WAR ON IRAK

Pravda: Resignation of US "Hawk" Exposes Iraqi War as Pursuing Commercial Gain

Washington did not expect such a shameful setback. At the height of the most righteous war for a liberated and democratic Iraq, its main proponent was caught out in a corruption scandal. The person who resigned "over a conflict of business interests" was none other than Richard Pearle, head of the Pentagon's defence policy commission.

It is equivalent to taking a handcuffed pastor away during a pious sermon for stealing.

While still a deputy defence secretary in the Ronald Reagan administration, Pearle won the nickname of "Prince of Darkness" for his unparalleled obscurantism over nuclear arms control. He was the most zealous advocate of abandoning the ABM Treaty, a most cherished dream of his, which was fulfilled under George W. Bush.

The Prince of Darkness rules the roost within a narrow circle of neo-Conservative intellectuals who preach the doctrine of the "new American century", that is a sort of US historical mission as the main architect of a new global system. US Defence Secretary Donald Rumsfeld, Deputy Secretary Paul Wolfowitz, Under-Secretary John Bolton and head of the US vice-presidential administration Lewis Libby, are all the prince's close associates and friends.