Below are excerpts from a leaflet distributed in January at New York screenings of Black Hawk Down by the Act Now to Stop War & End Racism (ANSWER) anti-war coalition.
In his review of Black Hawk Down, New York Times movie reviewer Elvis Mitchell wrote that the movie "converts the Somalis into a pack of snarling dark-skinned beasts — it reeks of glumly staged racism".
On December 12, 1992, the US sent 28,000 soldiers into Somalia under the cover of the United Nations Operation in Somalia (UNOSOM) in what they said was a "humanitarian mission" to bring food to starving people. The invasion came when a several-year drought that had taken tens of thousands of lives was in reality abating. At the time, the evening news showed images of thousands of starving Somalis.
In the beginning of the military intervention in 1992, Colin Powell, at the time the chair of the Pentagon's Joint Chiefs of Staff, called the invasion a "paid political advertisement" for the Pentagon at a time (less than a year after the end of the so-called Cold War) when Congress was under growing pressure to cut the $300-billion-plus war budget. Powell opposed calls for that money to be used instead for jobs, education, health care, housing and other social needs.
In reporting on the US/UN Operation, the human rights organisation Africa Rights stated that troops "have engaged in abuses of human rights, including killing of civilians, physical abuse, theft ... Many UNOSOM soldiers have also displayed unacceptable levels of racism toward Somalis". These abuses included opening fire with machine guns on unarmed protesters and firing missiles into residential areas. Africa Rights stated, "UNOSOM has become an army of occupation".
Resistance among Somali women, men and even children to the foreign troops became widespread. The Somali people have a long and proud history of resistance. They fought for the freedom of their country from Italian, French and British colonialism — and they resisted the US attempts to recolonise their country. In 10 months, more than 10,000 Somalis died in aggressive US military action against those who resisted.
Since September 11, Bush administration officials have held meetings with Hollywood representatives regarding the content of the movies they produce. In an October 17 meeting, Hollywood heads "committed themselves to new initiatives in support of the war on terrorism".
Black Hawk Down is just one of those movies, made hand-in-hand with the Pentagon. Weeks before its release, the Motion Picture Association of America held a private screening for senior White House advisers and allowed them to make changes. Defence secretary Donald Rumsfeld, among others, attended the movie's Washington, DC, premiere.
"Somalia Possible Target" is now a common sentiment echoed in newspaper headlines and statements of Bush administration officials. In some ways, a new war against Somalia has already begun. In November, the US government shut down the Somali-owned al Barakat money transfer company, which provided the only way for Somalis living outside the country to send home much-needed funds vital for family members' survival.
Up to 80% of Somalis rely on funds sent by relatives living outside of the country. This exposes the pretext given by the US government for the 1992 intervention because now the US is imposing measures that will cause Somali people to starve.
Since the US government cannot implicate Somalia in the events of September 11, they are attempting to justify a new military assault by implying that they got a "black eye" in 1992-93 and must return with a vengeance. This is what Black Hawk Down attempts to do.
All those who believe in justice for the people of the world must take a stand against US threats against Somalia, Sudan, the Philippines, Iraq, Colombia and everywhere else. We don't know where the next war will be. The Pentagon has announced that it's war-time all the time and they will select the targets. But we do know the US public is being prepared to justify another bloody incursion into Somalia.
[Visit <http://www.Internationalanswer.org>.]
From Green Left Weekly, January 30, 2002.
Visit the Green Left Weekly home page.