The Supreme International Crime

Robert H. Jackson, the Chief American Prosecutor at Nuremberg said, “To initiate a war of aggression… is the supreme international crime.”

President Trump told the public how the U.S. war of aggression against Iran (the supreme international crime) was going. “We’re doing well on the war front… Somebody said on a scale of 10, where would you rate it? I said about a 15.”

Our invasion of Venezuela and kidnapping of President Nicolás Maduro received similar praise from Trump. The Wall Street Journal wrote, “Maduro is gone, but President Trump is now working closely with the remnants of his regime.” We’re working closely with the remnants of a regime we labelled a dictatorship.

Why? The answer: U.S. corporate interests in oil. The Financial Times reported, “The US has taken a decisive step to open Venezuela’s energy sector to Big Oil.”

Months after the fact, we may now safely admit it was never about drugs or the Maduro dictatorship. Corporate interests shaped U.S. aggression against Venezuela. The Wall Street Journal admitted the goal was “deposing a foreign leader and taking over the country’s resources.” U.S. aggression against Venezuela “open[ed] up the country’s vast [oil] reserves for U.S. investors.”

We now have a supply of oil revenue that we steal from the people of Venezuela. The next target of U.S. corporations is Cuba. The Wall Street Journal reported, “President Trump has openly suggested [Cuba] would be his next target for regime change.”

Washington established an oil blockade on Cuba last month. The New York Times wrote, “the blockade of oil tankers is plunging the island into one of its darkest moments.” Next, we will overthrow Cuba’s government.

Despite the confusing war aims in Iran (and varying justifications), Trump’s aggression against Venezuela gave us a hint of the real goals.

The Israeli news outlet Haaretz explained: “Like in Venezuela, the U.S. goal is above all, a regime that will be friendly to U.S. economic interests.” Washington “wants any potential new Iranian government to… allow the country’s immense natural resources to be quickly and profitably tapped.”

Washington wants “a Middle East devoid of any ideological or material challenge to American-style capitalism.” Foreign Affairs concurred— that was the real aim of the war. Washington wants to “usher in a new Middle East more to the United States’ liking… [by] shaping the Middle East through American power.”

That’s why the administration keeps changing the war’s justification. Taxpayers fund the war. They can’t know the true reason for aggression against Venezuela, Iran, and Cuba is American-style capitalism.

BlackRock CEO Larry Fink told the Financial Times the real winners of capitalism. “The unspoken assumption is that capitalism didn’t work and it’s time to try something new… Capitalism did work— just for too few people.”

That’s capitalism: a few people (the ruling class) benefit while the majority of the population pay the costs. Taxpayers struggle to pay for groceries and their electricity bill. But a few corporations rake in tremendous profits as we bomb Iran.

-Anton Porcari

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