One man’s hero is another man’s villain. The old saying struck my mind while coming across the barrage of obituary pieces in the wake of the death of Colin Powell, a US military commander and strategist.
Usually, it is the case that when someone passes away, people remember them in good words and forgive them if they were wronged by the deceased. Such is not the case for Colin Powell, also a former US secretary of state, for his role that stands among the long line of people, rightly called the butchers of Iraq. Powell was the one who gave a detailed speech on how Saddam Hussein, the devil incarnate residing in the Middle East, had weapons of mass destruction (WMD). He gave so-called evidence and provided proof through pictures, diagrams and vials of poisonous substances apparently collected by the US intelligence agencies who are, of course, the best in the world as they belong to the land of freedom and opportunity, heaven on earth where the best breed of humankind is produced. The US media stood by Powell and came up with so called investigative reports about the WMD in Iraq.
No such weapon was found in the country, which was completely destroyed by alien forces, just for the sake of it.
Iraq was attacked as a preemptive measure shortly after Powell’s UN speech. This US-led invasion resulted in decades of death, chaos and violence in Iraq. Even after America’s exit from Iraq in 2011 during the Obama administration, chaos remained in the country and surrounding areas. The Americans, after their exit, gave a short apology for the cold-blooded killing of tens of thousands of Iraqis. Powell went on to say that the UN speech was a blot on his record and that he regretted it. However, what he failed to realize was that this ‘blot’ was the death sentence for living, breathing humans who had families and friends, jobs and career prospects and maybe a bright future, which was snatched away from them by those who call war a ‘blot’ in their career. The occupation further led to sectarian violence and the inception of terrorist organizations, such as Daesh and the Islamic State, which have since then wreaked havoc in the region. The ugly factions are now claiming space in Pakistan.
But this villain to our part of the world was hailed as a patriot and a public servant in the US who served his nation with utmost sincerity. Well, there is no doubt about that. Born to a modest African family in the US, Powell joined the army and rose to the highest rank level. But the ugly fact is that most of the celebrated American patriots are those who make sure that innocent lives are lost in anywhere but the United States, land of freedom and opportunity. These American patriots are global citizens who make sure the only inhabitable place left on the globe is the United States and therefore, they go on to destroy the rest of the world like a true celebrated American. Such was Powell, a patriot, public servant and the butcher of Iraqis.
Powell is gone leaving behind a short note of apology.
A section of the US, which stood by Powell in those days with corroborating reports to justify the attack, has yet to speak on the issue. History is not on the media’s side, no matter the journalists admit their role in the destruction of Iraq.
