World Humanitarian Day Ignores Crimes of War and Against Humanity
by Stephen Lendman (stephenlendman.org – Home – Stephen Lendman)
First observed in 2009, August 19 is World Humanitarian Day.
It honors humanitarian workers worldwide, including those killed in the line of duty, along with fostering greater understanding of their work.
The day is a 2008 UN General Assembly established global observance, not a public holiday.
Many humanitarian workers operate in harm’s way, helping others in conflict zones and repressive societies, others aiding victims of natural disasters.
Countless hundreds gave their lives performing public service. August 19 is the day in 2003 when Bush/Cheney regime terror-bombing killed then special representative of the UN secretary-general to Iraq Sergio Vieira and 21 of his colleagues in Baghdad’s world body headquarters.
Since that high crime of war, over 4,000 humanitarian workers have been killed, injured, arrested, detained or abducted – many of them from US/NATO/Israeli imperial aggression and its aftermath.
Since 9/11 alone, they’re responsible for millions of casualties, millions more displaced, one nation after another raped and destroyed – endless violence, chaos, human misery and deprivation replacing how things were before naked aggression ravaging.
Washington and its imperial partners wanting whole continents carved up for profit and control bear full responsibility – replacing sovereign governance with pro-Western puppet rule.
Michael Parenti earlier called imperial ravaging a “process whereby the dominant investor interests in one country bring to bear military and financial power upon another country in order to expropriate the land, labor, capital, natural resources, commerce, and markets of that other country.”
Republicans and undemocratic Dems claim might justifies their right to rape, destroy and plunder the resources of targeted nations, colonizing them as vassal states, exploiting their people.
They bully, pressure, and bribe partnered countries to go along with ther belligerent agenda.
Humanitarian workers are no match against the might of imperial hubris and arrogance.
World Humanitarian Day belongs to the workers it represents, waging an uphill struggle against dark forces, persisting in spite of long odds against them.
Defenseless civilians in conflict zones suffer most, countless millions perishing post-WW II, victims of imperial ruthlessness.
America’s killing machine bears most responsibility, a nation reviling world peace, humanity’s greatest scourge.
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