Liberation of hostage Douglas Wood
by plait Thursday, Jun 23 2005, 11:10pm
international / imperialism / opinion/analysis

[We would like to extend our gratitude to those who were directly involved in the release and rescue of Douglas Wood.]

The context of this event is the criminal US invasion and occupation of Iraq and the subsequent opposition to this invasion by the Arab Resistance. To state that this invasion is not going well would be the understatement of the twenty first century. The invading forces are faced with a (growing) concerted and effective resistance, not an unusual or unexpected response in the circumstances.

The strategy of Perle, Wolfowitz and Rumsfeld to secure Israel from the threat posed by Saddam Hussein since his missile attack, has succeeded; this was the principle of the invasion, oil was the lure. For the Zionists and Sharon the invasion was a complete success; for the rest of the world, especially the US administration, it has become a nightmare. The consequences of a rushed and under-planned invasion are being faced on a daily basis. We can observe the principals of the invasion attempting to avoid the inevitable repercussions by withdrawing into the background and arranging postings outside government – Wolfowitz, as president of the World Bank, is an obvious example. Perle’s astute decision to remain outside the administration while having the influence of one of its members may afford him some temporary protection. Only Rumsfeld is left to take the fall with the gentiles.

The Whitehouse is in a state of quite chaos and restrained panic at present. So many people ducking in so many directions. In this atmosphere we had the Wood hostage situation in Iraq – not an unusual event except for the brilliant strategy deployed by his family to secure his release.

All intransigent US methods were abandoned in favour of an interactive approach that engaged the kidnappers via their own cultural channels and in this context enter a Mufti from Australia who volunteered to help in the delicate negotiations with those concerned. It should be emphasised that Arab-Muslim culture has evolved over many centuries and has developed culture specific (strict) behavioural protocols and honour codes. Failure to observe these codes could result in failed negotiations or in an extreme case of honour violation, death. The approach via cultural channels offered the only hope of rescue in the current situation.

But to return to the present dilemma facing the US administration and the frantic need for a successful ‘media event’ to help boost support for a very unpopular war. From the scant information available and various claims being made, we can safely determine that Wood was not strategically liberated as the coalition of liars would have us believe; however, the circumstances of his release are as yet unclear. The following known facts should be critically evaluated before believing any claims made by anyone – especially lying and desperate politicians.

1. The failure to capture any high ranking kidnappers or other known hostages if the ‘liberation’ claim is to be believed.
2. The uncharacteristic behaviour of the Australian foreign minister, Downer, in his praise of the Mufti in securing Wood’s release – Downer praising anything other than himself and the party political line is very unusual.
3. The immediate need of the coward prime minister, Howard, to boast in the Parliament that the coalition effected a brilliant ‘rescue’. Howard is known for twisting and engineering the interpretation of events to bolster his ‘popularity’ – the “children overboard affair” is a typical example.
4. Statements issuing directly from Wood since his release eg, “God bless America” and words to the effect, “I am proof that the coalition forces, in combination with the Iraqi military, are making progress in Iraq”. However, the fact remains there is no progress being made in Iraq – the world views it accurately as a debacle. Also, tailored propaganda statements coming from a released hostage are inconsistent with known behavioural patterns and should be viewed with suspicion.
5. Statements from the Mufti and his representatives directly oppose the claims made by US and Australian politicians, even though statements from the Mufti are inconsistent and inaccurate.
6. A recent claim by a Swedish citizen that information he was able to provide to authorities was instrumental in effecting Wood’s release – the Swede was held hostage by the same group and encountered Wood while both were in captivity.

If we combine these claims/counter-claims with statements made by military sources, that an opportunity arose by accident while troops were performing routine searches, we have a stew of lies, facts, half-truths, contrived fictions, and overt propaganda.

Meaning and accurate deductions can only be determined from a contextual relationship of elements within a continuous (historical) time dynamic. Each element/event necessarily occurs/exists in relation to another by sequence or consequence. The resulting ‘series’ or trail is the ‘golden thread’ for professional analysts. The historical time dynamic never actually ceases as history is in actuality a process of the present; as such it deals with past referrers and the constant linking (in the present) of additional elements to the chain of events. The ‘chain’ is not necessarily linear; however, for purposes of analysis it assumes a linear aspect as acquiring a specific knowledge/information cuts a linear trail through a matrix of elements/events.

Prior to embarking on a search for a specific knowledge it would be well to remember that interviews and accounts from others are notoriously unreliable and should be avoided whenever possible. The astute analyst will always seek artefacts and events as they relate to each other in unique fashion, as no group of elements ever ‘falls’ to form identical patterns. I would mention that the primary cause for the failure of US intelligence (in general) was external intervention designed to effect a desired outcome; this occurred overtly and in an artificially induced atmosphere of party political bias. Professional analysts must maintain their sovereignty and professional integrity if they are to be of value.

[America is its own worst enemy – left to itself it would implode. The perfect strategy to ensure its demise is isolation and non-engagement. In the event that it would make violent overtures or threats to any nation, it must be made clear that the majority of developed nations in concerted fashion oppose it – all ‘guns’ directed at one target. The public would then act for the good of the nation and remove the insane and deluded elements that have taken control of the nation. Dick Cheney, in the face of obvious contrary information recently stated to the people of America that, “the insurgency is in its last throes!” The last historical example of such deluded behaviour was Adolf Hitler in the final stages of WW II. Faced with the bitter reality of the demise of the Reich, he resorted to commanding battalions and divisions that no longer existed.]

The Wood case is certain to produce more fictions and propaganda – a paid interview will be broadcast on the Australian media this weekend. We will reserve our judgement until more information is forthcoming. It may prove entertaining for the reader to critically observe the theatre of ‘Wood’s liberation’ as it is broadcast on the media.

The most valuable lesson to be learnt is not to be distracted. War is the last option in human affairs and those who would criminally lead nations to war based on an orchestrated campaign of lies should, without hesitation, be brought before the ICC for the needless deaths they have caused.

Failure to act will only wreak more chaos on our lives and on the planet – these people are a menace.