How to damage US interests in Africa – Demonizing Eritrea

In an introductory article, entitled ‘How America is led to Disaster in Eastern Africa’, we elaborated on the exploitation of US sensitivities, and we underscored the nefarious impact of ethically and politically impermissible alliances with totalitarian regimes like that of Abyssinia, fallaciously re-baptized as ‘Ethiopia’.

In a second article, entitled ‘America led to Disaster in the Horn of Africa – the Trap of Anti-Eritreanism’ (http://www.buzzle.com/articles/america-led-to-disaster-in-the-horn-of-africa-the-trap-of-anti-eritreanism.html), we focused on the fact that the present US administration has been gravely misguided as regards the nature and the policies of several states that, just because they share borders with the tribal Abyssinian tyrants, have become the next targets of Africa’s most appallingly inhuman disgrace, ‘Ethiopia’.

To demonstrate the existence of falsifying literature, we selected a text - tool of misguidance, published on October 30, 2007, by Clay Varney on the website of the US think tank ThreatsWatch.Org. Under the aggressive and abusive title "Eritrea: Who Knew? Status as State Sponsor of Terrorism Seems Self-Evident" (http://commentary.threatswatch.org/2007/10/eritrea-who-knew/), the text was geared to contribute to the rising Anti-Eritrean racism, to the identification of the small African country with the ‘International’ of the Islamic Terrorism, and to the promotion of the Neo-Nazi agenda of the racist Amhara / Tigray rulers of Abyssinia.

We then published the text, and proceeded with the refutation of Mr. Varney’s erroneous data, arguments and synthesis, unveiling the vicious methods of his fabrication. In the present article, we will complete the refutation; to facilitate the readers, we will first publish Mr. Varney’s uncommented part of text, and then the commentary; the numbers encrusted in Mr. Varney’s text refer to points of comments.

Eritrea: Who Knew? Status as State Sponsor of Terrorism Seems Self-Evident (http://commentary.threatswatch.org/2007/10/eritrea-who-knew/)

By Clay Varney

Eritrea’s president, Isaias Afwerki, danced around the question in a recent interview with the Los Angeles Times, stating: "I still would like to know what is behind this allegation. Nobody is convinced. What are the accusations?" Further, unsatisfied with merely supplying the Islamic Courts Union with weapons, 11 Eritrea is also harboring its leadership, à la another prominent member of the list of state sponsors of terrorism, Syria. Sheikh Hassan Dahir Aweys, the head of the Islamic Courts Union, now resides in Asmara, Eritrea. 12 Why should this concern the average American? The answer is simple as the sheikh was placed on a State Department list as an al-Qaeda collaborator since shortly after September 11. Furthermore, he was also associated with the now defunct al-Ittihad al-Islamiya, 13 which is believed to have played a role in the 1998 East Africa embassy bombings perpetrated by al-Qaeda.

In early September of this year, a major gathering of figures opposed to Somalia’s current government was held in Asmara. The group 14 included a number of prominent Islamists, 15 whom at its conclusion formed the Alliance For The Re-Liberation Of Somalia. Isaias Afwerki openly backed the formation of this confederation. 16 The previously mentioned Sheikh Hassan Dahir Aweys was present at this gathering, 17 leading Jendayi E. Frazer, Assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs, to comment: "But clearly the fact that Eritrea is providing sanctuary for terrorists is best illustrated by the report that Sheikh Hassan Dahir Aweys was in Asmara yesterday." 18 Dr. Frazer announced on August 17 that Eritrea was being considered for inclusion on the State Department’s list of state sponsors of terrorism. 19 Other esteemed nations currently designated as such are Syria, Iran, Sudan, Cuba, and North Korea. 20 Such a label would result in harsh economic sanctions against the African nation. 21

Eritrean officials have denied the allegations. In one telling statement, the information minister of Eritrea, Ali Abdu, responded to Secretary Frazier’s assertions by saying, "Eritreans kneel on only two occasions…when they pray and when they shoot." No final decision has yet been made on Eritrea’s status and the possibility of such a designation may 22 dissuade Eritrea from continuing to supply weapons to the Somali insurgency, but based on Abdu’s contention, compliance appears unlikely.

Though Eritrea’s actions may seem marginal 23 at first, there are in fact major implications for American national security. Eritrea’s supply of weapons provides a major tool for the Islamic Courts Union 24 in its campaign to unseat the delicate interim government. 25 If the instability and violence continues, Somalia will remain a failed state, 26 and as Afghanistan showed, 27 failed states in which Islamist forces are free to operate can directly impact the United States. 28

Additionally, a significant American military presence has been established in Djibouti, a tiny nation sandwiched between Somalia 29 and Eritrea. In January of this year, a number of al-Qaeda members were targeted in air strikes by American military forces based in Djibouti. These members of the terrorist organization had been sheltered by the Islamic Courts Union. Individuals targeted in the strikes included Fazul Abdullah Mohammed, the planner of the 1998 embassy bombings. 30

In short, Eritrea is giving weapons to an organization that has provided safe haven for members of al-Qaeda responsible for the deaths of Americans and is also granting sanctuary to that organization’s leader. 31 The State Department defines state sponsors of terrorism as follows: "State sponsors of terrorism provide critical support to non-state terrorist groups. Without state sponsors, terrorist groups would have much more difficulty obtaining the funds, weapons, materials, and secure areas they require to plan and conduct operations." 32 Eritrea’s status as such seems self-evident. 33

Refutation of Clay Varney’s Anti-Eritrean fallacies and forgeries

11. Mr. Varney’s method is the old Nazi system of persistent repetition of the erroneous info or data. There is no "Islamic Courts Union" anymore in November 2007; it dissolved in January 2007, following the Abyssinian invasion of Mogadishu. Consequently, Eritrea’s president does not supply with arms the  'Islamists' but the National Somali insurgence, which is a most rightful act that perfectly abides by the Principles and Ideals of America’s Founding Fathers. In the light of the inhuman butchery perpetrated by the Abyssinian Cannibal Zenawi in Ogaden, Somalia, Oromia and Sidama Land, the contribution of Isaias Afeworki to the Liberation of Somalia takes dimensions of contribution to independence, similar to the endeavours and the bravery of Lafayette at the times of the American War of Independence.

 It’s Mr. Varney with his falsifications, and his shameful backing of the Abyssinian dictator Zenawi, who becomes a bleak episode of the American bibliography and scholarship. He should denounce his probably Abyssinian-financed inconsistent and pathetic forgery.

12. Eritrea’s help of the Somali National Insurgence has nothing to do with Syria’s commitment and help directed to terrorist organizations. Even more so because Mr. Varney fails to provide the slightest evidence; no one has established a parallelism between Hamas or Hezbollah and the Somali Islamic Courts of Justice. Even worse, as we already said, the Somali Islamic Courts of Justice have been disintegrated, and do not exist anymore, despite the survival of smaller Islamist cells that are today marginal contributors to the overwhelming phenomenon of the Mogadishu National insurgence.

13. Certainly Hassan Dahir Aweys is a Somali Islamist, and allegedly resides in Asmara. However, the formerly predominant figure of the Somali Courts of Justice is today a marginal, isolated and inactive personality, having no involvement in the ARS leadership. As the emergence of the new alliance, ARS, brought closer moderate Islamists and Somali secular democrats, the role of Hassan Dahir Aweys is expected to be increasingly marginalized in the future. Then, the problem remains at the level of hospitality; frankly speaking, we have to ask the following questions:
- Whom does Mr. Varney consider as worse guest? Hassan Dahir Aweys or Africa’s most repugnant, criminal butcher, Meles Zenawi?
- Who does Mr. Varney think as more dangerous for the World’s security, peace and civilized, democratic life? Hassan Dahir Aweys or Meles Zenawi?
- Who is to be held for more crimes and more killings? Hassan Dahir Aweys od Meles Zenawi?

If we take into account the totality of the barbaric killings perpetrated by the thuggish relatives and friends of Meles Zenawi only in occupied Sidama Land, only in 2002, certainly we can conclude that America’s undeserved and unmerited interlocutor killed far more innocent people than Hassan Dahir Aweys.

In one thing Mr. Varney is right; the average American citizen must be 'concerned' - with America’s anti-American alliance with Abyssinia, fallaciously and criminally re-baptized ‘Ethiopia’. Dictator Zenawi’s regime is Africa’s most anti-American, anti-Christian and anti-human establishment, and the Neo-Nazi elites of the Tigray and the Amhara Abyssinians overtly work on a long agenda that critically endangers America’s political, economic, military interests. The only concern for the US citizen from now on should be how the US will help disintegrate and split the malodorous Morgue ‘Ethiopia’ to 10 separate and independent states, according to the Yugoslavian model, while preventing further wars, extrajudicial killings and tyrannical policies throughout the Horn of Africa region.

14. ‘A major gathering of figures opposed to Somalia’s current government was held in Asmara’; that’s correct and true, but it seems that Mr. Varney is genuinely unable to understand what he reads (did he truly write this text?). So vast is the Somali political spectrum that Mr. Varney’s approval of its presence automatically cancels all that he says later; in a national meeting that sets the beginning of the Great National Liberation Struggle of Somalia, it is only normal that all the political formations are convoked and represented.

15. Erroneous syntax unveiling modifications of the very last moment; probably several authors and editors contributed to the forgery of this text. The simplest truth cannot be kept hidden however; it does not take a Ph. D. in Astrophysics to understand that if a meeting is held whereby all the figures opposed to Somalia’s current government are convoked, and at its conclusion an Alliance is formed, one of the two things will happen:
- either all the formations were represented in the Alliance, and then this Alliance by definition is not an Islamist group, due to the great variety of the allied political formations that participated in the Asmara meeting (as we already said)
- or only the Islamists contributed to the formation of the Alliance, and then the non Islamist formations denounced the attempt.

As it happens, there was not a single denunciation from any participant in the Asmara meeting; we consequently have to conclude that the Alliance (ARS), as fully representative of all the participants of the Asmara meeting, is not an Islamist political party. Mr. Varney failed to hush the truth.

16. The US should acclaim Eritrean president Afeworki for facilitating the Somali political leadership to meet, deliberate, and come up with a new umbrella of the political formations involved in the Somali National Liberation Struggle; despite the current – unjustified and dangerous for both - tension between the two countries, Pres. Afeworki’s initiative is in full concordance with the US interests for a peaceful, democratic Horn of Africa, a re-unified Somalia, and a liberated Ogaden – which is the only way to avoid an Islamic Terror volcano explosion.

17. It was only normal that the participants did not wish to exclude Hassan Dahir Aweys from the National Somali Liberation meeting; but as the results clearly show, they managed to show to him that his place is not and will not be at the epicenter of the Somali political life. Preserving Unity, while averting extremism, is a politically wise method.

18. Jendayi E. Frazer represents the most dramatic failure in the US African policy over the past 60 years; loathed throughout Africa, described in the most deprecating terms, and ridiculed in her comical decisions and demarches, Jendayi Frazer is about to be hired by the Chinese Ministry of African Expansion as its best agent. The sooner President Bush demands her – urgently needed – resignation, the better for the US interests and reputation throughout Africa.

19. Jendayi E. Frazer, the world’s most experienced diplomat and wittiest geopolitical strategist is able to say, if Hassan Dahir Aweys visits Khartoum, that Sudan is ‘sanctuary for terrorists’, if he travels to Cairo, that Egypt is ‘sanctuary for terrorists’, and if he reaches Dublin, that Ireland is ‘sanctuary for terrorists’ too! Pathetic, cliché, inane!

20. In fact she did; however, wiser stance has meanwhile prevailed, and US astute diplomats advised for restrain as regards Frazer’s African ignorance and paranoia. As a matter of fact, if Eritrea is included in the list of state sponsors of terrorism, America’s African policy will receive an incredible setback, causing also damage to the European interests in the Black continent, and catapulting China to the position of Supreme Warrantor and Defender of all African tyrants and malodorous butcheries.

21. The ignorant, irrelevant and deceitful Mr. Varney offers great service by enumerating all these countries; because precisely ‘such a label’ would result in an alliance between Eritrea, Sudan, and the Egyptian Muslim Brotherhood, whom Eritrea and Sudan would do their ingenious best to help rise in Cairo. The ominous result would comprise a severe deterioration of the life standards of, and the oppressive methods against, the various ethnic groups of Sudan and Eritrea, and more notably an out-and-out war against the outspokenly anti-Muslim elite of the racist and neo-Nazi Amhara and Tigray Abyssinians that would make of the entire Horn of Africa a maelstrom of War and Extremism.

The Islamic Extremism would be awaken, revivifying past ghosts, America would lose greatly, and ‘Ethiopia’ would meet its ultimate death, following a combination of bi-frontal war, and easily fuelled internal rebellions.

22. Certainly, Eritrea’s policies are not ‘marginal’, but they are not anti-American either. Well studied, Pres. Afeworki’s Somali policies make of the small East African nation’s leader (with whose internal policies we disagree) one of the best defenders of America’s War against Terrorism. Suffice it that the US diplomats and legislators have the perspicacious sight it takes to distinguish it. A task that certainly is not up to Madame Jendayi Frazer….

23. The Nazi methods are never forgotten by Mr. Varney, and the hidden co-editors of this disreputable text. Again, we have to denounce the reference to the - today inexistent - Islamic Courts of Justice. Pres. Afeworki does not deliver arms to a group that does not exist, neither does his provide Islamists of any political formation with weaponry.

24. Yes, the weaponry provided by Pres. Afeworki is a ‘major tool’ for the liberation of Somalia from the Abyssinian racist Neo-Nazi pestilence. And as such, Mr. Varney has either to acclaim it or unveil his fascist face and identity. Any person of humanist and democratic convictions has to denounce the Amhara – Tigray Abyssinian occupation of Somalia.

25. Yes, now Mr. Varney says it all! He disreputably attacks Pres. Afeworki, and his pro-Somali stance, for his contribution to the elimination of the unrepresentative Transitional Federal Government. What I call ‘unrepresentative’, he calls ‘delicate’; as he may prepare a Ph. D. in the future, I strongly advise him against the use of this term. There may be a ‘delicate’ affair, but there is no ‘delicate’ government! Supporting the relic political formation, Mr. Varney reveals his alignment with the Neo-Nazi and definitely anti-American policies of the Abyssinian Dictator Zenawi. It is highly unlikely that an American hand wrote the text finally signed by the unwise Mr. Varney.

26. Now, Mr. Varney shows great concern for the instability and the violence in Somalia! Incredible duplicity and disgusting mendacity! Where is Mr. Varney’s call for immediate withdrawal of the Abyssinian army, and for the resumption of the Humanitarian aid? Nowhere! When innocent civilian victims are seen killed by the Abyssinian army on the streets of Mogadishu, Mr. Varney has nothing to say. His Abyssinian masters told him to keep silence on this occasion; and he shamefully does so!

Yet, it would be easy to understand that for America to ensure stability and peace in Somalia, the top priority should be the withdrawal of the – already adequately decimated – tribal pseudo-army of the world’s most appalling Cannibal, the Abyssinian Dictator Zenawi.

It is not Somalia that is a ‘failed state’; Africa’s most failed state is Abyssinia, the world’s most abominable and malodorous Morgue, which is repudiated with the utmost wrath and indignation by more than 80% of its tyrannized inhabitants, namely the oppressed nations and ethno-religious groups that have been subjugated by the Monophysitic, heretic Christian, barbaric and totalitarian Amhara and Tigray Abyssinians. This is the top failure among all the states of the world: fake ‘Ethiopia’. The Prostitute Pseudo-Nation.

27. Afghanistan is totally irrelevant of Somalia; as a state comprising various ethnic groups and religious denominations, Afghanistan always lacked the Unity of the Somali Nation. And Afghanistan, as landlocked, continental nation is precisely at the antipodes of the Somali Coastal and Maritime Nation. If anything, the Afghani Islamists find their African counterparts in the Amhara – Tigray extremist racists, who consist in Africa’s most despicable and barbaric group.

28. The problem is far wider, and hinges on the American indifference in the 90s. Yet, it’s not the Afghanis and it’s not the Islamists gathered in Taliban Afghanistan who are responsible for the American indifference; it’s America. In every case, what matters is the error, and how it will be avoided. The War against Islamic Terrorism is real; it was declared from the unknown moment a few Islamists in secret decided to launch their War against the West. Neither indifference nor ignorance – such as practiced by Jendayi Frazer and eulogized by Mr. Varney – will help. And certainly the US will not win over Islamic Terrorism by demonizing a predominantly Christian African country like Eritrea.

29. Mr. Varney’s masters have not informed him about Somaliland thus far; and he does not know that Djibouti lies between Eritrea and Somaliland, not Somalia – for the time being.

30. Then, why not asking Madame Frazer to include Djibouti in the list of state sponsors of terrorism? Djibouti may be ‘marginal’ and ‘small’, but it represents a danger for the ….. US! Someone should kick this comical person out of the respectable American universities once forever!

31. The Nazi propaganda tactics are in full use by Mr. Varney; "repeat the lie you want to diffuse many times within a text, and start the recapitulation with the same lie as well"! Ridiculously, he reiterates the story of Pres. Afeworki delivering weapons to an organization that does not exist. The fact that he starts his last paragraph’s sentence with the expression ‘in short’, which introduces the summary in guise of conclusion, and then repeats the ridiculous lie pertains to the Nazi techniques he widely employed within this text.

32. Critical support to "non-state terrorist groups" has nothing to do with hospitality involving residence under control, and this truly concerns Hassan Dahir Aweys for the real Asmara insiders, nothing related to the fictional stories of Mr. Varney. If America truly wanted cooperation with Asmara, the Bush Administration would get insightful and critical details; but there had to be real wisdom in the American Horn of Africa policy making, involving zero credence to irrelevant papers like this.

33. Certainly, the only self-evident point is Mr. Varney's revelation of how US money disclosed for the criminal 'Ethiopian' dictator and his racist, Neo-Nazi regime, finds its way back to America.

Note
Picture: There are no Islamists in the streets of Asmara.