A Siesta...


If there is one thing that should absolutely not be relinquished, it's Siesta time.

Those short afternoon naps are considered a luxury in the West, here they are considered essential coping skills. Coping with the heat, with the overtired minds and it is scientifically proven that they are a great source of regeneration.

Westerners often criticize us for this habit. They believe it is a waste of time. Their whole culture hinges on being available for work, for profit, for more...Yet most of them are hardly available at all.

I remember having to note down in an agenda the date and precise time to meet anyone for a cup of coffee. You are all a very busy people running around like headless chicken, doing nothing.

Yes nothing, because if you really look back on all your years of running around, you will realize you have achieved nothing of substance. You are still empty, hollow and got your minds very tired in the process. You really need to learn how to nap in the afternoons.

Of course, being the very envious, jealous, uncreative people that you are, you even want to take napping away from us. With your globalization and its Weberian ethic of non stop production, which you call innovation and creativity when in fact it is nothing but slavery -you want to turn everyone into your own image - a mental, emotional, sexual and spiritual robot.

Come to think of it, all of your achievements have managed to produce you and your wars and destruction - hardly something worth praising.

So my short Siestas in the afternoon have taken on a symbolic meaning - resisting your way of life. I try to have them as often as I can, when my fucked up neighbors permit, that is. Now that their kids discovered roller blades (another fucked up American invention), I have the sounds of wheels over my head during the day and the high heels of Madame and farts of Monsieur during the night.

Today, there was silence. A golden opportunity for a short vagary, a short trip, a short adventure in another land, where I am a spectator of a film, a film in a dolby sound system and high resolution pixels of colors.

I slept for what felt like hours when in fact it was nothing but a mere 20mn.
And I dreamt...

I dreamt I was in the US, in some skyscraper, right at the top of a very modern building that looked like a phallus penetrating the clouds, the skies, the cosmos...

I have fear of heights, so finding myself on the rooftop, was not my idea of sightseeing the universe from above. Besides I hate your ultra modern architecture. An insult to architecture. Hence I don't understand how can anyone like Zaha Hadeed, the Iraqi female architect who is the darling of the West. She is by the way, originally from Mosul. Mosul was a beautiful ancient city, but not sexy enough to inspire Zaha in her designs...

So I was saying I was on this rooftop, feeling vertiginous...There was a very small cafe that someone had urged me to visit for its artsy fartsy atmosphere...So I did.

The owner was an Arab who has been in exile for 60 years. He had adopted this artsy fartsy look, with his greasy hair held back in a pony tail, his long beard, his washed out Levis jeans and his t-shirt with holes specially fabricated to complete the look.

He made me pay for my coffee and went into a litany of how his 60 years of exile pained him...I don't know why but in the dream, I felt no sympathy towards him, none whatsoever...another fake Arab, an American-Arab, the worst kind - I thought to myself...

Then, a bang on his artsy fartsy door and I see another American-Arab holding a gun.It's a hold up he said, without flinching. As if he was so used to this kind of unwanted visits...

There walked in an Arab looking woman with a grotesque American accent, chewing gum. The pseudo Arab in exile, quickly disappeared into an adjacent room, and left me with this histrionic, dangerous character, sitting face to face.

I said calmly to her - your gun does not scare me, what do you want exactly ?

- Give me your money.

- Open my purse, I have nothing but 5 dollars, you can take them.

- OK then, give me your watch.

- You can take it, it's no designer's watch. It's a Swatch. Why don't we talk instead ?, I suggested.

So this long conversation took place. I can't recall the exact details, but I do recall that not many words were spoken. We seemed to speak with our eyes and she burst out in tears...But I do remember telling her - you are an Arab, not an American, you really don't need to act like a gangster and imitate their ways. You have your own. Re-discover them.

She said something to the effect - I want to steal your souls...And I replied, this is something you will never be able to do.

She did not kill me as she had intended, she left. And the artsy fartsy American Arab walked out from his hiding and told me - Be grateful that you're alive..

I noticed that she stole my watch (Time) and my coat (Cover). So I said to this wanker - I have no coat left, she took my only coat, what will I cover myself with, in this cold ? And he reiterated - Be grateful that you're alive.

I woke up stunned from this dream and tears were flowing down my face. Probably a mixture of having had to live at gun point and having been robbed of my time and my cover/protection...

I immediately went to look for my handbag. Of course it was still there and no thieves had walked in during my Siesta. But that familiar feeling of having been cheated, robbed and abandoned (by Westernized, Americanized Arabs) has stayed with me and will stay with me for a long, long time...


Painting : Iraqi artist, Mohamad Msyir "Attachment", 2007.

Comments

Anonymous said…
Layla, I came across your writing from the informationclearinghouse and fell in love with the bluntness of your righting. No bullshit, just straight up fact and opinion.
Anonymous said…
Everybody with a heart beneath his/her chest can't help but fall in love with Layla's Iraq.

Each of her words is a WMS (Weapon of Mass Seduction).
Anonymous said…
Well, if you remember the address of the clothes shop where you got that coat, you may need to go back and see if they still have any of the same model - the size you take now, of course.
Anonymous said…
This Westerner has been lobbying for an afternoon siesta for years….unfortunately our “Human Resource” VP doesn’t agree. BUT there was an article in the paper the other day that confirms that people make better decisions (especially nurses on shift) when they are well rested, even a 20 minute nap does wonders.

I’m sorry that your dreams are nightmares, I’m not sure how you can distinguish between your nightmares and living reality, both seem equally terrifying at this moment in time. I’m sorry you feel robbed, cheated and abandoned without recourse and without a glimmer of hope for justice.

All I can offer are some words that remind me of you and your country's situation(not mine unfortunately, they belong to a Swedish poet):

I am being driven forward
Into an unknown land.
The pass grows steeper,
The air colder and sharper.
A wind from my unknown goal
Stirs the strings
Of expectation.
Still the question:
Shall I ever get there?
There where life resounds,
A clear pure note
In the silence.
Adele
PS. the offer still stands, I have some the best earplugs ever invented, I'd send them if I could....
Anonymous said…
Layla, you are an insipid rebuke, simply a coquette espousing autocrats :\
KM said…
During the Bush years, trade with Iran has increased 10-fold.
http://www.cbc.ca/money/story/2008/07/08/iran-bullsemen.html

I agree Layla. I like the idea of a siesta time. The last I heard in Mexico they do this. They work in the morning, take off the middle of the day and then put a few more hours into working later in the day.
bARABie said…
Layla, re joogle, you might be interested in the following.

http://www.seofaststart.com/blog/google-proxy-hacking
bARABie said…
"Siesta - Origins of the siesta

The siesta is the traditional daily sleep of the Southern region of Alentejo, in Portugal, known as sesta. It was adopted also by the Spanish and, through European influence, by Latin American countries. Afternoon sleep is also a common habit in mainland China.

However, the original concept of a siesta was merely that of a midday break. This break was intended to allow people time to be spent with their friends and family. A nap was not necessarily part of the daily affair of a siesta. This tradition of a midday break extends beyond Mexico and can be found throughout the culture of Latin and South America. In these countries, the heat can be unbearable in the early afternoon, making a midday break in the comfort of one's home ideal."
bARABie said…
Roman Culture

"Elders would dress, take a breakfast by 11 o'clock, have a siesta and in the afternoon or evening would generally go to the Forum. Going to public bath at least once daily was a habit with most Roman citizens. Children and slaves were not allowed to use these baths, and there were separate hours for men and women."
Anonymous said…
Layla,

Why must you piece together this crappy logic explaining that your culture is superior because you take Siestas? Why is it a problem if we choose to go go go? Humanity did not crawl out of the caves by... staying in the caves. It is our choice not to nap. Our stores are 100% fully stocked because someone, somewhere go go goes.

In the Arab world you do what you are told, so if Saddam said that afternoon naps were forbidden, who would defy his order?

Why do you talk to the mugger in your dream but gouge their eyes out in real life?

Greg from USA
Anonymous said…
Greg from the United Asses,

"Why do you talk the mugger in your dreams but gouge their eyes in real life?"

'Cause in real life THEY (the invaders, but even more the sectarian collabos) gouge OUR eyes (among other atrocities) before any human-to-human civilized talk can take place.

Have a nice day.
Good one Layla..reading you after a not-so-long-time.
Unfortunately nothing different happens in the real world. orientalists and occidentalists pursuing their stupid ways..and world becoming more and more unlivable with the US and their warmongers spreading their wings. And in our India, that dumbhead of a PM easily capitulated into that 'civilian' killing nuclear deal.
nothing changes..siestas extending to the whole day getting more preferable than this awakened but impotent staying.
regards
rajeeve
Anonymous said…
average iraqi,

AQI gouges eyes, not the US. CLCs - Concerned Local Citizens trust the Americans over AQI and even the Iraqi army. The US has "rules of engagement" that don't include mutilation. They follow these rules better than any other army on the planet.

None of you live in Iraq and if you do, you prefer to drink the Kool Aid provided by your anti-western media.

AQI is finished. The "Resistance" no longer has a purpose. Why terrorize your own people for the promise of a few extra donuts in the end? What does "The resistance" promise? A return to the Saddam "glory days"?

Greg from USA
Anonymous said…
media-lens is going to be prosecuted. A worthy English (believe it) site. Here is a quote:The point is that we are unable to perceive the obscenity of the media silence surrounding this mass slaughter if we are unable to perceive the truth of those one million Iraqi deaths. And we cannot experience the truth of those deaths unless we have some compassion for our victims.
 
To understand what we have done to the Iraqi people, to feel something of their torment, casts the media silence in a very different light. It transforms, utterly, the actions of people like us trying to break that silence, as it does the actions of those who seek to stop us on the grounds that emailing journalists is “not proper behaviour” and makes “a mess of their inboxes”. (Brett)
 
In truth, the steps we have suggested are pitiful in their timidity. We have always seen media activism as a small, energising contribution intended to inspire much wider, much more profound, political organisation and activism.
 
What we have done to Iraq is not a video game; it is not a Hollywood invention. We really have destroyed an entire nation and brought misery to millions. About that, this whole country should not be writing a few emails; it should be in uproar.

A friend just told me he had a dream about returning to America and on arrival they gave him a big bowl of soup and a big glass of fruit juice and when he came to put them on the table the table was like a soft cushion allowing nothing to stand up: very good symbol don't you think?
Jocelyn
Anonymous said…
Layla,

Siestas are great, a welcome relief from an all too present reality.

A point about the Iraqi resistance - One thing the United States doesn't get about guerrilla warfare: It's not over until the guerrillas win. The resistance will prevail!

From the United Surveillance States of America - soon to become the United Police States - UPS will take on an entirely new meaning.
Anonymous said…
wide-eyed,

Most insurgencies fail. Yours will fail because it is morally bankrupt. You have nothing to offer. All you are good at is complaining.

Put down in writing, right here, why life will be better if the Resistance wins.

Greg from USA
Layla Anwar said…
f'knoillords,

Thank you for visiting and your comment. ICH at some point did publish a few of my posts, they stopped when I refused to stop calling a spade a spade. It doesn't matter actually, I am not counting on the anti war media to spread the Truth.


anonymous,

Wait till you meet Her face to face, you will be truly smitten with Her weapons of mass seductions.

a suggestion,

No coat is big enough to cover your obvious nastiness and deep envious insecurities. You strangely remind me of that same histrionic, hysteric character in my dream. Besides even dressed in potato bag, I am too beautiful for you...If you get my jist that is. Doubtful, considering the evident limitations - yours.

Adele,

Thank you for the lovely poem. Did you say EARPLUGS - Oh my God, earplugs, I love, adore, worship Ear plugs.

Ali,

Is that all ? Why don't you try squeezing in a few more words into a tight syntax, maybe you will make sense.

KM,

You must have heard this in Mexico
"Wake up Amigo it is time for Siesta" - Well am a partisan of this particular philosophy.

Barabie,

Thanks for the link - will forward it to Uruknet as they are directly concerned. As for the Siestas, I might be a Roman reincarnation.

Grrrrrrrrreg, sicko from the United Asses, you willful, deceitful in denial robotic machine with shit for brains. Got nothing to say to you.

rajeeve,

You said "siestas extending to the whole day getting more preferable than this awakened but impotent staying"
Tooooo funny, can't stop laughing. LOOOOOOOOL

Jocelyn,

Absolutely GREAT comment. Thank you. And your friend's dream is and will take place in reality. It is inevitable...

WEFU,

I am delighted to find Siesta supporters.
What you said about Guerilla warfare is very accurate. Thank you for your wonderful insights.
Anonymous said…
Being in the jungles of Vietnam, I saw first-hand the determination and resourcefulness of an inspired guerrilla force - as a matter of fact, the first time my unit walked into a NVA base camp, I realized that we, the US, were incapable of maintaining a level of force that could effectively deal with the resistance - the resistance will patiently wear you down and bankrupt you, especially since we are spending $500+ million dollars a day - that's money we don't have being spent on something that will fail. Each day the resistance grows stronger - as Ho Chi Minh said: "Obstacles make you clever".

In the 1980's Baghdad was listed as one of the ten most beautiful cities in the world. Is that the case now? It is now a charnel house and WE made it that. Once the US is kicked out, the Iraqis will begin rebuilding and what they do is none of your business, nor should it ever be - you are 8,000 miles distant, so attend to your own life and let the Iraqis tend to theirs.
karlmarx said…
KARLMARX--Hope your siestas and rest helps heal what was ailing you, before. The best thing to do, often, is to get into bed, pull the covers over your head and stay in bed as long as you possibly can--until you FEEL it is time to come out. Until you are ready. Go into hiding.
Napping is wonderful. Call it what you may. Siesta. Unfortunately for me, my internal, not external, clock does not like to sleep in the afternoon, unless I am very, very ill. My internal, sleep clock seems to be hard wired.
But, I do have a small handful of friends who can sleep/nap through the atomic bomb, as I often tell them. They can win sleeping contests, if such a thing existed.
Anonymous said…
Well, 3 veryvery young policeman just died trying to protect Layla and her family from US of A, and there wasa story to follow, but fuck it karlmarx, and I mean it!!!!!!!!FUCK OFF KARL MARX!!!!!!!!!! AND FUCK OFF LAYLA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!NONE OF YOU DESERVE SHIT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
KISS MY MISERABLE ASS KARL MARX; AND THEN YOU CAN KISS YOUR MOTHERS!!!!!!!!
AND hypocritical LAYlA, yes, YOU CAN KISS MÖY ASS, AND KISSING MUSTAFA KEMAL'S ASS WILL BE YOUR PROPAGANBDA, YOU IDIOT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
and then you can kis mine ,
NUR
Anonymous said…
karlmarx,
you will get what you deserve!
NUR
Anonymous said…
I hope to GOd you all get what you deserve!
NUR
Anonymous said…
that means layla, you are in deep shit111111111111111111111111
NUR
KM said…
The 'war' on Iraq was and still is illegal. All the claims & allegations have been PROVEN to be lies. The Bush adminstrations has tried and tried to lay blame on faulty 'intelligence'that produces nothing more than lies wrapped around older lies.

What a world it would be if any country could invade another under lies & pre-emption OR if the World was completely run by incompetant assholes such as the ones littering Washington DC.
KM said…
Party at my house if Russia & China begin flying missiles to the United States of America.

Down to those that Resist ! :-)
Anonymous said…
At your party, layla will be still craddling, and karl marx will be still reminissing, so who cares km??!!
NUR
KM said…
I hope you don't NUR. Who are you to me anyway?? A lonely peasant girl masturbating herself in the still of the night? ;-)
Anonymous said…
Layla,

Some day when Iraq has fully recovered from this brutal insurgency, and you move back there to be in the most prosperous, most free country in the Mideast, I hope you wind up with a menial job in some government agency, where long lines of people loudly complain that you are too slow. I hope you find work in such a place that you can "dream" of Saddam.

In the meantime, take your self righteous attacks on me and the West and penetrate them where the sun doesn't shine! Loser!

km,
Russia and China are your heroes, eh? Russia has already disintegrated and cannot even keep up its birthrate. China is becoming the leading capitalist country in the world, setting an example for the West. China will soon be forced to grant freedoms to its people or give up it's economic engine. Ask me why.

Greg from USA
photoman said…
Layla:
I too enjoy your comments as they get right to the core of your feelings. And frankly they are like a hot poker into my soul.
One thing I feel you might reflect on is the always blanket criticism of all of us Americans.
Many here were against this war from the beginning and are still against it. Unfortunately our voices are ignored even though their numbers are growing.
I saw this movie during Vietnam and I never thought I'd see it again in my lifetime. Sadly I was wrong.
As for you, I wonder what all this is doing to you. Now I don't expect a positive outlook but I'd ask that you might consider what the effect this is having on your soul.
It can't be good. I don't have a solution because even when our troops are finally gone there will be hard times ahead.
I just pray that somehow you can balance all this and maybe find some hope for the future.
It's bleak right now but things can change and I hope they will for the better. Not only for you, your people but us as well.
Until then, do keep up the blog. It's a reminder of what needs to be done in the future.
KM said…
Greg,

Didnt say China & Russia are 'my heroes'.

..America is fast becoming a government-controled land of fascist that Hitler could only dream of.
Anonymous said…
Ninety per cent. of the time, the only ones who want to dominate, kill, rape, cannibalize and really destroy Layla are dudes. None of you stupid m***3*fuckers ever seem to notice that she puts visual artists at the top of her writing and she likewise writes about music more often than not. Get wise.
karlmarx said…
KARLMARX--It's time to wake up! We/I need another post!!
bARABie said…
"KARLMARX--It's time to wake up! We/I need another post!!"

This isn't a TV show to entertain you you asshole!
bARABie said…
nur, you are generally not worth replying to but i do have to say this.
If ALL Turks are like you then it's no wonder the Turks are being fucked dry by the jewish maggots, europeans AND yanks.
BRAVO...... bitch.
bARABie said…
"..America is fast becoming a government-controled land of fascist that Hitler could only dream of."

"BECOMING"????????????????????
Catch up with the times love, the yanks have been fascists for at least the past 100 years.

Do you want me to list the countries they have invaded in the last 100 years??????
KM said…
Yes.

What I had in my thoughts as I typed that was how the United States of America government is polluted by the corporate lobbyists and how they control members of the government.

They get laws passed to better suit their needs and to hell with 'the public' and the public's best interests.
The US of A government is basicaly bought.

Another matter I had in mind is how the US government invests in international markets and at the same time they pick-pocket the public...unless of course yer a corporatist and then you get all kinds of favors.

It may turn out to be a very good thing that many many Americans are losing their jobs, losing their investments, losing their health care benefits, paying high gasoline & utility bills, paying higher food prices, losing their homes, paying higher & higher school tuition costs, paying higher taxes,getting wiretapped and spied on, losing rights and having the government watch & see everything from cameras at trafick lights to listening in on phone conversations to coming into yer homes with no search warrant, to scanning thru yer medical & financial records... etc etc.
Even Hitler didnt have it so good.

Theres nothing like old fashioned EXPERIENCE to get an attitude adjustment.
bARABie said…
Interventions.

COUNTRY OR STATE Dates of intervention Forces Comments
SOUTH DAKOTA 1890 (-?) Troops 300 Lakota Indians massacred at Wounded Knee.
ARGENTINA 1890 Troops Buenos Aires interests protected.
CHILE 1891 Troops Marines clash with nationalist rebels.
HAITI 1891 Troops Black revolt on Navassa defeated.
IDAHO 1892 Troops Army suppresses silver miners' strike.
HAWAII 1893 (-?) Naval, troops Independent kingdom overthrown, annexed.
CHICAGO 1894 Troops Breaking of rail strike, 34 killed.
NICARAGUA 1894 Troops Month-long occupation of Bluefields.
CHINA 1894-95 Naval, troops Marines land in Sino-Japanese War
KOREA 1894-96 Troops Marines kept in Seoul during war.
PANAMA 1895 Troops, naval Marines land in Colombian province.
NICARAGUA 1896 Troops Marines land in port of Corinto.
CHINA 1898-1900 Troops Boxer Rebellion fought by foreign armies.
PHILIPPINES 1898-1910 (-?) Naval, troops Seized from Spain, killed 600,000 Filipinos
CUBA 1898-1902 (-?) Naval, troops Seized from Spain, still hold Navy base.
PUERTO RICO 1898 (-?) Naval, troops Seized from Spain, occupation continues.
GUAM 1898 (-?) Naval, troops Seized from Spain, still use as base.
MINNESOTA 1898 (-?) Troops Army battles Chippewa at Leech Lake.
NICARAGUA 1898 Troops Marines land at port of San Juan del Sur.
SAMOA 1899 (-?) Troops Battle over succession to throne.
NICARAGUA 1899 Troops Marines land at port of Bluefields.
IDAHO 1899-1901 Troops Army occupies Coeur d'Alene mining region.
OKLAHOMA 1901 Troops Army battles Creek Indian revolt.
PANAMA 1901-14 Naval, troops Broke off from Colombia 1903, annexed Canal Zone 1914.
HONDURAS 1903 Troops Marines intervene in revolution.
DOMINICAN REPUBLIC 1903-04 Troops U.S. interests protected in Revolution.
KOREA 1904-05 Troops Marines land in Russo-Japanese War.
CUBA 1906-09 Troops Marines land in democratic election.
NICARAGUA 1907 Troops "Dollar Diplomacy" protectorate set up.
HONDURAS 1907 Troops Marines land during war with Nicaragua
PANAMA 1908 Troops Marines intervene in election contest.
NICARAGUA 1910 Troops Marines land in Bluefields and Corinto.
HONDURAS 1911 Troops U.S. interests protected in civil war.
CHINA 1911-41 Naval, troops Continuous occupation with flare-ups.
CUBA 1912 Troops U.S. interests protected in civil war.
PANAMA 1912 Troops Marines land during heated election.
HONDURAS 1912 Troops Marines protect U.S. economic interests.
NICARAGUA 1912-33 Troops, bombing 10-year occupation, fought guerillas
MEXICO 1913 Naval Americans evacuated during revolution.
DOMINICAN REPUBLIC 1914 Naval Fight with rebels over Santo Domingo.
COLORADO 1914 Troops Breaking of miners' strike by Army.
MEXICO 1914-18 Naval, troops Series of interventions against nationalists.
HAITI 1914-34 Troops, bombing 19-year occupation after revolts.
DOMINICAN REPUBLIC 1916-24 Troops 8-year Marine occupation.
CUBA 1917-33 Troops Military occupation, economic protectorate.
WORLD WAR I 1917-18 Naval, troops Ships sunk, fought Germany for 1 1/2 years.
RUSSIA 1918-22 Naval, troops Five landings to fight Bolsheviks
PANAMA 1918-20 Troops "Police duty" during unrest after elections.
HONDURAS 1919 Troops Marines land during election campaign.
YUGOSLAVIA 1919 Troops/Marines intervene for Italy against Serbs in Dalmatia.
GUATEMALA 1920 Troops 2-week intervention against unionists.
WEST VIRGINIA 1920-21 Troops, bombing Army intervenes against mineworkers.
TURKEY 1922 Troops Fought nationalists in Smyrna.
CHINA 1922-27 Naval, troops Deployment during nationalist revolt.
HONDURAS 1924-25 Troops Landed twice during election strife.
PANAMA 1925 Troops Marines suppress general strike.
CHINA 1927-34 Troops Marines stationed throughout the country.
EL SALVADOR 1932 Naval Warships send during Marti revolt.
WASHINGTON DC 1932 Troops Army stops WWI vet bonus protest.
WORLD WAR II 1941-45 Naval, troops, bombing, nuclear Hawaii bombed, fought Japan, Italy and Germay for 3 years; first nuclear war.
DETROIT 1943 Troops Army put down Black rebellion.
IRAN 1946 Nuclear threat Soviet troops told to leave north.
YUGOSLAVIA 1946 Nuclear threat, naval Response to shoot-down of US plane.
URUGUAY 1947 Nuclear threat Bombers deployed as show of strength.
GREECE 1947-49 Command operation U.S. directs extreme-right in civil war.
GERMANY 1948 Nuclear Threat Atomic-capable bombers guard Berlin Airlift.
CHINA 1948-49 Troops/Marines evacuate Americans before Communist victory.
PHILIPPINES 1948-54 Command operation CIA directs war against Huk Rebellion.
PUERTO RICO 1950 Command operation Independence rebellion crushed in Ponce.
KOREA 1951-53 (-?) Troops, naval, bombing , nuclear threats U.S./So. Korea fights China/No. Korea to stalemate; A-bomb threat in 1950, and against China in 1953. Still have bases.
IRAN 1953 Command Operation CIA overthrows democracy, installs Shah.
VIETNAM 1954 Nuclear threat French offered bombs to use against seige.
GUATEMALA 1954 Command operation, bombing, nuclear threat CIA directs exile invasion after new gov't nationalized U.S. company lands; bombers based in Nicaragua.
EGYPT 1956 Nuclear threat, troops Soviets told to keep out of Suez crisis; Marines evacuate foreigners.
LEBANON l958 Troops, naval Marine occupation against rebels.
IRAQ 1958 Nuclear threat Iraq warned against invading Kuwait.
CHINA l958 Nuclear threat China told not to move on Taiwan isles.
PANAMA 1958 Troops Flag protests erupt into confrontation.
VIETNAM l960-75 Troops, naval, bombing, nuclear threats Fought South Vietnam revolt & North Vietnam; one million killed in longest U.S. war; atomic bomb threats in l968 and l969.
CUBA l961 Command operation CIA-directed exile invasion fails.
GERMANY l961 Nuclear threat Alert during Berlin Wall crisis.
LAOS 1962 Command operation Military buildup during guerrilla war.
CUBA l962 Nuclear threat, naval Blockade during missile crisis; near-war with Soviet Union.
IRAQ 1963 Command operation CIA organizes coup that killed president, brings Ba'ath Party to power, and Saddam Hussein back from exile to be head of the secret service.
PANAMA l964 Troops Panamanians shot for urging canal's return.
INDONESIA l965 Command operation Million killed in CIA-assisted army coup.
DOMINICAN REPUBLIC 1965-66 Troops, bombing Marines land during election campaign.
GUATEMALA l966-67 Command operation Green Berets intervene against rebels.
DETROIT l967 Troops Army battles African Americans, 43 killed.
UNITED STATES l968 Troops After King is shot; over 21,000 soldiers in cities.
CAMBODIA l969-75 Bombing, troops, naval Up to 2 million killed in decade of bombing, starvation, and political chaos.
OMAN l970 Command operation U.S. directs Iranian marine invasion.
LAOS l971-73 Command operation, bombing U.S. directs South Vietnamese invasion; "carpet-bombs" countryside.
SOUTH DAKOTA l973 Command operation Army directs Wounded Knee siege of Lakotas.
MIDEAST 1973 Nuclear threat World-wide alert during Mideast War.
CHILE 1973 Command operation CIA-backed coup ousts elected marxist president.
CAMBODIA l975 Troops, bombing Gas captured ship, 28 die in copter crash.
ANGOLA l976-92 Command operation CIA assists South African-backed rebels.
IRAN l980 Troops, nuclear threat, aborted bombing Raid to rescue Embassy hostages; 8 troops die in copter-plane crash. Soviets warned not to get involved in revolution.
LIBYA l981 Naval jets Two Libyan jets shot down in maneuvers.
EL SALVADOR l981-92 Command operation, troops Advisors, overflights aid anti-rebel war, soldiers briefly involved in hostage clash.
NICARAGUA l981-90 Command operation, naval CIA directs exile (Contra) invasions, plants harbor mines against revolution.
LEBANON l982-84 Naval, bombing, troops Marines expel PLO and back Phalangists, Navy bombs and shells Muslim positions.
GRENADA l983-84 Troops, bombing Invasion four years after revolution.
HONDURAS l983-89 Troops Maneuvers help build bases near borders.
IRAN l984 Jets Two Iranian jets shot down over Persian Gulf.
LIBYA l986 Bombing, naval Air strikes to topple nationalist gov't.
BOLIVIA 1986 Troops Army assists raids on cocaine region.
IRAN l987-88 Naval, bombing US intervenes on side of Iraq in war.
LIBYA 1989 Naval jets Two Libyan jets shot down.
VIRGIN ISLANDS 1989 Troops St. Croix Black unrest after storm.
PHILIPPINES 1989 Jets Air cover provided for government against coup.
PANAMA 1989 (-?) Troops, bombing Nationalist government ousted by 27,000 soldiers, leaders arrested, 2000+ killed.
LIBERIA 1990 Troops Foreigners evacuated during civil war.
SAUDI ARABIA 1990-91 Troops, jets Iraq countered after invading Kuwait. 540,000 troops also stationed in Oman, Qatar, Bahrain, UAE, Israel.
IRAQ 1990-? Bombing, troops, naval Blockade of Iraqi and Jordanian ports, air strikes; 200,000+ killed in invasion of Iraq and Kuwait; no-fly zone over Kurdish north, Shiite south, large-scale destruction of Iraqi military.
KUWAIT 1991 Naval, bombing, troops Kuwait royal family returned to throne.
LOS ANGELES 1992 Troops Army, Marines deployed against anti-police uprising.
SOMALIA 1992-94 Troops, naval, bombing U.S.-led United Nations occupation during civil war; raids against one Mogadishu faction.
YUGOSLAVIA 1992-94 Naval NATO blockade of Serbia and Montenegro.
BOSNIA 1993-? Jets, bombing No-fly zone patrolled in civil war; downed jets, bombed Serbs.
HAITI 1994 Troops, naval Blockade against military government; troops restore President Aristide to office three years after coup.
ZAIRE (CONGO) 1996-97 Troops Marines at Rwandan Hutu refugee camps, in area where Congo revolution begins.
LIBERIA 1997 Troops Soldiers under fire during evacuation of foreigners.
ALBANIA 1997 Troops Soldiers under fire during evacuation of foreigners.
SUDAN 1998 Missiles Attack on pharmaceutical plant alleged to be "terrorist" nerve gas plant.
AFGHANISTAN 1998 Missiles Attack on former CIA training camps used by Islamic fundamentalist groups alleged to have attacked embassies.
IRAQ 1998-? Bombing, Missiles Four days of intensive air strikes after weapons inspectors allege Iraqi obstructions.
YUGOSLAVIA 1999 Bombing, Missiles Heavy NATO air strikes after Serbia declines to withdraw from Kosovo. NATO occupation of Kosovo.
YEMEN 2000 Naval USS Cole, docked in Aden, bombed.
MACEDONIA 2001 Troops NATO forces deployed to move and disarm Albanian rebels.
UNITED STATES 2001 Jets, naval Reaction to hijacker attacks on New York, DC
AFGHANISTAN 2001-? Troops, bombing, missiles Massive U.S. mobilization to overthrow Taliban, hunt Al Qaeda fighters, install Karzai regime, and battle Taliban insurgency.
YEMEN 2002 Missiles Predator drone missile attack on Al Qaeda, including a US citizen.
PHILIPPINES 2002-? Troops, naval Training mission for Philippine military fighting Abu Sayyaf rebels evolves into US combat missions in Sulu Archipelago next to Mindanao.
COLOMBIA 2003-? Troops US special forces sent to rebel zone to back up Colombian military protecting oil pipeline.
IRAQ 2003-? Troops, naval, bombing, missiles Saddam regime toppled in Baghdad. US and UK forces occupy country and battle Sunni and Shi'ite insurgencies. Clashes on border with Syria.
LIBERIA 2003 Troops Brief involvement in peacekeeping force as rebels drove out leader.
HAITI 2004-05 Troops, naval Marines land after rebels oust elected President Aristide, who was advised to leave by Washington.
PAKISTAN 2005-? Missiles, covert operation CIA airstrikes on Al Qaeda refuge villages kill civilians
SOMALIA 2007 Missiles, naval AC-130 strikes; naval blockade and Cruise missile attacks against Islamist rebels


------------------------------

NOTE:

"This guide does not include:

* mobilizations of the National Guard
* offshore shows of naval strength
* reinforcements of embassy personnel
* the use of non-Defense Department personnel (such as the Drug Enforcement Administration)
* military exercises
* non-combat mobilizations (such as replacing postal strikers)
* the permanent stationing of armed forces
* covert actions where the U.S. did not play a command and control role
* the use of small hostage rescue units
* most uses of proxy troops
* U.S. piloting of foreign warplanes
* foreign or domestic disaster assistance
* military training and advisory programs not involving direct combat
* civic action programs
* and many other military activities. "
bARABie said…
"Even Hitler didnt have it so good" for so long.
bARABie said…
"Turkish newspaper urges that the United States be listed in Guinness Book of World Records as the Country with the Most Foreign Interventions."
Layla Anwar said…
Barabie,

You quote the following

IRAQ 1963 Command operation CIA organizes coup that killed president, brings Ba'ath Party to power, and Saddam Hussein back from exile to be head of the secret service.

This is what the enemies of Iraq have been claiming and they justified their participation in the occupation by stating that Saddam Hussein was a CIA agent! This is inaccurate.
bARABie said…
Layla, i don't necessarily agree with how the list was presented but my point was not about the "reasons" for the yanks invading all those countries but the fact they DID.

I certainly don't agree that the CIA helped Saddam overthrow THIER puppet.

I knew i shouldnt have left the "reasons" in that list, put it down to laziness.
bARABie said…
"K. also mentioned some things about the Iraqi Resistance but will not share them with you.. "

Don't tell us what but at least tell us it was good news, PLEASE.

(still can't open your blog, got the above from uruknet)

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