by Maciej Kwiecinski
The following facts are all true. Taken independently they seem more or less harmless. However, when one considers them in a complete cohesive global scheme, they illustrate just how far our government is willing to go in order to maintain its pursuit for global dominance. As American citizens, we enjoy a comfortable life because of what happens in the shadows of our government. While many of our elected officials are either oblivious or turn a blind eye to such operations, there some who actively pursue “American interests” through less than legal means. Again, the following facts are little more than tidbits of information; however, they point to a conclusion most grim. This article does not look to emphasize, reinforce, or validate anything that could be considered a conspiracy theory. That is not the goal here. Instead, it puts a few of our government’s operational aspects in perspective, and allows the reader to draw his or her own conclusions. Whether or not your quest for information stops here, you will at least have an idea of what happens in the shadows of our government and get a portrayal of America’s dark side.
1. The United States currently has 16 independent intelligence agencies which operate cohesively to create the United States Intelligence Community.
With a budget of $53.9 billion in 2012, these agencies are responsible for both domestic and foreign intelligence and counter intelligence. Their functions range from geospatial analysis to monitoring energy systems. These agencies work much like a federation. Most of their operational power remains in house; however, they share their intelligence with one another to provide comprehensive analysis for any one area, country, person, or group. So what does this mean? The US government and certain agencies such as the CIA, have at their disposal a plethora of tactical information. And for those of you who forgot what CIA stands for, it’s the Central Intelligence Agency, or in other words, the guys who are at the center of this nexus of information.
2. The CIA is the only independent agency out of all 16 intelligence agencies.
What exactly is an independent agency? The following is a definition provided by USA.gov:
“Independent establishments are created by Congress to address concerns that go beyond the scope of ordinary legislation. These agencies are responsible for keeping the government and economy running smoothly.”
The CIA is technically part of the executive branch, yet it does not have a presidential cabinet member to report to. So who does the CIA report to? The short answer is to the director of national intelligence. This is the guy who is in charge of all 16 intelligence agencies. This director is responsible for providing national intelligence to the president, the Senate, and the House of Representatives. As an analogy imagine any executive agency as a guard dog, the cabinet member as the leash, and the president as the man of the house. Since the CIA has no cabinet member, it has no leash. It may still be a good guard dog, and follow the instruction of its master, but who knows what it does when the master isn’t watching closely. Of course there is the director of national intelligence, and in this example he would be most comparable to the dog whisper. He may tell the master where the dog has been, why he acts the way he does, and even recommend a diet (Diet is code word for budget here) but he is never quite the master of the dog. So who controls the dog?
3. The CIA promotes American interests in unconventional ways.
While the State Department and the president may both be the diplomatic face of the United States, the CIA is the acting hand of foreign affairs. While not always the case, the CIA does have a history of straying from the official position of the United States. Within the last month, the CIA assisted in the acquisition of arms for Syrian Rebels. Currently, the official position of the United States is to provide only non lethal assistance in the civil war. So the question arises, do the individuals in charge of our government know exactly what the CIA is carrying out? While for the most part, it remains in contact with officials, there have been instances where the CIA lied to congress and some instances where very few individuals were in the loop. In one such instance, director of the CIA, Leon Panetta, was unaware of a certain CIA assassination program. Of course officials denied any assassinations took place, as according to executive order, “No person employed by or acting on behalf of the United States Government shall engage in, or conspire to engage in, assassination.” But then again, that is only the “official” position of the United States.
4. The United States joins nations such as Russia, Iran, and China in not adhering to the Rome Statute.
The Rome Statue is an agreement between 122 countries for cooperation with the International Criminal Court. Even though the United States has signed the statute, it has not ratified it. Until it does so, it is not bound to it. So what exactly does this mean? In short, the international community has no grounds on which to extradite, or send to a foreign country for trail, wanted persons in the US. The US can choose to cooperate, but it has no obligation to do so. Essentially, the United States plays the field, cooperating with international forces whenever it benefits them, and allowing them to hide their own questionable acts when the eyes of justice fall on them. Let’s say for example, the International Criminal Court issues a warrant to arrest and investigate soldiers who operated drones that fired upon civilians. The US could just say, “Mind your own business, and we’ll take care of it.” On one hand it protects us as US citizens, but on the other, it allows the US to do as it wishes and not be held accountable for its actions. As Noam Chomsky said, “Wanton killing of innocent civilians is terrorism, not a war against terrorism.”
5. The United States has a lot of Buddies with Big Guns.
Article V of the Washington Treaty, which created NATO, states that an attack on one is an attack on all. There are a total of 28 countries that are member states of NATO. Some of the more intimidating members include countries such as Canada, France, Germany, and the United Kingdom. It might also be interesting to note that out of all the members of NATO, the US is one of only two nations that have not ratified the Rome Statute. In the event of an attack on the US, all 28 nations would be obligated to defend it. Of course the US doesn’t like having the fight on the home front, so it would call its buddies over to fight the “good fight” in whatever other part of the world. Essentially, Article V is a deterrent and defense system that is in place at all times and there is nothing anyone can do about it.
So let’s examine a hypothetical. Let’s say that you are not a citizen of the US but of some other nation. Let’s say that you live in a small ethnic community and for the most part you mind your own business and have no care for international politics. Now let’s say that a radical group of terrorists is known to be hiding somewhere in the general vicinity of your community and the next day a US drone fires missiles down onto your little town because it believes it to be a refuge for said terrorists. As your community leaders call for justice, little is heard from the international community. While most in your town mourn and move on, one prominent community leader continues to call for justice and begins to rally not only your community but others who experienced similar situations. Now let’s say that the CIA begins to see him as a serious threat to operations in the region and assassinates him he hangs himself. End of story. You might be asking yourself what else can be done, and the answer is little. You can’t go through legal channels, as the US isn’t a member of the Rome Statute. You can’t take them head on (Even if you lived in a much larger community with more military resources) because that would invoke an attack from 27 other countries. You could try to take it the American public through reporters, but odds are your story will just be one of the horrors of war in a region of turmoil. After all, the US doesn’t assassinate people. Then again, would you even want to come forward?
There are many final words I could leave you with here at the end, but instead I leave you with a formula:
Thirst for Power + Plethora of Information on Foreign Entities + Agency with Little Oversight + History of Unconventional Tactics + Little Accountability to International Courts + Allegiance of Great Nations
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