Book Review:

Covert Action, the roots of terrorism

Edited by Ellen Ray and William H Schaap
Ocean Press, Melbourne, 2003. 310pp

Reviewed by Bob Briton

Right now, it is the drive of US imperialism to control the 
resources and markets of the world that dominates much of the 
social and political life of planet earth. It is behind the wars 
allegedly waged to end terrorism, to contain the spread of 
weapons of mass destruction, to unseat supposed tyrants from 
their perches, and so on. It is the altar upon which many of our 
limited democratic rights are being sacrificed.

This has been the situation for some time but has gathered pace 
since the demise of the Soviet Union and the socialist countries 
of Eastern Europe. Even from our relatively privileged position 
in Australia, we can feel the effects of these changes. Many 
governments if not the people, are dancing to the American tune.

It may come as a surprise that a large proportion of the most 
articulate voices raised in opposition have an American accent. 
The irrepressible comedian, author and documentary maker Mike 
Moore is one current example of this fact.

Recently, US alternative media advocate and all-round activist 
David Barsamian visited Australia. On his speaking tour he gave a 
detailed description of the control of the media for propaganda 
purposes in his country. He added that part of our resistance to 
what is taking place worldwide must be support for the 
independent media that defends the people' s interests and 
exposes what is taking place.

For over 20 years, Covert Action Quarterly (CAQ) 
magazine has made one of the bravest contributions to the task of 
bringing to light the machinations of imperialism. It is not a 
digest of "believe it or not" conspiracy theories and wild 
claims, a sort of left-wing equivalent of Nexus magazine.

The articles are well referenced and some of the contributors 
over the years, like former CIA operations officer Phillip Agee, 
have drawn heavy official fire. For his own safety, Agee has had 
to keep moving from one secret address to another during his long 
exile. His US passport was revoked in 1979.

Covert Action, the Roots of Terrorism, produced by the 
Institute for Media Analysis, Inc and edited by Ellen Ray and 
William H Schaap makes invaluable reading. It is a collection of 
essays from Noam Chomsky, former US Attorney General turned 
critic Ramsey Clark, former Washington correspondent for the (New 
York) Guardian Jack Colhoun and 18 other contributors. 
They provide a wealth of information on the build-up to the 
present day situation.

Sobering

The original articles date from 1980 and follow events through to 
1999. Looking at them in 2003 makes you realise just how sound 
these people's information and analysis was. It is also sobering 
to think of what new horrors are still before us. Take Phil 
Agee's 1992 summary of the US defence plan from February of that 
year:

"The report outlined seven possible scenarios which US forces 
would have to be prepared to face and, presumably, would require 
those $1.5 trillion for the first five years.

* War with Iraq
* War with North Korea
* Simultaneous wars with both Iraq and North Korea
* A war to defend a Baltic state from a resurgent and 
expansionist Russia
* War to defend the lives of US citizens threatened by 
instability in the Philippines
* War to defend the Panamanian Government and the canal against 
'narco-terrorists'
* The emergence of an anti-US global 'adversarial rival' or an 
'aggressive expansionist international coalition'".

The main thread running through the essays — and the reason for 
their selection — is the fact that current world events have a 
history, that September 11 only gave new impetus to plans that 
had been in place for decades.

They point out, in an argument that is regularly aired outside 
the US but scarcely mentioned there, that attacks on the USA and 
its interests are the consequences of its government's brutal 
manip-ulation of world events.

Israel

The book deals with the role of the US in the Middle East, its 
support for Israel's decades-long sabotage of a two-state 
solution and peace with the Palestinian people.

Iran-Contra-gate is examined in detail, as is the extensive 
milit-ary aid to Saddam Hussein at the time of Iraq's war with 
Iran. The "pipeline" established to get arms and funds to warring 
fundamentalists in Afghanistan at the time of the Soviet 
intervention is probed. The efforts of the "bleeders" within the 
US administration to prevent a peaceful resolution there are also 
laid bare.

US support for the most savage anti-Castro terrorists is covered. 
So is the hypocrisy of the US in its confrontationist stance 
towards the Democratic People's Republic of Korea over nuclear 
weapons.

It is disturbing to note that the concept of "pre-emption", so 
clearly embraced by the Bush II administration, was previously 
laid down by Reagan with directives like NSDD 138 in 1984.

This "National Security Decision Directive", with which the US 
formally gave itself the right to invade countries in pursuit of 
"terrorists", opened the door for the suspension of the 
democratic rights of the American people were all on the books in 
the 1980s.

However, the book is not meant to be a collection of data with 
which to astound your dinner party guests. An important part of 
its value is its implicit message: that the strategy pursued by 
the US for decades will not change unless there is systemic 
change in the heartlands of imperialism, that is, "regime change" 
in that country.

Covert Action's greatest attribute, though, is that it 
needles you to get out of your chair and do something about it.