1993

 Casper Weinberger Iran-contra trial? – January 5th 1993. What happened? Colin Powell and Bush likely witnesses.

Bush’s last act – to put himself into the history books was to sign the START II Treaty. START I had been signed by Bush and Gorby on July 31st 1991. It promised to reduce warheads held by both countries by about half. START II promised to reduce the stock further to ¾ of the warheads held by both sides at the start of 1990.
The Russian promise was subject to it being ratified by the parliaments of Byelorussia, Ukraine and Kazakhstan. At the end of it, however, the US had managed to hold on to its tactical advantage.
http://americanpeace.eccmei.net/~eccmei/americanpeace/years/1993.html

Clinton Inauguration
Cabinet
Sec of State Warren M Christopher 1993 to 1997; Treasury, Lloyd Bentsen resigned in 1994; Attorney General, Janet Reno; Interior, Bruce Babbit; Agriculture, Mike Espy 93 to 94; Commerce, Ron Brown till his mysterious death in 96; Labour, Robert R. Reich 93 to 97; Defense, Les Aspin 93 to 94; Health and Human Services, Donna Shalala; Housing and Urban Development, Henry G Cisneros till 97; Transport, Fredirico F Pena; Energy, Hazel R O’Leary (1993 to 1997); Education, Richard W Riley; Veterans Affairs, Jesse Brown.

In his first 5 days Clinton lifted a ban on federally funded healthcare clinics discussing? abortion, lifted a ban on abortion clinics being performed on overseas military bases, ordered the birth control drug RU-486 be prepared for availability in the US, lifted ban on medical research on fetal tissue, ordered international aid to be reinstated to foreign countries whose health agencies perform abortions. “But then he backed down on gays in the military… backed down on his comprehensive healthcare plan.” - micheal moore.

During Clinton’s first 6 months in the office he and his wife hosted a series of private dinner parties. Heavily represented were leading members of the Washington press Corps. This brought positive news stories for Clinton. But not completely as the Whitewater Scandal (below) was to show.

Health
Clinton’s healthcare reforms? – ultimately failed during his first term.
Clinton forced to abandon efforts to make the government the sole buyer of childhood vaccines, which were to be distributed free to all children.
“drug lords have boosted vaccine prices by a thousand percent in the last 15 years, less than 2/3 of 2 year olds receive the full spectrum of recommended immunizations” – Washbab.
Pharmaceutical industry opposed Bill’s initiative, worried that the government would be able to restrict prices – and therefore profits. The ‘compromise’ meant that only children covered by Medicaid or uncovered by health insurance would be eligible for free vaccines.

Clinton cut back on efforts to intercept cocaine shipments in the Caribbean and Mexico – focused more on trying to stop drug use in the US.
A presidential directive targeted foreign drug cartels as a ’national security threat’ didn’t stop drugs getting to the USA.

Terrorism
There was an explosion at the WTC in New York on 26th February. There were reports that the FBI had allowed it to happen – they had an agent on the inside of the conspiracy who planted the bomb. [See “Tapes Depict Proposal to Thwart Bomb Used in Trade Centre Blast” New York Times, 28th October 1993] – Robin Ramsey, Fortean Times PT 162:32.
Six were killed and over 1000 were injured. A crater that ran 6 stories deep into the North Tower’s basement was created.

After that “Clinton attacked Baghdad with 23 cruise missiles. These destroyed a residential area, killing once again, mostly women and children, including Iraq’s most distinguished artist, Leila al-Attar. Interviewed on his way to church with his wife, Clinton said, “I feel quite good about it.”
The pretext for the attack was an Iraqi plot to kill George Bush on a visit to Kuwait. There was no hard evidence and the plot story is now widely regarded as fake.” Pilger septemebr 1998.

Jim Fox – now dead – was heading the FBI’s New York office at the time, and so supervised the investigation. He believed that Iraq was behind the bombing. He didn’t believe that those arrested in the immediate aftermath of the attack were capable of building a bomb of that power. One of those arrested was Palestinian Mohammed Salameh.
FBI director William Sessions was under attack at the time and soon to be replaced by Louis Freeh. Freeh believed the bomb was the work of a ‘loose network’ and not a state.
The New York FBI ran a ‘secret operation’, and penetrated extreme Muslim circles, proposed a bombing plot. A Sudanese émigré went for the bait and proposed bombing a Manhattan armoury, but this was changed to the UN building, the New York Fed Building and the two tunnels, by “friends” of the émigré who were actually agents. So the FBI were able to arrest the conspirators on June 24th.
On June 26th Clinton attacked Iraq with 23 cruise missiles – it was Al Gore who pressed for the attack, the Wall St Journal believeing that Clinton didn’t want to carry out the attack and questioned need for it until the last minute.
Three to seven of these missiles landed in residential areas killing civilians. The attack, far from being linked to some imaginary plot to kill Bush, was actually a revenge attack for the WTC bomb. But the enduring legacy of the FBI’s approach to this attack was the creation in the minds of US intelligence of a terrorist network, later to be identified as OBL’s Al Qaida.

Scandal
Clinton’s first term began as both his terms were to continue – mired up in scandal, targeted by right wing sleaze mongers. The Whitewater scandal emerged early bringing with it a shitty smell which lingered for a few years in the White House, preventing the administration from carrying out full-scale reform it had promised. See The Power of Nightmares for how the story managed to work its way into the papers.
Vincent Foster killed himself on July 20th. RTC investigator Jean Lewis made nine criminal references stemming from her investigation of Madison Guaranty – including one that named Clinton’s 1985 gubernatorial campaign of October ‘93.
In December ’93 Clinton was forced to say that he would release all Whitewater records.
www.cnn.com/ALLPOLITICS/1998/index.html

On June 3rd Clinton was forced by his right wing backers to withdraw civil rights attorney Lani Guinier’s nomination as head of the Civil Rights Division of the Department of Justice. Right wingers went mental at her nomination – a black left liberal woman appointed to top civil rights job? Outrageous! So they blocked her appointement and the Democrats failed to defend her, she was dropped. This pissed Guinier off – see her book “Lift every Voice” where she accuses the Clinton Administraiton of being “indifferent to…civil rights”. WWW.Minerscanary.org/whoweare/lani_guinier.htm

Battle for NAFTA
See Washington Babylon for details.

PPI – Progressive Policy Initiative. The ‘half thought tank’ of the Dem leadership Council (DLC) designed by Clinton, Charles Robb and other southern politicians to extract money and political endorsements from corporate bigwigs and prepared to do battle with the hated “special interests” – Democrat, working class supporters. A liberal think-tank – sponsored by America Bankers Association Tobacco Institute, Merrill Lynch, Coca Cola, and Occidental Petroleum and ‘two years and out’ welfare which came through in 1995.

Energy Tax
Ill fated proposal from Clinton’s administration for an energy tax. Designed to curb the US insatiable appetite for imported oil. After a massive press and PR campaign mounted by CSE, the legislation was defeated. The campaign targeted Senator David Boren [now heading University of Oklahoma] who sat on two key committees. After the media bashing he agreed to oppose the Clinton tax – effectively killing it.
Within days of his decision, Boren was being supported by the same Koch interests that were funding CSE. In the three month period from April 22 to July 8, 1993, in fact, Boren received at least $22,500 from the oil industry.

Clinton Doctrine
National Security advisor Anthony Lake announced the Clinton Doctrine in 1993. “Throughout the cold war, we contained a global threat to market economies; now we should seek to enlarge their reach.”
The Clinton doctrine advocated "unilateral use of military power" to defend vital interests, such as "ensuring uninhibited access to key markets, energy supplies and strategic resources," without even the pretexts that Bush and Blair devised. Taken literally, the Clinton doctrine is more expansive than Bush's NSS. But the more expansive Clinton doctrine was barely even reported. It was presented with the right style and implemented less brazenly. – Chomsky 2005

Asia-Pacific Economic Conference (APEC)
Clinton announced his one APEC achievement – contracts with China for aircraft, nuclear power generators & supercomputers & satellites, produced by Boeing, GE, Cray and Hughes Aircraft. The sales were illegal because of China’s involvement in nuclear and missile proliferation. Tiannenmen Square was forgotten so soon,

Third World
WHO director Hiroshi Nakajina reported 11m children die every year from easily treatable diseases – a ‘silent genocide’.

Oslo agreement
The Oslo “peace process” for Palestine began in 1993. Historian Shlomo Ben Ami wrote “the Oslo agreements were founded on a neo-colonist basis on a life of dependence of one on the other forever”. Clinton Borak proposed “consolidation to 3 cantons, under Israeli control virtually seperated from one another and from the 4th enclave, a small area of East Jerusalem the centre of Palestinian communications. The 5th Canton was Gaza.” Chomsky: Oslo “changed modalities of the occupation, but not the basic concept.”

Human Rights
The World conference on Human rights in Vienna, in June. Clinton warned “that it would oppose any attempt to use religious and cultural traditions to weaken the concept of universal human rights” but was then responsible for well over half the sales of arms to 3rd world, mostly brutal dictatorships. The US also opposed the idea “that any foreign occupation is a human rights violation.”

Puerto Rico
A corporate welfare program which gave American firms operating in Puerto Rico tax breaks worth about $3bn a year. Legislation which Arkansas Democrat Senator David Pryor proposed would have reduced the give away to about $600,000 annually.
Drug lords ran 72 plants in Puerto Rico – led opposition to Pryor’s legislation arguing that ‘936’ had turned the island into a ‘showcase of free enterprise’ and had created good jobs for workers.
BUT – Jersey Cartel earned three times more in tax breaks than it paid out in wages – drug companies had so fiercely opposed labour organising that only one of the island’s drug plants was unionised.
The bill was gutted – preservd about 70% of ‘936’’s tax breaks – during back-room negotitations with Pryor.

Haiti
Louis Jodel Chamblain (FRAPH paramilitary death squad) - Sep 11 1993 assassination of democracy – activist Antoine Izmery.
Haitian justice minister was ambushed and machine gunned to death with his bodyguard and driver on October 14th 1993 by FRAPH.
Chaos in Haiti grows so bad that Clinton has no choice but to remove the Haitian military dictator, Raoul Cedras, on threat of US invasion. The US occupiers do not arrest Haiti’s military leaders for crimes against humanity, but instead ensure their safety and rich retirements. Aristide is returned to power only after being forced to accept an agenda favourable to the country’s ruling class. Also, Clinton imposed his unjust blockade to stop Haitians fleeing brutal regime – he actually intensified a policy he had previously opposed.

The US act to close its border with Mexico, to stem the tide of immigrants streaming in. Operation Gatekeeper, in which a fence was built running 14 miles from the mountains east of San Diego to the coast. San Diego politicians began lobbying to have the fence reinforced by about two additional fences, costing around $58m, that’s $4m per mile.

Brazil
Brazil experienced its worst recession for 50 years.

Panama / Colombia
Clashes along Panama – Colombia border – a spill over from inter Colombian political unrest becoming increasingly common.
June 2000 – Colombia’s Senate approved bill allowing natural gas exports directly to Panama – construction of a gas pipeline.
Enron in april 2000 announced plans to invest $400m in pipeline.

Honduras
Election in November and neo-liberals won. Structural Adjustment Programs are the order of the day. US had turned Honduras into a military base for attacking Nicaragua, establishing the generals as firm rulers. Privileged exporters and local investors linked to financial capital and multinational corporations benefited.
One of every two dollars coming to Honduras has left [1991 to 1993] to pay interest on more than $3bn of foreign debt – Debt service represents 40% of exports. Purchasing power is lower than in the 1970s before ‘democracy’.
US troops had been in the country since 1988, and continued to remain there for years to come.

CIA Dodgy dealings
Dodgy dealings by the CIA surface in January. Honduran businessman Eugenio Molina Osario is arrested in Lubbock Texas for supplying $90,000 worth of cocaine to DEA agents. Molina told judge he is working for CIA to whom provides political intelligence. Shortly after, a letter is sent from CIA HQ to judge and case is dismissed. Molina later admits his drug involvement was not a CIA operation explaining that CIA protected him due to value of his political intelligence in Honduras.

Colombia
In December, according to Americas Watch, most material used by and training provided to the Colombian Army and police came from the USA. 1992 had been the most violent year in Colombia since the 1950s, but 1993 was to be worse. August 92 to August 93 – 217 union activists were murdered. “Social cleansing” murder of vagrants, unempol;oyed, street children, prostitutes, homosexuals, etc…
Colombia is assisted in its ability to wreak extreme violence by mercenaries from the UK, Germany and Israel. Trained assassins etc perform services for narco-military landlord combine. North Americans have been engaged in these operations.
Washington’s SALVADOR-GUATEMALA model Major Luis Felipe Becerra committed and charged with army massacre. Civilian judge (who made charge) feld after death threats – her father was then murdered.
Systematic elimination of opposition, criminalisation of large sections of the population, massive elimination of opposition, massive resort to political assassination and disappearance, general use of torture, extreme powers for the security forces, exceptional legislation etc…
Its roots are in doctrines pioneered by the JFK administration.
Crucial 1962 decision switched mission of Latin American military from “hemispheric defence” to “internal security.”

Report in the guardian 24/07/97 about the civil war spilling over into neighbouring Panama. Paramilitaries have begun to murder and terrorise civilians accused of collaborating with guerrillas.
“Armed and trained by the Colombian army, and financed by landowners and the drugs mafia, the paramilitaries are using torture and decapitation to destroy support for the Revolutionary  Armed Forces of Colombia (Farc) in towns and villages.”
The Peasant self defence organisation of Cordoba and Uraba (Accu) one of about a doxen militias.
Accu is headed by a landowner called Carlos Castano. He is a graduate of the hit-squad schools set up in the early 1980s by UK and Israeli mercenaries and financed by the Medellin cocaine cartel.
See article.

Terrorist Training USA
Much concern about terrorist training camps on US soil, both official and unofficial. Censored news p.115.
Doctrines instilled by US advisors and trainers can be traced back to the Nazis. Michael McClintock in his important study.

Cambodia
A UN sponsored election brought calm and renewal to Cambodia. However, it did not last long – see early July 1997.

Vietnam
Embargo against Vietnam continued until 1994.

Somalia
On October 3rd USA engaged in attacks on (Somalia?).

Angola
In 1992 once it became clear that the MPLA would win UN certified free elections UNTA resumed the war with US and South African support. In 1993 the US finally recognised the Angolan government and Clinton cut off aid to UNITA.

Middle East
Israel
In December in a UN session Clinton opposed UN 194 along with Israel.
“One of the greatest hopes for peace in the Middle East saw Yasser Arafat and Yitzhak Rabin share a nobel peace prize. The agreement involved Israeli withdrawal from the West Bank and the Gaza Strip, with Arafat’s PLO recognising Israel’s right to exist and renouncing violence. The failure of talks and intifada rendered it irrelevant.”

Mosque blast in the Bahah region of Saudi Arabia – 10 killed in the mosque.

Afghanistan
Najibullah government was overthrown in 1992 – it led to fighting among warring fundamentalist groups for territorial control. Thousands of civilians were killed- especially women and children. Mujahideen groups seized power in Kabul. Women’s rights were violated when constitution was suspended. Arbitrary trials and barbaric punishments. AI report April 1992 to February 95 listed horrendous crimes against women.

Iraq
More than 100 US UK and French planes attacked radar sites and missile batteries as Saddam’s defiance of UN Peacekeeping group – Jan 7th 1993. – in southern NFZ – strikes made near Nasiriya, Samawa, Najaf and Al Amara. Less than half of intended targets were hit.
January 17th US launched 46 Tomahawk missiles into Baghdad and destroyed 8 building supposedly to do with Iraq’s nuclear program – the al Rasheed hotel was hit killing a number of civilians.
The US conducted air strikes against Iraqi service (hq) in retaliation for assassination plot against former President George Bush – june 26th, 1993.
Operation provide comfort 1991 to 1996 in Kurdistan – Iraqi sites were attacked by US forces – 5 in January – again in April and finally in August (cluster bombs).
The naval blockade which had been started in Auguist 1990 was continued.

Yugoslavia
In March Gaby Rado uncovered how all the mosques in Bosnian town of Bijelina had been dynamited in one night by a Serb para military group.
Srebrenica was made a ‘safe haven’ by UN on 16th April – it was about to fall to the Bosnian Serbs.
Five more Bosnian towns were made safe on 6th May 1993.
On the 25th July the Bosnian ceasfire failed.

Eastern Europe
Czechoslovakia split into two states on 1st January – Bush and Yeltsin signed START II on the 3rd January – 1st November Maastricht agreement in Europe – 12th December – first multi party election in Russia.

Rwanda
UN Special “Rapporteur” visited in april and reported that government forces had murdered some 2,300 civilians since the conflict with the RPF erupted in 1990 – WashBab.
But gorillas proved infinitely fascinating for the US media.