so we have now hit a new and very revealing low in the public behavior of the US centered EMPIRE!.
Of course, the two groups in the Egyptian square could easily, accurately, and HONESTLY be called the "pro-dictator side" and the "anti-dictator side" or the "pro-Empire" and the "pro-democracy side", but this of course, would show the absurdity of the US Empire's Vice Emperor-president, Joe Biden's detestable description of Mubarak as "not a dictator".
Of course, Uncle Joe's lying comment just last week, also on the US Empire's corporatist propaganda TV network, actually REVEALED for the first time, and even for normally non-political US citizens, that they clearly, very clearly live in a disguised EMPIRE and not any normal government, but only a faux-democratic sham --- which is the term that Secretary of Empire, Hillary Clinton used this Sunday on 'Meet the Press' as a description of something which is not really a democracy.
Yes, the average people of America are now learning a great deal about the reality of the disguised EMPIRE that they inhabit here in America.
And with the unleashing of those criminally mis-named, so-called "pro-government" thugs by the global EMPIRE's territorial thug Mubarak, the seminal lesson available for American's caught in the belly of this EMPIRE to learn, if they are thinking at all, it is this:
While Mubarak may have unleashed those truly "pro-dictator", "anti-democratic" and most importantly "PRO-EMPIRE" thugs and violence, it was really the 'anti-democratic' and "pro-Empire" OBAMA PAWN and CLINTON PAWN of the hidden global corporate/financial/militarist EMPIRE centered right here in River City that is ultimately responsible for giving the orders to their Mubarak pawn to "UNLEASH the dogs of violence and war"!!!
IN other words the real lesson of Egypt for American's, as I have been saying on CD since this started, is the real lesson, and possibly salvation of reality for all of us here in America is not that Mubarak must go, but that Hillary must go, Obama must go, McConnell must go, Gates must go, Cantor must go, Pence must go, and that all the thugs of the real center of this global Empire must go --- for any last chance of democracy over Empire to live!
Best chance and luck to all the world's people,
Alan MacDonald
Sanford, Maine
"Democracy over Empire" party headquarters
Methinks you are right, except for the last part. Getting ride of Obama, Clinton, Cantor et al will not solve our problem, any more than getting rid of George W. did.
These people are merely tools of those with the 'real power' - those who control the wealth of the world.
Exactly. Those in power reside in wallstreet/boston/chicago xchange/ city-of-london/ venice/ Cayman Island drop-boxes/and other financial districts around the world in this viral, "imperial archipeligo". The ONLY WAY to break their hold is for the US, Russia, China, India to collectively re-instate FDR-type agendas (ie. glass-steagall, bretton woods fixed exchange rate, credit system as Richard C. Cook describes, etc...). This means "patriotic factions" (those who actually CARE about the welfare of their respective peoples) must be located and brought to the forefront of policy decision-making. Once again I see the agents-of-empire have arranged for a "circular firing squad" to prevail, in an attempt to eliminate this one and ONLY effective threat to empire. These "headless" uprisings only advance the empire's agenda of nation-destabilisation/destruction. But all of this will also fail the empirists in the end. Their time is almost up.
ALAN: A fine analysis as always. There is a point missing, and it is the "Law of Unintended Consequences." As most in this forum know, I believe that time itself exhibits themes which are embedded, and SCHEDULED to emerge at specific intervals. The theme of greater human freedom comes to a head in 2020, however, the transition is NOW underway.
Just as the U.S. armed factions in Afghanistan that later turned against it, here, too, is an example where 30 years later, the karmic blowback emerges. 30 years, incidentally is the span of time (it's actually 29.5) that characterizes the orbit of Saturn, the planet that signifies karma.
Bush-the-First began the Gulf War on January 15, 1991, during an eclipse in the Saturn-ruled sign of Capricorn. I am confident that the FRUIT of that quagmire (along with the bonfire of the vanities seen in all the bodies unwillingly placed atop it) will emerge in 2020, 29 years later.
My point is that human power only goes so far. There are higher laws and powers than U.S militarism. These work slowly behind the scenes to eventually shape outcomes amenable to the greater good. Martin Luther King understood that clause when he spoke of the long arc of justice. Amerikan empire is like an army of ants standing in a forest where a tornadic wind is about to blow.
Okay, granted that the international MI-complex is powerful, but could it be omnipotent if a poor fruit vendor in a small country sends shockwaves throughout its domain by simply setting himself on fire. I don't know, but I think something hopeful may be happening in Cairo. The protestors are organizing themselves very democratically with people traditionally disenfranchised playing the key role. I didn't see anyone who looked like Osama bin Laden there on my TV. Instead, they looked a lot more like me.
Just wait. The US media will soon fabricate an Egyptian boogeyman or two to push American voters' fear and greed buttons.
Good post, good observations.
As you intuitively sense, the working class is potentially much more powerful than the ruling class.
We must put an end to Corporate "Personhood" - or change yet another regime.
Turn over any rot in this world and you'll see "Made in the USA" stamped under it. Not surprising since it is the epicenter of global capitalism.
Actually thanks to Carter, Clinton, the Bush's and Obama along with their Congressional brethern, you'll find little stamped "Made in the USA" these day's. :)
depends on where you look.
a battlefield or an armory now...
This clearly is a good article with a fine reference to Dwight D Eisenhower's warnign about the "military industrial complex."
To get off the subject a bit I'd also say we should guard agaisnt the influence of the agricutlural industrial complex which created all hieararchies about 10 millenia ago and is cited in the article on the loss of the commons. Only this way can we reclaim the commons so vital to our adavption, evolution, and thus survivial as a species. We dont want to go the way of the dinosaurs.
AD
This clearly is a good article with a fine reference to Dwight D Eisenhower's warnign about the "military industrial complex."
To get off the subject a bit I'd also say we should guard agaisnt the influence of the agricutlural industrial complex which created all hieararchies about 10 millenia ago and is cited in the article on the loss of the commons. Only this way can we reclaim the commons so vital to our adavption, evolution, and thus survivial as a species. We dont want to go the way of the dinosaurs.
AD
My guess is corporate America has a lot invested in Hosni Mubarak. U.S. aid is invariably military and now U.S. military corporations want to see some bang for the buck (literally and figuratively). I don't think Mubarak will go down without a brutal assault against those enemies of despotism. After all, if pro-democracy forces were successful in Egypt, they might very well be successful here at home. The protests in Tahrir Square may go the way of Tunisia, but more likely they will go the way of Tianamen Square in Beijing. The rich and powerful are not too shy in shedding the blood of the proletariats in the name of sustaining the status quo. They can always find poor people to their bidding by offering them cash and false promises before arming them to the teeth. I don't believe that this "transition to democracy" in Egypt is over by a long shot simply because the wealthy have to send a strong message to the rest of us as to what happens when we go too far demanding change!
now that was the clever bit in 0's election run.
he offered change before it was demanded.
there are many who still think he'll deliver.
fools.
"Narus, a U.S. subsidiary of Boeing Corp., sold Egypt equipment to allow “deep packet inspection,” according to Tim Karr"
Hold it, Amy. I watched that interview on your show and Karr clearly stated that Narus is ISRAELI software that sits on routers to data mine. Narus may very well be a subsidiary of Boeing but please don't leave out the fract that Israel originated this software and is making a lot of money out of this fascist crap.
Anyone that has issues with what I just said, go to the democracynow site and watch the segment on MIC influence a couple of days ago. She fumbled this one.
one of the early wikileaks expose (if my memory serves me right. it could be a different venue, though) was about
how much of the global intelligence and security industry originates in, and is based on, israel, with the wares being peddled, and its systems operated, its data collected / analyzed / disseminated by jewish operatives.
i still remember staring at what looked like a monitorful of gibberish (those strange coded information) at the end of following the links in the leaked docs.
and then i started hearing more and more about "security or intelligence officers" attached to each and every political leaders in this country (the then-popular new jersey governor falling after having affairs with his own intelligence officer directly imported from israel), wellstone was killed in a "airplane crash", cynthia mckinney got booted out of DC, etc. and pretty soon, there was no one publicly speaking out against the zionist policies and agenda in middle east and beyond.
a few good friends of mine, who were selling books or CDs on Amazon, had their accounts closed without valid explanation, after critisizing Israeli military attacks on the palestinians in gaza on the amazon seller chatroom. we experience them as "isolated individual accidents", with no way to put them together and see the big picture.
1) NOT counting "incidents" and 2) suppressing or 3) rendering them meaningless by NOT connecting them, even if there are collected data, into a big picture is the most effective tool for ideological control. also, fabricating, planting, spinning and disseminating false data in order to defeat the enemy is critical to the elites. this is where wikileaks comes in to rescue.
amy has had many straight forward and hard-hitting coverage of injustices in the palestine-israel relations.
nonetheless, i suspect that Amy is surrounded by (closet) zionists (from volunteers to staff to donners) who try to influence DN's priority, agenda, and angle in more than one ways.
she is also an oldguard journalist with faith in "objective journalism". or that's how she presents herself, at least. she doesn't discuss "abstract" ideas that can't be backed with "hard facts" (= empirically). (on the other side of this "empiricist" coin are conspiracy theorists, whom amy never entertains.)
exhibit one: she devoted so much time for her shallowest interviews regarding the three young jewish "hikers" who were detained in iran. i contact DN and let them know, every time i see such rubbish journalism is thrown at me. not that DN can fool its audience with such rubbish, but that such obvious compromise renders DN, one of the few progressive news sources, "not trustworthy" and therefore ineffective for the left's agenda.
your reaction is exactly part of what the zionists have been working for, though amy is ultimately responsible for what she chooses to do or not to do with / under the circumstances.
corporations ARE despots. anyone who has ever worked for one already knew that.