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Friday 16 March 2012

Draft Requiem for an Empire

They came for Saddam Hussein
and got Iraq
(and the oil),
They came for Hosni Mubarak
and got (back) Egypt
they came for Muammar Gaddafi
and got Libya
(and the oil)
they came for the Chagosssians,
tossed them out
and got the Chagos Archipelago
(yes, you don’t know, neither did I
but we’ve heard of Diego Garcia),
they came for Daniel Ortega
they got Nicaragua
they got Central America
and South America
they turned Great Britain
into client state
treat Canada as another state
went for Osama bin Laden and the Taliban
and got Afghanistan
(and oil)
they want to go after Ahmadinejad
they want to get Iranian oil
they keep a Saudi Royalty
they can’t have Africa
(they would love to, though)
they have India (in a way)
and Pakistan (in a way)
are moving in on Nepal
Oz and NZ can be counted on
and EU too (we know)
but the world is not made of countries
but people,
classes,
cultures and histories
heritage and pride
a step back now and two strides forward
later,
today is a fact
tomorrow is not a given
time is longer than life
and empires frequently collapse
In a heap
Ottomans, the Umayyad Caliphate and Persia
Byzantine, the Hans, the British
the Holy Romans and Normal Romans,
the Russians and Mongols.
there’s a lamp with a flaring flame
someone’s time has come.

2 comments :

  1. Jayashree!
    They know their time's up too.
    That's why they want a piece of the action in Asia.
    Wish India wises up..
    C

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  2. The only redeeming factor is that eventually, it blows up in their face. There are hardly any CIA covert operations that remain successful. Saddam Hussein kept the tribal warlords in check, now responsible for most of US soldiers killed in Iraq. In Egypt we have reports of the Army persecuting the original rebels. Gaddafi too kept the 140 or so warring tribes under control and now a civil war is looming there. The Americans propped up or installed The Shah of Iran, Pol Pot, Pinochet, Al Mujahiroun etc. after ousting the good such as Mossadeq, Sihanouk, Allende. Al Mujahiroun evolved into The Taliban. Any democratically elected leader is apparently like a red rag to a bull to the Americans. I have no doubt the CIA is behind the ousting of The Maldivian leader Nasheed. I urge everyone to watch the wonderful program Secrets of the CIA on http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4RXPJmqkxmI&feature=related

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