| Five years on, I talked to Afshin Rattansi who | | | | Dr. David Kelly, it was painfully obvious how the |
| worked on the Al Jazeera strand that first identified | | | | so-called establishment would go to the ends of the |
| the 9/11 plot. His novel, The Dream of the Decade, | | | | earth to believe every statement made by Prime |
| deals with the issues of finance, terrorism and the | | | | Minister Tony Blair. Given the number of deaths in |
| media. | | | | Iraq, it makes one shudder to realise that populations |
| What do you think about the conspiracy theories | | | | should not seek information from their elected |
| that linger about 9/11? | | | | officials, nor their media. Uranium from Niger, the |
| "'I don't want to get into the conspiracy theories that | | | | outing of CIA officials, notes copied from the |
| maintain that 2,752 people died because of deliberate | | | | internet..everything showed the parlous state of |
| action by U.S. federal authorities. Those theories, | | | | modern journalism and how close journalists have got |
| along with scores of websites that catalogue | | | | to power. It is left to comedians, now, people like |
| seeming inconsistencies about the attacks, are | | | | Jon Stewart and Stephen Colbert to tell the truth to |
| believed, however, by hundreds of millions of people | | | | power and to people." |
| around the world. That is because the U.S. is so little | | | | But what about the internet? |
| trusted when it comes to truths in the developed | | | | "It gets harder to find things. But, certainly, United |
| world. Worse is that the perception that the U.S. | | | | States TV is streets ahead of the UK when it comes |
| administration invariably lies to its citizens and the | | | | to television news. Channel 4 News in London and |
| people of the world catalysing hatred for the U.S. and | | | | the BBC's Newsnight TV programmes in the UK are |
| perhaps catalysing far worse attacks in the future." | | | | so boring that it is not surprising no one watches |
| What was it like to work with people who had met | | | | them. If I was Tony Blair, I would thank my stars (or |
| the masterminds of 9/11? | | | | his holistic healers) for the fact that the UK has no |
| "When I heard that bin Laden's people told my boss | | | | show like Amy Goodman's Democracy Now, daily |
| at Al Jazeera that it was the rich Saudi who vetoed | | | | news programme, broadcast from New York. Even |
| a strike on U.S. nuclear facilities using passenger | | | | Fox News which is blatant about its partisanship, |
| planes, I felt a shiver for what may yet happen if | | | | often gives a better more rounded international |
| U.S. foreign policy continues to inspire those ranged | | | | picture of events in the world than the UK now |
| against United States." | | | | receives, thanks to its boring selection of Reuters |
| And what do you think of the U.S. response to 9/11? | | | | and Associated Press round-up wires." |
| "Obviously, the biggest threat as far as premature | | | | But there has been harsh criticism of policy on Iraq in |
| death to U.S. citizens is not terrorism. It's poverty. If | | | | the press? |
| the Annie E. Casey Foundation is to be believed, 24 | | | | "Since Iraq, liberal newspapers and broadcasters have |
| million U.S. children are living in households with adults | | | | steadily moved to the far right when it comes to |
| without full-time employment. Massive cuts in welfare | | | | economic policy. As for foreign policy, criticism of the |
| by the Clinton administration were compounded by | | | | Iraq war, both in the UK and the U.S. seems often |
| President Bush. You have worsening economic | | | | enough to be based on partisan politics. But I'm not |
| indicators, greater power exerted by private equity | | | | sure Al Gore wouldn't have invaded Iraq. Here in the |
| firms - Business Week had a great piece about "The | | | | UK, it is left to the Conservative Daily Telegraph to |
| Merchants of Red Ink" - | | | | regularly lambast the Blair government. But I'm |
| "Tom Herz and the the liberal think tank, Center for | | | | absolutely sure that a Conservative government |
| American Progress (CAP), have shown,a child born | | | | would have acted just as Blair's did. The only anomaly |
| into a poor family, defined as the bottom 20 percent | | | | is why trade unions that back Tony Blair's Labour |
| of the income distribution, has an one-in-a-hundred | | | | Party, should so readily support the wanton |
| chance of making it into the top five percent income | | | | destruction of countries such as Lebanon and Iraq, |
| level. Poverty is generational and very dependent on | | | | thus aiding the 7/7 plotters that killed 52 in London's |
| race but it's not that different for those who think | | | | worst ever terrorist attack." |
| they'll make it rich through hard work. Children born in | | | | So if it is the global economy that is killing so many |
| the middle quintile, that's to parents whose incomes is | | | | more than the terrorists, how is that going to |
| between $42,000 and $54,300 also have only a 1.8 | | | | perform? |
| percent chance of reaching the top five percent, a | | | | "Luckily, for those with credit cards and properties, |
| likelihood not much higher than in poor families. We | | | | debt financing of the UK and U.S. economies have |
| know that millions of Americans - men, women and | | | | saved a lot of people from the abyss. This triumph |
| children - are dying because of something far more | | | | of optimism over economic theory has succeeded in |
| dangerous than Al Qaeda." | | | | keeping things ticking over for decades. Alan |
| But that is surely a long term goal - to end poverty? | | | | Greenspan - the Fed Reserve Chairman who helped |
| "Given that according to UNICEF, it would only take | | | | send South East Asia into an economic tailspin and |
| an estimated $40 billion a year to achieve and | | | | nearly destroyed the world economy famously said |
| maintain universal access to basic education for all | | | | that theory and not kept up." |
| people in the world, basic health care for all, | | | | To conclude, what should one think, five years after |
| reproductive health care for all women, adequate | | | | the attacks on New York and Washington? |
| food for all, and clean water and safe sewers, the | | | | "Well, worse crimes are committed every day. And |
| response to the real killer of most Americas is pretty | | | | that the zero sum game of the world' superpower's |
| obvious, not least when you realise that $40 billion is | | | | need for Middle East Oil and its backing of the main |
| less than 4% of the combined wealth of the 225 | | | | recruiting sergeant for Al Qaeds (Israel) needs to be |
| richest people in the world." | | | | solved." |
| But combatting terrorism has been the main task | | | | And are we closer to a solution? |
| that the Bush administration have set themselves. | | | | "I can currently see no progress on either of these |
| How have they done? | | | | two axiomatic plates upon which the political |
| "Hundreds of thousands have died because of U.S. | | | | techtonics of the world rest. As the IMF and the |
| military adventures since 9/11, all sanctioned by | | | | World Bank and the UN grind away, an ever |
| democratically accountable U.S. institutions, on the | | | | connected world allows the disgruntled to continue |
| basis of lies. | | | | their deadly theatrical events. Let's hope that next |
| "Obviously, during the UK investigation into the death | | | | time, they don't use the nuclear option." |
| of the source used by my programme at the BBC, | | | | Thanks. |