Mandela picks Iraq over U.S.

National Post ^ | October 11 2002 | R.W. Johnson

[knighthawk]

DURBAN - In an extraordinary twist to the current tensions between the United States and Iraq, former South African president (and Nobel Peace Prize winner) Nelson Mandela has not only sided strongly against President George W. Bush, but appears on the point of being recruited to a stratagem by Saddam Hussein to block U.S. military intervention.

Mandela has uttered stronger and stronger statements critical of Bush. Originally he attempted to telephone the U.S. President to communicate his views, but Bush did not take his calls, so Mandela phoned ex-president George Bush Sr. to complain about his son and ask for his criticisms to be passed on. When this failed to move Bush Jr., Mandela declared the U.S. threat of pre-emptive war to bring about regime change in Iraq meant that the United States, not Iraq, was now "a danger to world peace." He followed this up by announcing that "some people" were saying that the United States was flouting the United Nations' authority because Kofi Annan, the UN Secretary-General, was a black man.

Last week Mandela went further still, no longer putting such allegations in the mouths of "some people," but openly charging that the Bush administration was acting out of racist and white supremacist motives in not "obeying" Kofi Annan. "No country, however powerful it may be, is entitled to act outside the UN. When UN secretaries-general were white we never had the question of any country ignoring the United Nations, but now that we have got black secretaries-general like Boutros Boutros-Ghali and Kofi Annan certain countries that believe in white supremacy are ignoring the UN for racist reasons."

At the same time, Mandela has declared himself willing to serve on a panel of "12 wise men" proposed by Saddam Hussein to oversee the UN inspectors, provided this plan finds acceptance with the UN. The panel is quite clearly intended to create a supra-national body that will interpose itself between Iraq and possible Anglo-American intervention. Quite clearly, the idea would be to pack the panel with personalities likely to oppose U.S. action. Already Saddam has mentioned ex-president Jimmy Carter as a possible member, clearly in anticipation that Carter would share Al Gore's critical attitude towards the Bush position.

Moreover, Saddam is hoping to push onto such a panel figures whom he can covertly influence or control. One such is former president Kenneth Kaunda of Zambia. Kaunda, who progressively ran the Zambian economy into the ground during his 28 years in office, also ran seriously short of dollars by the end and Saddam stepped in to provide aid. Kaunda's friendship with Saddam blossomed as Kaunda discovered that they shared the same birthday, and was then afforded a diplomatic coup when Saddam released a British prisoner, Daphne Parish, to him -- allowing Kaunda to present her back to a grateful Britain. Kaunda happily had one of the main streets in Lusaka, Zambia's capital, renamed as Saddam Hussein Boulevard.

Naturally, Saddam's leverage with Kaunda increased immensely after he fell from power in 1993. Kaunda, suddenly bereft of the state patronage and funds he had relied on, needed Saddam's subventions all the more. In return he has been a frequent, albeit somewhat gloomy, attendee at state functions in Baghdad. Naturally, in putting forward Kaunda's name as one of the "wise men" Saddam makes much of his role in supporting the cause of African freedom: There is no mention of these ties which would make it extremely hard to imagine Kaunda taking any other side but Saddam's.

Mandela's case is more complex. He shares the general Third World nervousness at the new doctrine of "regime change" -- for if the United States is to start deposing Third World dictators on general principle, many of Mandela's friends and donors would be at risk. In the run-up to the 1994 election in South Africa, Mandela raised prodigious sums of money for his African National Congress -- including from such undemocratic regimes as Libya, Saudi Arabia, Suharto's Indonesia -- and Saddam's Iraq.

Moreover, South Africa's apartheid regime had sold Iraq hundreds of thousands of giant 155mm howitzer shells in the 1980s, big enough to contain poison gas or chemical/bio-weapons. Saddam probably still has many of these and unlike his Scud missiles, they are not vulnerable to being shot down by Patriot anti-missile missiles. Once Mandela came in, further such arms deals were done, including -- or so strong rumour within the South African military community has it -- a shipment of depleted uranium in 1995 which, while unusable for the construction of nuclear bombs, could be used to give extreme penetrative power to projectiles. This relationship was consolidated by a series of oil deals from which there was generally a rake-off to ANC party funds.

All of which means that the United States is unlikely to pay much heed to Mandela's criticisms, let alone to entertain the "12 wise men" proposal. Its use would, rather, be to embarrass the United States, to win sympathy for Iraq throughout the Third World, to strengthen the pro-peace camp in the European Union and perhaps also appeal to black Americans among whom Mandela remains a magic name.

[knighthawk]

Ping

[sinkspur]

Hode own, Mandela! Hode own!

[Enterprise]

Hey Mandela - either with us or against us. And't don't be surprised someday to see submarines full of weapons offloaded to the white folk in South Africa! Ya punk!

[Militiaman7]

Hey Mendela, you commie bastard, mind your own f*****g business.

[Vidalia]

With news like this I think I will cancel my subscription the "Surprise of the Month Club"...

[dalebert]

Mandela also loves the Clintons.

[Mr. Mojo]

Hey Mandela - either with us or against us.

It appears that the recpients of Nobel "peace" prize are only people who are against us --- Mandela, Arafat, Annan, and Jimmy Carter.

[Dog Gone]

Those Nobel Peace Prize winners sure are swell guys.

[TruthShallSetYouFree]

He followed this up by announcing that "some people" were saying that the United States was flouting the United Nations' authority because Kofi Annan, the UN Secretary-General, was a black man.

Ah yes, the old "some people" trick that the left has perfected. Hey, Kofi, "some people" thought Hitler was a good guy.

[knighthawk]

I bet Mandela would have backed Hitler against the US.

[Enterprise]

Three goobers and a bumbling peanut farmer represent peace! Ha!

[Faraday]

Nelson who? Never heard of him.

[livius]

Anybody surprised?

[Post Toasties]

Mandela seems to have nothing negative to say about the likes of Mugabe running whites out of Zimbabwe and starving his own people, nor about Insane's attacking his neighboring countries, gassing Kurds. Mandela is revealing that he is firmly on the side of the Hitlers and Stalins of the world and that he truly hates freedom and democracy.

Mandela will rue his preposterous imbecility some day, assuming that whatever condition is afflicting him doesn't remove whatever remaining powers of reasoning he currently exhibits by then.

[Jorge]

Last week Mandela went further still, no longer putting such allegations in the mouths of "some people," but openly charging that the Bush administration was acting out of racist and white supremacist motives in not "obeying" Kofi Annan.

Mandela sounds like a paranoid racist kook here.

[Mr. Mojo]

"No country, however powerful it may be, is entitled to act outside the UN. When UN secretaries-general were white we never had the question of any country ignoring the United Nations, but now that we have got black secretaries-general like Boutros Boutros-Ghali and Kofi Annan certain countries that believe in white supremacy are ignoring the UN for racist reasons."

Too bad the former (and superior) So. African gov't didn't kill this commie bastard.

[OKSooner]

No, but he can still go piss up a rope.

[Post Toasties]

Btw, Mandela has his timelines completely wrong. The US freely disregarded the UN when it had Caucasion Secretary Generals. Thus Mandela's claims of racism by the US are comprehensively ridiculous as well as a hateful revelation of his own soul.

[WashingtonCollegeofLaw]

At one time i was a huge fan of Mandela. His struggle to over come the sheer terror of Apartheid was extrodinary. Now he pulls this crap. He must be right though...whenever there was a white UN Sec Gen, we didnt do anything...oh wait, can anyone name the global problems which arose during that period? The more i think about it the more i say we just pull out of the UN and see how much power they have. They dont want us on their committees, and to be honest, they only hamper our ability to do what is in our best interests. Good Luck UN, try and have a credible peacekeeping force wihtout the US leading the charge.

[dasboot]

No country, however powerful it may be, is ENTITLED to act outside the U.N." Mandela

Entitled by God. Oh, you don't recognize him?

[paul in cape]

Originally he attempted to telephone the U.S. President to communicate his views, but Bush did not take his calls, so Mandela phoned ex-president George Bush Sr. to complain about his son and ask for his criticisms to be passed on. When this failed to move Bush Jr.,.....

.....

"Michael is in charge now. Anything you have to say, you say to him."

LOL

[Gunrunner2]

Puck him.

[RightWhale]

It is a time for choosing sides. We have chosen to protect our 'hood. What's Mandela going to do when Mugabe comes into SA looking for Mandela's head on a pike? Go with the winner, Nelson, it's the prudent thing.

[Schatze]

I say we cut off all foreign aid to South Africa immediately. Hit 'em where it hurts.

[swampfox98]

Mandela picks Iraq over U.S.

Well I pick Satan over Mandela, so we're even.

[Man of the Right]

Does anybody on this board buy into the Nelson Mandela myth?

The con gets out of jail after 30 years and does his impression of Morgan Freeman playing the chauffeur in Driving Miss Daisy, and three billion people want to kiss his ar**.

A couple of days ago I saw a photo of Mandela with South African Communist party leader and KGB colonel Joe Slovo in front of the hammer and cycle. That's the company he kept and he's welcome to it.

I haven't noticed the South African economy astounding the world lately, despite the price of gold rising 15-20% the past few months. Could it be Mandela didn't create a paradise on earth there? South Africa is the murder and forcible rape capital of the world. Work on that one, Nelson, and keep your trousers on.

[semaj]

Hey Mandela!

F U!

[sneakypete]

When "Marxie Mandela" gave a speech to a joint session of Congress,they ALL gave him a standing ovation. Not a single one had the guys to remain sitting and say Mandela deserved to be hung,not applauded. They helped create this "beast",so they have no grounds now to complain about him.

[desertcry]

The money mandela got for the peace prize was long gone, so saddam comes to the rescue. A few iraqi barrels of oil did the trick.

[jwfiv]

Mandela is an insane fool, a blind dotard too long bending the ears of other fools with his Marxist babble...oh, wait, I was thinking of Jimmy Carter. Sorry. Mandela isn't blind, but I often get them confused...no offense intended.

[luv2ndamend]

I think he should go over to Iraq, in the no-fly zone, and learn how to use the SAM sites that happen to pop up from time to time! I think he should lead by example.

[aristeides]

I wonder if Clinton has put up Mandela to do this.

[mrb1960]

Is this guy serious or what??? I CAN'T BELIEVE WHAT I'M READING! WE HELPED SAVE HIM FROM PRISON, ONLY TO SEE HIM TURN ON US! SOUNDS LIKE HE NEEDS A GOOD OLE FASHION WHOOPING!

[livius]

LOL! Agreed!

[muawiyah]

Mandela said that when he took office his regime had the South African atom bomb stocks dismantled.

Obviously he then sold them to Saddam Hussein, right?!

[Consort]

..Birds of a feather...

[genefromjersey]

I read elsewhere today, South Africa has been selling arms, and enriched uranium to Iraq for quite some time now.

[genew]

Mandela picks Iraq over U.S.

The enemy of my enemy is my friend.

[CARepubGal]

Does Nellie mandelly own a Horse? A prized racehorse?

[ItisaReligionofPeace]

Mandela has uttered stronger and stronger statements critical of Bush. Originally he attempted to telephone the U.S. President to communicate his views

Why exactly should President Bush care what Nelson Mandela thinks about Iraq?

[The Wizard]

fact 1......No one in America gives a chit what madolo says

2 Mandloin has no impact on the self defense of America

3 when the UN had white leaders they had brains.....

4. The UN has nothing to do with us, and as far as I'm concerned you can take it out of NY and set it up in the lobby of some hotel in South America and we would never miss it or need it again,.

[The Wizard]

some guys, like the hillbilly, think they have clout...it's true some mobsters do have clout, but they have much more class than this clown.....

When I was young there was a name for a guy that acted like this

[Lonesome in Massachussets]

Mandela picks Iraq over U.S.

I'll take the U.S. and give 446 points. I figger it's over by half time. We played little league last time, - mercy rule 'cause they were down by 10 runs.

[CatoRenasci]

Nope. South Africans should have offed him 30 years ago.

[ambrose]

Originally he attempted to telephone the U.S. President to communicate his views, but Bush did not take his calls

I find this line hilarious. I can just see Bush telling his secretary "If that's Mandela on the phone again, tell him I'm in the can!"

[Dqban22]

Nelson Mandela, feels very comfortable and at home with murderers as Fidel Castro, Saddam Hussein, Robert Mugabe, and every other communist African tyrant, birds of a feather flock together. Mr. Mandela is not morally qualified to criticize President Bush after condoning and supporting the criminal records of those tyrants.

Furthermore, Nelson’s wife Winnie revealed their true color and those of the ANC at Munsieville, on April 13, 1986, when she said: "With our boxes of matches and our necklaces ["necklacing:" a torture in which a gasoline-filled tire is placed around the neck of a victim and set ablaze], we shall liberate this country." (South African Digest, April 18, 1986, p. 324)

WINNIE MANDELA'S NECKLACING

Winnie Mandela has been tied to kidnappings and assaults, as well as disappearances that took place. She also has been quoted as saying, "With our matches and our necklaces, we will liberate South Africa," referring to the practice of placing gasoline-soaked tires around the necks of those some anti-apartheid activists consider "traitors", and lighting them on fire.

Unlike most of their counterparts in the United States, the progressive movement in south Africa refused to keep silent in the face of Mandela's brutality.

In fact, the first reports of the assaults and killing were published by an anti-apartheid newspaper, not the press controlled by or supportive of the government. Anti-apartheid organizations in south africa, such as the Congress of South African Trade Unions (COSATU) and the United Democratic Front (UDF), were quick to condemn such violence on the part of Mandela.

The UDF/COSATU statement read, in part, "We are outraged at Mrs Mandela's obvious complicity in the recent abductions and assault of Stompie.... We are outraged by the reign of terror that the team [Mandela's body guards, also known as the Mandela United Soccer Club or the Mandela Football Club] has been associated with. Not only is Mrs Mandela associated with the team, in fact, the team is her own creation. We are of the view that Mrs Mandela has abused the trust and confidence which she has enjoyed over the years.... The Mass Democratic Movement hereby distances itself from Mrs Mandela and her actions."

This rebuke from her former allies in the anti-apartheid movement came only five months after another challenge to her image as a well-liked opposition leader. In September 1988, Mandela's home in Soweto was burned down by local "comrades," apparently in retaliation for a sexual assault against a student leader by members of the "football club." (Apparently, real sexual abuse is acceptable to Mandela and her friends, as long as it is heterosexual.)

The attack on Mandela's home appears to have been prompted as well by ill-feeling generated by Mandela's rather comfortable lifestyle, which includes ownership of a Mercedes, in the midst of the widespread poverty in Soweto.

According to a source in the anti-apartheid labor movement, the public condemnation of Mandela by COSATU and UDF was prompted by pressure on the part of Soweto residents fed up with the activities of Mandela and her associates. Prior to the killing of Stompie Seipei, opposition among other anti-apartheid activists to Mandela's thugs had led both Oliver Tambo and Nelson Mandela to call on her to disband the club.

Thomas Sowell discussed the mindset of Mandela's supporters: "Long before the present ugly episode, Winnie Mandela was justifying the hideous practice of burning political enemies alive. How could anyone have romanticized such a person? Like too many other issues, South Africa is not approached as a serious question about the fate of millions of flesh-and-blood human beings, but as a symbolic issue providing yet another backdrop for our own moral preening. Those who are preoccupied with showing that they are on the side of the angels are quick to find angels to side with. Winnie Mandela was just one of those angels."

Just as many American leftists once ignored credible evidence that progressive leaders like Lenin and Castro were brutalizing and killing dissidents, most leftists today continue to fawn over Mandela, despite the fact that even many of her former allies have seen her for the bully she is and have spoken out against her. People who are serious about liberation, sexual and otherwise, need to have a consistent commitment to personal freedom and be willing to speak out whenever people are unjustly attacked, whoever the attacker may be. Hypocritically covering-up and apologizing for the excesses of progressives puts into serious doubt the left's stated commitment to a free society.

[genefromjersey]

Right on the mark ! The "Liberal" mindset might be defined as : Black is beautiful; Hispanic is sacred ; Native American is sacred. Orientals and Whites are judged by how far Left they are : oppressed masses, or right-wing thugs.

[Political Junkie Too]

Mr. Mandela might still be sitting in prison if America didn't turn its attention towards apartheid in South Africa and free the majority of people. Why doesn't Mr. Mandela want that same effort undertaken on behalf of the oppressed people of Iraq?

-PJ