GUEST BLOG: Ross Meurant – FROM SALADIN 1187 to TALIBAN 2021

In previous blogs I have made it very clear: I am no fan of American pretence at being the “World Conscience” and “Mr Plod”. 

From their ill-fated Bay of Pigs attempt to invade Cuba to the carpet bombing of Vietnam where America lost to a peasant army.

From interference in Chile which resulted in anti-American interference President Allende’s suicide in 1973 , to 2003, US president Bush justifying invasion of Iraq by vowing to destroy Iraqi weapons of mass destruction (WMD) as an excuse to remove  Saddam, but which were  proved illusory and condemned by the Chilcot report as a war crime  

From Libya where Gaddafi, leader of one of few stable African states, was taken out with assistance of enthusiastic NATO allies, leaving this North African region in a state of ongoing civil war; to Syria where US nurtured ISIS as a proxy to facilitate removal of another state leader, Assad, who would not pay fealty to Uncle Sam. 

During these turbulent times America raped oil reserves – and still does in North East Syria where they remain as illegal occupiers. But, as oil is not a resource of Afghanistan and as the above examples of American attempted hegemony suggest, WMD or neutralising terrorist (and communist) refuges used to justify war, have been exposed as “excuses” to stimulate the Military Industrial Complex which underpins the American economy, and that latent hostility of the Christian West to the religious and cultural differences with Middle East states, lingers as the raison d’être, for war.

As often is the case, history repeats. 1187 saw Saladin defeat the Christian Crusaders. 2021 saw Taliban defeat a Crusading Force of similar complement.

Today, the West condemns US President Biden for making good President Trumps pledge to remove US forces from this land of perpetual conflict.

In 1975 President Nixon had the sense and the courage to extract America – and the usual tag-along allies – like New Zealand, from a war that was being won by the lawful owners of Vietnam.

In 2021 President Biden has demonstrated the perspicacity and fortitude to extract America – and the usual tag-along allies – ANZACs and Germany and France and UK and various other NATO champions of delivering peace, prosperity, democracy -and dare I say – Christianity. 

In my assessment, President Biden should stand tall and for what its worth; I stand by him.

PS Having commended President Biden, it does occur to me that this outcome may be something upon which Taiwan and Ukraine might reflect.

Ross Meurant, graduate in politics both at university and as a Member of Parliament; formerly police inspector in charge of Auckland spies; currently Honorary Consul for an African state’ Trustee and CEO of Russian owned commercial assets in New Zealand and has international business interests.