Permanent Global WarEnrico Piovesana
peacereporter.net
The US Congress proposes a new declaration of war which authorizes the use of United States armed forces.UU. in a conflict without end, without limits and without a clear enemy. There is alarm in associations by civil rights.
Which ilusionaba be thinking that with the assassination of Bin Laden, the United States reawakening the end of the "war on terror" against al - Qaida, declared after the September 11, 2001, was right. On the contrary, United States is considering expanding the geographical, political and temporal boundaries of the conflict, transforming it into a permanent global war.
These days, the Committee of Defense of the Congress of United States - with a Republican majority since the last November, is studying the text of a new declaration of war "updated" which was adopted on 18 September 2001. Unlike the ancient text which, on behalf of the right of self-defence, it authorized the use of military force "against Nations, organizations and persons responsible for attacks against the United States (...)" "in order to prevent further acts of terrorism", the new text, drafted by the Republican Howard McKeon, describes a war without end, without frontiers and without an enemy clear. "The United States - he says the proposal on analysis - are engaged in a war against the Nations, organizations and individuals that are part or supporting al - Qaida, the Taliban or allied forces engaged in hostilities against the United States""against members of the coalition and in favour of the aforementioned Nations, organizations or persons."
The new declaration of war also authorizes the arrest of the enemies without time limits: "the President has the authority to detain combatants until the end of hostilities".
The text has raised the alarm of all American associations by civil rights, anti-war and human rights.
A sorry open letter to the members of the Defence Commission, the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) and other twenty-two organizations asked that he is not approved this law which "gives the President some broad and almost irrevocable powers to declare war"", embarking at the United States in a war on a global scale without a defined enemy, without any geographical limits and time limits relating to the achievement of a goal".
"Contrary to the Declaration of war in 2001 that authorized the attack on Afghanistan and the hunt for Osama bin Laden - read on the ACLU letter - the proposed text does not mention a specific harm, such as the attack of September 11", or a specific threat to the country. Argues that United States is in war anywhere that there are suspected of terrorism, regardless of whether there is a real danger. "The Congress delegated to the President powers to wage war, with a scale without precedent, which authorized to order the use of military force, regardless of specific attacks or potential against the United States absolute."
"The new declaration of war - continues the letter - does not specify the final objectives and the criteria under which restrict the presidential war powers delegated by Congress: comprehensive deadlines for this conflict could last decades." According to this text, "the United States armed forces."UU. "could be deployed in Somalia, in Yemen, in Iran, in almost all countries of the Middle East, in Africa and in Asia, and also in European countries, in Canada obviously, within the same United States against American citizens".
* Session 1034, page 20 of the National Defense Authorization Bill for the year 2012
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