“THE WEST MUST WITHDRAW FROM IRAQ AND AFGHANISTAN’

British Author Tariq Ali Urges Change after the Terrorist Attacks in London

[This interview published in the German-English cyber journal Telepolis, 7/13/2005 is translated from the German on the World Wide Web,  http://www.telepolis.de/r4/artikel/20/20509/1.html.]

[Tariq Ali (born in 1943) works as an author, filmmaker and historian in London. Ali was one of the founding members of the New Left movement and edits the journal New Left Review. In his book “Bush in Babylon,” he sharply criticized the Iraq invasion under US President George W. Bush.]


Q: After the terror strikes in London, you described the bombs as retaliation for British participation in the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. But there were attacks long before these two adventures. Aren’t you making it too simple?

Tariq Ali: Yes, there were terrorist strikes before the attacks on Iraq and Afghanistan. But all these attacks were directed against US targets, for example in 1993 when al Qaida perpetrated an attack on the World Trade Center or the bomb attacks on the US embassies in Dar-es-Salaam or Nairobi. For the first time since the occupation in Afghanistan and Iraq, these attacks are taking place in other states. The last bombs in London exploded during the military conflicts in Northern Ireland. Since then calm reigned – until last weekend.

Q: You described the attacks as the “price for the occupation”…

Tariq Ali: Because it was clear to everyone that Great Britain has been one of the first targets of terrorists since Prime Minister Blair stood on the side of his US colleague as a cheerleader. This is not only my judgment but was made long ago by the British secret service. Thus the attacks did not surprise anyone.

Q: The British government denies this connection.

Tariq Ali: Great Britain’s political elite naturally denies this connection. These people in government have a bad conscience. If they acknowledge the political context of the attacks, they would have to admit their indirect culpability for the deaths.

Q: in a certain way, both sides in the “war against terror” apply the same means: t5orture, terror against the civilian population and breach of international law. What political solution do you envision?

Tariq Ali: The Palestinian conflict is in first place. The Israeli state understands how to use the holocaust and persecution of the Jews during the Second World War. But if we consider the present situation without prejudice, the Palestinian civilian population has been the indirect victim of the historical development since 1945. They are treated as “sub-humans” by the Israeli military in the occupied territories and at checkpoints. This problem must be solved. Either the Israeli army withdraws to the 1967 boundaries or the government accepts a common Israeli-Palestinian state. No third possibility or alternative solution exists. Secondly, the western armies must withdraw from Iraq and Afghanistan.

Q: “The surprise attack on Iraq angered the international public and endangers security and peace worldwide.” This warning comes from the London mayor Ken Livingstone. Has the war led to conflicts in the Labor Party of Premier Anthony Blair?

Tariq Ali: Yes, it has. Even more importantly, debates about the war are heard all over Great Britain. However even Ken Livingstone, “Red Ken,” isn’t drawing the necessary political conclusions. Still I am confident that he will change his opinion when the majority of the London population makes the connection between the terror and the occupation of Iraq and Afghanistan. These bombs did not strike Paris or Berlin. London was not an accidental target. Hopefully Angela Merkel understands this message and desists from her “Atlanticism.”

Q: Do you think political consequences are possible as in Spain after the Madrid attacks?

Tariq Ali: Not in the short term. In Spain, the Socialist Party had a strong anti-war position. In Great Britain, both leading parties, Labor and the Tories, supported the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. However I think it is possible Blair will turn from this course since public opinion is against him.