Not Another War! - Poster of the Week
- politicalgraphics
- 4 days ago
- 3 min read
Vietnam, Afghanistan, Iraq & Iran
Digital print, 2009 reproduction of 2007 original
Tehran, Iran
29102, 29104, 29106, 29108
Poster text: We won in Vietnam, so quickly -- Opium production in Afghanistan is completely vanished -- After Saddam's execution, Iraq is thoroughly in calmness -- IRAN...
Pinocchio, an international symbol for lying and redemption, represents the U.S. and how this country’s foreign policy has consistently lied to justify whatever it wants to do, including invading sovereign nations.
The Lies:
We won in Vietnam, so quickly
An alleged attack on a U.S. Navy ship in the Gulf of Tonkin on August 4, 1964, was the excuse President Lyndon B. Johnson used to get Congressional approval to escalate the war in Viet Nam. We now know that Secretary of Defense Robert McNamara distorted the evidence and misled Congress. There was no attack, but millions of Vietnamese and more than 58,000 U.S. soldiers died as a result of this lie. The war wasn’t over quickly, it lasted more than a decade.
Opium production in Afghanistan is completely vanished
The attack on the World Trade Center on September 11, 2001, was the main reason the Bush administration gave to justify the invasion of Afghanistan. The U.S. government also promised to bring democracy and end opium production. The war lasted 20 years, democracy was not accomplished, and Afghanistan provides 80-90% of the world’s opium. At least 168,307 Afghans were killed and 2,330 U.S. soldiers died. These figures do not include the wounded and displaced.
After Saddam's execution, Iraq is thoroughly in calmness
In 2003, George W. Bush, General Colin Powell, and other ranking members of the U.S. government knowingly lied about Iraq having “weapons of mass destruction,” and accused Iraqi President Saddam Hussein of purchasing yellow-cake uranium to build nuclear weapons. These lies were promoted in the corporate press, notably by Judith Miller in the NY Times. Both accusations were soon proven false, but the war had started. At least 300,000 Iraqis died—mostly civilians—and more than 4,600 U.S. soldiers died. Now, despite its vast wealth, the Iraqi government can’t supply basic services to its people, rival militias outside the control of the government fight each other, and many consider Iraq a failed state.
Iran...
When this poster was made, almost 20 years ago, the question was: Which lie will be used to justify attacking Iran? Even though President Trump lies easily and constantly, he didn’t need to lie to do what he wanted. He didn’t wait for Congressional approval, nor did he wait to complete negotiations – and the Iranians were even promising a better deal than President Obama negotiated!
This 4-part poster by Onish Aminelahi, Iranian graphic designer and teacher, was designed for Propaganda III, an international poster exhibition that opened in San Francisco in 2007. 300 artists produced close to 500 posters. Following its four-continent tour, CSPG received all of the posters.
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