(Click above for a table of contents with links to all the articles. Click
here for a pdf
of the whole magazine.)
The Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA) helped overthrow the
democratically-elected government of Jean Bertrand Aristide in 2004. In the
years prior to this US-led regime change, although Aristide and his Lavalas
government were extremely popular among the country's poor citizens, CIDA
drastically cut bilateral aid. CIDA then poured millions into extremely partisan
Haitian groups that represented the interests of Haiti's corporate elite. These
groups (most notably the NCHR, G-184, PAPDA, CARLI, CONAP and
ENFOFANM) helped destabilize Haiti's legitimate government and called for
its overthrow. After the Canada-backed coup, CIDA and its proxy groups backed
the brutal dictatorship that oversaw the illegal imprisonment and mass murder of
thousands whose crime was supporting the constitutional government they had duly
elected. CIDA also funded the regime's "Justice" ministry—responsible for the
police, prisons and courts—which led to the persecution of pro-democracy
advocates. CIDA's phony "human groups" not only covered up the coup-installed
regime's brutal atrocities, they fabricated evidence to frame Lavalas leaders—including
the President, Prime Minister, cabinet ministers, MPs and key activists. This
made it impossible for Aristide's party to compete in the rigged, CIDA-funded
elections of 2007.
#60 (March 2007) "A Very Canadian
Coup d’état in Haiti:
The Top 10 Ways that Canada’s Government helped the 2004 Coup and its Reign
of Terror"
This issue of the magazine exposes ten ways in which Canada's Liberal government
was complicit in (1) aiding and abetting the 2004 coup d'état that ousted
President Aristide's democratically-elected government and (2) supporting the
illegal, coup-installed regime that was responsible for two-year human rights
catastrophe that followed.
In early 2004, a U.S.-funded, trained and armed paramilitary force of former
CIA-backed death squads and disbanded military men attacked Haitian police
stations, massacred government supporters and released human rights abusers from prisons.
The U.S., Canada and France did nothing to assist Haiti's beleaguered government
but actually demanded that it share power with representatives of Haiti's wealthy corporate elite
that had lost the 2000 elections and supported the rebels. On February 28, President Aristide was kidnapped and
forced into exile by U.S. Marines, with help from a foreign occupation force of Canadian
and French troops.
That day, Haiti's popular government—which had a clear mandate to govern until 2006—was
illegally replaced by a puppet regime approved by Aristide's opposition,
the occupation governments and the UN Security Council. This brutal, coup-installed
regime was responsible for a two-year reign of terror in which thousands of prodemocracy
supporters were executed and many more jailed without charge.
#59
(September 2006) "The New Face of Terror in Afghanistan:
How so-called 'Democracy' Empowered our Allies
-- the Fundamentalists, Warlords
and Drug Barons"
Click here, or
on the cover (at right) to view a PDF file of this issue. (10 mgs)
A phoney democracy – dominated by warlords, drug barons, oil
industry representatives and World Bank administrators – has now been successfully
imposed upon Afghanistan by the world's major military and economic powers,
including Canada. The current issue of Press for Conversion! outlines the
key steps in the supposedly “democratic process" that brought this government to
power. The process began very soon after 9/11, which offered a convenient
pretext needed for U.S. air strikes that began on October 6,
2006. Some 3,000-3,400 innocent civilians were killed during the first six
months of that U.S. bombardment alone. Thanks to the subsequent military,
financial and diplomatic efforts of American, Canadian and other NATO-member
states, many of Afghanistan’s most violent and dreaded terrorists are now back
in power, running the country's government. There has been an appalling litany
of scandals surrounding this supposedly "democratic process" that aided and
abetted the return to power of our closest allies in Afghanistan, the
notoriously-brutal, fundamentalist "Northern Alliance" warlords.
Related Event: Fearless Afghan Women MP, Malalai Joya,
spoke to a crowd of 450 in Ottawa on September 13, 2006, and COAT's coordinator,
Richard Sanders, had the honour of introducing her.
(Click
here for more information.)
#58 (March 2006) "Canada’s
Role in the Militarisation of Space:
RADARSAT - The Warfighters’ Eye in the Sky and
its links to 'Missile Defense'”
RADARSAT, is probably Canada’s single-most important
technological contribution to the militarisation of space and
U.S. warfighting. It has cost Canadian taxpayers about one BILLION
dollars to produce the world's most advanced commercial satellite
system and U.S. military and intelligence agencies are now among
its top users. In exchange for launching RADARSAT-1 in 1995, the
U.S. government directly controls 15% of its observation time
and has used its earth images for Intelligence, Surveillance and
Reconnaissance operations during wars in Yugoslavia, Afghanistan
and Iraq. When the Liberal government privatised RADARSAT--giving
it to Vancouver's MacDonald Dettwiler and Assoc.--this firm was
wholly owned by a U.S. war industry that builds "missile
defense" rockets. (David Emerson was on MDA's Board of Directors.)
U.S. and NATO warfighters are looking forward to the launch of
RADARSAT-2 in December of 2006. They have used war games to practise
using RADARSAT-2, particularly in its most coveted role: the tracking
and targeting of moving, ground vehicles. The exploitation of
this data was developed by Canada's Department of National Defence
in collaboration with the Ballistic Missile Defence Organization.
Together they developed plans for using RADARSAT-2 data in the
first-strike attacks of "Theatre Missile Defense" operations.
The idea of this “missile defense” is not to protect
the homeland but to defend missiles, troops and warships deployed
to distant war zones.
Here's an article
summarising this issue. Please forward it to friends, list serves
and post it to websites, etc.
#57 (October 2005) "Canada’s Role in so called 'Missile Defense'
Part II: Sea-based, Theatre Ballistic Missile Defense"
This issue contains more, original COAT research on Canadian contributions
to the creation, development and deployment of "missile defense"
weaponry, with a particular focus on sea-based systems within
the Theater Missile Defense (TMD) program. TMD is at the cutting
edge of what is popularly known as “missile defense.”
Although the purpose of "missile defense" has been sold
to the public as a system to protect them from rogue states and
terrorists, its real purpose is altogether different. The reality
is that before long, the advanced weapons systems–that are
now being developed under the protective guise of "missile
defense"–will be used for “offensive” purposes.
Their role will be to protect troops, warships and their offensive
weapons systems during wars of aggression. As usual, Canadian
government, corporate, military and scientific communities have
been, and still are, very deeply involved in this U.S.-led effort
to build the most advanced tools of war ever seen. The contributions
to “missile defense” made by these Canadian companies
is examined: DRS Technologies Canada, ITS Electronics, Lockheed
Martin Canada, Meggitt Defense Systems and Telemus.
#56 (June 2005) "Canada’s Role in so called 'Missile Defense'
Part I: NORAD, Government Largesse and the ABC’s of Corporate
Complicity"
Canada's supposed “no” to "missile defense"
was a completely meaningless, PR gesture with no real or practical
significance. The fact is that Canada's government did not do
anything at all to stop the many already existing forms of Canadian
complicity in “missile defense.” Neither did if prevent
further participation in this U.S.-led weapons development program.
The Liberal's "no" was cleverly designed to deceive
the public, cover up existing involvement in these advanced weapons
programs and to buy support for their failing minority government.
The lie that Canada was not involved, was swallowed hook, line
and sinker by the mainstream corporate media. Many peace activists,
including some of the most high-profile opponents of "missile
defense" in Canada erred when they accepted the government's
ploy and claimed victory. By spreading such statements as "We
win on missile defense!" and by naively congratulating the
government for "not joining," many peace activists fell
into the government's trap. This error has gravely undermined
real efforts to stop Canada's ongoing role in the most comprehensive
weapons development program in world history. This issue looks
at the collaboration in "missile defense" by various
government departments, agencies and crown corporations as well
as Canadian companies such as: ATCO Frontec, AUG Signals, Bristol
Aerospace, CAE, CMC Electronics Cincinnati, Cognos and COM DEV
International.
#55 (Dec. 2004)
"Missile Defense: Trojan Horse for the Weaponization of Space"
"Missile defense" is a deceptive term --
it is a linguistic shield to protect the military-industrial complex
(and political allies) from public attack. The term disguises
their plan to put weapons into space. While politicians pretend
that “missile defense” has nothing to do with space
weapons, the corporate media perpetuates the myth that this military
program is purely defensive. This incredibly expensive weapons
system will supposedly protects the public from terrorists and
rogue states. However, it continually fails even during rigged
tests. “Missile defense” will never actually work because
to protect the homleand because there are so many cheap and easy
ways to foil it. So, if it is not a "defensive shield,"
what is it? This Press for Conversion! examines the nefarious,
military origins of America’s space program and reveals that
“missile defense” actually does work incredibly well
at fulfilling these major goals:
(1) Subsidizing “corporate welfare bums”: Multibillion-dollar
arms industries are making a killing; Taxpayers are footing the
bill.
(2) Global military/economic control: With American space weapons
able to attack targets anywhere on earth, the U.S. will control
the ultimate, military "high ground." Using many quotes
from military documents, this issue shows that the U.S. plans
to wage wars from space to expand American control global resources
and other commercial interests.
#54 (August 2004) "All in the Family: The Apple
does not Fall Far from the BUSH
The Bush family's links to fascism:
President George W.Bush's grandfather
(Senator Prescott Bush) and his great-grandfather (George Herbert
Walker) built vast fortunes that were later used to launch the
careers of George Herbert Walker Bush and George Walker Bush.
This is how the two George Bushes could afford to get their start
in the oil business as well as the slick business of politics.
This issue of COAT's magazine provides shocking evidence showing
that Prescott Bush and George H.Walker were the financial managers
of well-organised American effort to funnel the investments of
right-wing U.S. bankers and industrialists into Germany which
funded the rise to power of the Nazi Party and Adolph Hitler.
During WWII, the banking house of Prescott Bush and George H.
Walker profited from companies that used slave labour at the Auschwitz
concentration camp. Then, after the war, these forefathers of
President George Bush helped launder Nazi loot in the U.S. U.S.
intelligence agencies were then complicit in covering their tracks.
The ill-gotten financial empire was used to launch the careers
that eventually put two George Bushs in the White House. This
issue of COAT's magazine also looks at the political actions of
President George W.Bush, and his father President George H.W.Bush
and shows that they continued the political and economic legacy
of fascism that was begun by their forefathers.
#53 (March 2004) "Facing the Corporate Roots of
American Fascism"
Few realize that during the early 1930s,
there was a homegrown fascist plot to overthrow the U.S. government
and install a dictatorship. This plan was however thwarted by
Marine Corps General Smedley Butler, who was then the most popular
military leader. Butler pretended to go along with the conspirators
in order to learn who was behind it. He then blew the whistle
by testifying to a government committee on "unamerican activities."
Butler named the corporate leaders who he had discovered were
planning to oust President Franklin D. Roosevelt. The committee
however did not pursue the main culprits behind the fascist plot
and did not include many of their names in their report. This
incensed Butler who then held press conferences and went on the
radio to name the top corporate leaders behind the plot. This
issue contains original COAT research that examines who these
American fascists were. They were associated with a powerful organization
called the American Liberty League. Many of the companies that
the plotters owned and contolled are now among the world's wealthiest
corporations. As it turned out, they did not need to go ahead
with this plot in order to regain control of the White House.
By reading this issue of the magazine you will find out who the
plotters were, who financed them and how they schemed to overthrow
the White House and empower a fascist government in America.
#52 (October 2003):
Operation Embedded Complicity: Canada, Playing our Part in the
Business of War
This issue is filled with detailed analysis of the many ways in
which the Canadian government and corporations are deeply embedded
in the U.S. “war machine.” For example, the Canada Pension
Plan invests in America’s biggest war industries, including
those producing dozens of major weapons systems used in the Iraq
war that began in 2003. This issue has original COAT research
listing 100 Canadian military companies that have provided parts
and services for the major weapons systems used in Iraq. This
issue also exposes statistics on the how the Canadian government
has over the past few decades given billions of dollars to Canadian
arms industries that have aided and abetted US wars and invasions.
Also revealed is a the flow of financial support from Canada's
military industrial complex into both the Liberal Party and the
Conservative Party. This issue provides detailed evidence showing
that over the past decade, war-related corporations in Canada
have given millions of dollars in political donations to these
parties, and that the primary recipient of this corporate largesse
has been the Liberal Party.
Please sign the ONLINE PETITION demanding that the Canadian
government Stop
Canada Pension Plan Investments in War.
#51 (May 2003): The U.S. Role in
Wars and Regime Changes in the Middle East and North Africa since
World War II
Why is the U.S. government reviled by so many people in the Middle
East and North Africa? Is it, as President George W. Bush has
claimed, simply because these people are jealous of American democracy
and human rights? This issue of the magazine looks at the past
50 years of wars and regime changes in the region and unveils
a consistent pattern of U.S. involvement. A more plausibly explanation
for why U.S. foriegn policies are vehemently opposed by many people
in this region, is that the U.S. government has frequently backed
repressive wars, invasions, coups, covert operations and dirty
tricks in the Middle East and North Africa. This issue looks at
two dozen specific examples of the meddlesome role played by U.S.
military forces and intelligence agencies in the major wars and
unpopular regime changes that have harmed the people of this region
over the past five decades. These U.S. interventions have served
to undermine democracy and basic human rights in the region since
WWII. Case studies include U.S. involvement in the following countries:
Algeria, Egypt, Iraq, Iran, Israel, Lebanon, Libya, Palestine,
Saudi Arabia and Syria.
#50 (January
2003): Going to War: The American use of War Pretext Incidents
This issue contains original research revealing that U.S. war
planners have repeatedly used elaborate webs of deceit to con
the public into rallying behind major wars whose real purposes
involved building vast profits for small corporate elites. There
has long been a specific pattern of trickery and propaganda that
has been used to generate the much-needed domestic support for
aggressive U.S. wars. This issue looks at seventeen case studies
that occurred between 1846 and 2003. In each case, there were
dramatic pretext incidents that aroused widespread sympathy and
thus garnered much-needed public support for wars that would have
otherwise have been unpopular. These incidents were either deliberately
provoked, allowed to occur, completely fabricated or exploited
after the fact. The real, largely economic, functions of these
wars would not be accepted. Case studies include:
1846: The Mexican-American War; 1898: The Spanish-American
War; 1915: World War I; 1941: World War II; 1950:
The Korean War; 1954: The Covert War Against Guatemala;
1962: Plans to Create Pretexts for War with Cuba; 1964:
The Vietnam War; 1979: The Covert War in Afghanistan; 1983:
The Invasion of Grenada; 1986: The Bombing the Libya; 1989:
The Invasion of Panama; 1991: The Gulf War; 1999:
NATO's War Against Yugoslavia; 2001: The Afghan War and
the "War Against Terror;" 2003: The New Iraq
War.
COAT Video Project on War
Pretext Incidents.
#49 (October
2002): Real Reasons for Invasion of Iraq
Obviously the invasion of Iraq had nothing to do with either finding
"weapons of mass destruction" or fighting terrorism.
These were just the phoney pretexts that U.S. and British warplanners
used to generate public support for the war. Neither can it be
claimed that the U.S. wanted to promote democracy by ridding the
Middle East of Saddam Hussein. If this was truly the case, why
did the CIA back the Ba'athist coup in 1963 and then arm and finance
Saddam's brutal regime throughout the following decades? This
issue of COAT's magazine examines the "real reasons"
for the U.S./UK-led invasion of Iraq, that began in 2003. These
reasons include the following:
(1) controlling U.S. and allied access to Iraqi oil,
(2) feeding the military-industrial complex,
(3) distracting attention away from domestic economic woes and
(4) establishing military bases in Iraq in order to pursue the
more ambitious imperial quest to control valuable strategic resources
in the Middle East, Central Asia and elsewhere around the world.
#48 (July
2002): Canada's Military Air Shows: Reaching New Heights in the
Glorification of War
This issue contains a wealth of original COAT research about militarised
war shows. So called "air shows” are in fact the world's
biggest military propaganda exercises. These events are elaborate
"psychological operations" designed to build public
support for warfighters and their use of "air power"
in state-sponsored violence. War shows also serve other major
functions, such as the indoctrination of children and the recruitment
of youth into military career paths. This issue examines 27 of
Canada's largest war shows in great detail and reveals that 82%
of the almost 400 aircraft that were used to “entertain”
huge crowds at these spectacles were military. And, sixty percent
of the military planes that "performed" in Canada at
these events were fighters, bombers and military transport planes
of the US Air Force. This issue lists all of the wars in which
these warplanes have been used. It also looks at the weapons of
mass destruction that they have been used to "deliver"
to targets around the world.
Read more about COAT's 30-minute documentary: "Mothers'
Day at the War Show."
View the documentary online now.
#47 (March 2002): Divide and Rule: Understanding
the India-Pakistan Conflict
This issue begins with a series of articles examining
the historical context of the conflict between India and Pakistan.
Much of the blame is laid on (1) British colonialism, and its
"divide-and-conquer" policies that culminated in partition,
and (2) the U.S. use of Pakistan as a military client state during
the Cold War. When the CIA fought its biggest covert, proxy war
in Afghanistan, it used Pakistan as a conduit for arming, financing,
training and equipping the fundamentalist, Islamist mujahadeen.
This was a deliberate effort to provoke the Soviet Union to become
embroiled in the war. This US support for terrorism had its repercusions
on Indo-Pakistani politics. The particularly thorny issue of Kashmir
as a potential flashpoint for nuclear conflict, between India
and Pakistan is also explored in a number of articles. Also examined
is the issue of the arms trade and Canada's role helping to arm
these two countries.
#46 (December 2001): Power Politics:
Oil, Terror and the War Against Afghanistan
Published not long after 9/11 and the illegal U.S.
invasion of Afghanistan, this issue takes a radical look at the
underlying purpose of this war and the military occupation that
followed. To understand the real economic and geopolitical reasons
for this war, it is necessary to realise that the vast oil and
natural gas reserves of Central Asia, particularly around the
Caspian Sea, are highly-coveted by the US and others. Afghanistan
is needed as a ruote for a pipeline to get these resources to
the Persian Gulf so that they can be shipped to market.
#45 (July 2001): Taking Over the World:
Militarism and Corporate Globalization
This issue looks at the origins of corporate globalization
and contains many informative articles that explore the important
links between war, militarism, big business and the increasing
power that corporations wield over governments around the world.
Among other things, this edition examines the important contribution
played by military industries in making the world safe for global
capitalism.
#44 (April 2001): Canada's Military Exports:
Fuelling wars and abusing international human/labor rights
This annual research report by COAT juxtaposes evidence
from a variety of sources to demonstrate Canada's complicity in
international war crimes and crimes against humanity. The information
presented includes:
(1) military export data from Canada's Department of Foreign Affairs
and International Trade,
(2) data on wars and armed conflicts that have been fuelled by
Canadian military exports,
(3) summaries of human rights abuses (including labour rights
violations) committed by governments receiving Canadian military
hardware, and
(4) Canadian government promotion of arms bazaars and other foreign
"business opportunities."
Case studies examining Canadian military exports and human
rights abuses, include the following countries:
Bangladesh, Brazil, Chile, Egypt, Indonesia, Israel, Korea (South),
Malaysia, Morocco, Philippines, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, Taiwan,
Thailand, Turkey, UAE and Venezuela.
#43 (January 2001):
A People's History of the CIA: The Subversion of Democracy from
Australia to Zaire
This issue summarises three dozen examples of the Central
Intelligence Agency's covert efforts to overthrow and undermine
democratic governments around the world since WWII. The case studies
examine the CIA's early support for German fascists and describe
many "dirty tricks" that they used to subvert governments
in countries such as:
Afghanistan, Albania, Australia, Angola, Chile, Colombia, Congo,
El Salvador, Germany, Greece, Guatemala, Indonesia, Italy, Iraq,
Iran, Nicaragua, Panama and Vietnam.
Also included is a well-documented example from Canada. In 1963,
the CIA played a role in "knocking over" the Progressive
Conservative government of John Diefenbaker. Dief was successfully
ousted thanks largely to a joint effort by officials of the US
State Department, the CIA, the US Ambassador, top brass within
the Canadian and US militaries, and our corporate media. The US
pushed this "regime change" because Dief refused to
allow US nuclear weapons to be based in Canada. Within months
of Pearson's Liberals coming to power, they allowed the deployment
of US Bomark nuclear missiles in BC and Quebec.
#42
(October 2000): Nonviolent Resistance to War and Injustice
This issue is a primer on the history and use of nonviolent
direct action as a powerful tool in the struggle to oppose war
and injustice. The articles are divided into three main sections
focusing on: (1) the principles of nonviolence, (2) various ongoing
campaigns around the world, and (3) useful resources, including
organizations and publications.
#41 (July 2000): Building a Culture of Peace
The articles in this issue, gathered from a variety
of sources, are organized into four sections:
* UN Year for a Culture of Peace
* Myth Making and Myth Breaking
* Converting the Symbols and Tools of War
* Challenging War Shows
Slideshows
(View them now by clicking on titles):
(1)
"Afghanistan! Iraq! 'Missile Defence'!
Canadian Complicity in the Business of War"
Speaking
Tour: Learn about
this slide show and/or about last
autumn's speaking tour.
(2)
"No Means
Yes:
Canadian Complicity in the 'Missile Defence' Weapons Development
Program"
This slideshow was presented at the World Peace Forum in Vancouver (June
26, 2006) and was broadcast on TV September 30, and repeated Oct 1, 5, 6 and 7.
It will be shown again in December.
View the TV broadcast here.
Learn about
this slide show and how you can help make
Canada say a REAL NO to BMD weapons!"
A few miscellaneous items:
(1)
A Rough
Guide to the Real Obama, on $2.3 Billion a Day
(Nov. 2008)
Did you know that President-elect Obama:
- voted for every one of President Bush's Iraq-War funding increases?
- believes Bush's "surge" in Iraq has "succeeded beyond our wildest dreams"
and has proclaimed his "absolute" belief in the "War on Terror"?
- criticized the Iraq War because it is "unwinnable," not because it is
illegal, immoral and has killed one million Iraqis?
- will probably leave 140,000 private contractors (mercenaries) and as many
as 60,000 to 80,000 regular US troops in Iraq?
- is willing to bomb Iran and won't rule out a first strike nuclear attack?
- wants to send an additional 10,000 US troops to wage war in Afghanistan?
- wants to expand that war with unilateral air strikes to bomb Pakistan?
- supported Israel's war against Lebanon?
- supports Ballistic Missile Defense and the death penalty, but opposes gay
marriage and universal, single-payer health care?
Unfortunately, this is just the tip of the Real Obama iceberg....
The naive idea that Obama opposes war is a powerful myth that will impede the
peace movement's ability to mobilize opposition to the inevitable continuation
of US militarism and imperialism....
(2) Canada's War in Iraq!
Here are two COAT articles published in The CCPA Monitor, Sept. 2009:
George Orwell meets
Canada’s General Walt Natynczyk in Iraq
Canada's Covert
War in Iraq
(3)
Two February coups: Canada 1963, Haiti 2004
(Feb. 2008)
(4)
MAJIIC Wars: Canada's
RADARSAT satellite company sold to "weapons & space" giant, ATK
(Feb 2008)
(5)
"Canadian
Military Components used in Israel's War Against Lebanon"
(6)
"'Missile
Defense' Alive and Well in Canada"
Canadian Dimension (September/October,
2006) 1200-word article
(7)
"We Didn't Really Say 'No' to Missile Defence. Canadian complicity and
participation in BMD continues."
The CCPA Monitor (October 2006, front page!) 3600-word
article
Sign
COAT's Online Anti-War Petitions!
Stop Ottawa's Arms
Shows
Stop
Canada Pension Plan Investments in War!
Please endorse COAT's online petition opposing the forced investment
of our retirement savings in corporations that profit from war.
The CPP has investments worth $2.55 billion in many of the world's
biggest war industries, including corporations that manufacture
some of the most destructive weapons systems in history!
A
Global Appeal for No More Violence!
A few days after September 11, 2001, in an effort to help mobilize global
support for nonviolence, COAT initiated a global, web appeal/pledge
of nonviolence. More than 10,000 people, from 105 countries, signed on in the
first ten days! The appeal is online in 16 languages!
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