Powell is no Kennan

Colin Powell rose to international prominence after leading the United States to victory during the Gulf War as the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. His standing only improved as the 1990s progressed, and he was often touted as a potential presidential candidate. With his public approval ratings hovering near 80 percent, the four-star general was one of America's most popular figures, and he seemingly bridged the divide between black and white, rich and poor, Democrat and Republican. When he was nominated as secretary of state, no objections were heard in the U.S. Senate. Even today, as the world's frustration with American policies mounts, many European diplomats regard Powell favorably, considering him an ally against the neo-conservative officials prevalent in the Bush Administration.

Does Powell truly deserve to be held in such esteem? Legendary singer and social activist Harry Belafonte certainly doesn't think so, commenting in October 2002, "There are those slaves who lived on the plantation, and there were those slaves who lived in the house. You got the privilege of living in the house if you served the master. Colin Powell was permitted to come into the house of the master." Belafonte then proceeded to label Powell a "sellout," inquiring "Where is Colin Powell's conscience?" And these remarks were made before the invasion of Iraq.

Today, Powell will speak in honor of the preeminent statesman George Kennan, while also receiving the inaugural Crystal Tiger Award. The award, an initiative of several ambitious students, seeks to recognize an individual who has "shown us a richer humanity," and who has been an "agent of progress."

Unfortunately, Powell has been the pretty face for a series of ugly policies, manipulating his positive reputation and America's trust in him, to sell a dangerous vision to the American public and the world at large. It is ironic that he is honored in celebration of George Kennan's centennial birthday, as it was Kennan who characterized the Bush administration's new security strategy of preemption as "a great mistake in principle," and criticized the rush to war. His prescient words at the outset of war prove telling: "Today, if we went into Iraq, like the president would like us to do, you know where you begin. You never know where you are going to end."

Hundreds of American and thousands of Iraqi casualties later, Colin Powell must accept his complicity in promoting a deceitful and perilous course of action to the world.

When he addressed the UN Security Council on Feb. 5, 2003, he used manipulated tape recordings of Iraqi government officials, computer-generated images of mobile biological weapons labs and scare tactics to lend legitimacy to the illegal invasion of Iraq. Additionally, Powell cited Saddam's purchase of aluminum tubes as evidence of a burgeoning nuclear program. Scientists at the Oak Ridge National Laboratory (the scientists who enrich uranium for American bombs) determined beforehand that the tubes were not appropriate for nuclear weapons development. Greg Thielman, an intelligence analyst at the State Department, confirmed this to Powell's office.

On numerous occasions Powell cited in his speech Hussein Kamal, Saddam's son-in-law who defected in 1995, to substantiate claims of an active Iraqi threat; yet Kamal, who voluntarily gave information regarding Iraq's weapons stockpiles, stated that the weapons programs had been dismantled, according to transcripts of his interview obtained by certain media outlets.

To paint Powell as a sympathetic figure who unwittingly serves as the punching bag of choice for the hardliners in the Bush administration is too disingenuous. Instead his presence and words legitimize the increasingly dangerous hegemonic arrogance that has overwhelmed American foreign policy.

It is high time that the Bush Administration was not judged by Powell's misleading rhetoric, but by its actions which have sought to undermine an international ban on landmines, an international court to try heinous war crimes and a truly democratic solution to the Palestinian-Israeli conflict, among other international trends and treaties.

If Colin Powell truly wants to live up to Kennan's vision and engender the ideals that define a recipient of the Crystal Tiger Award, he must speak out, whatever the consequences. If not he is not an "agent of progress" but a party to the perilous policies of the Bush administration. Taufiq Rahim is a Wilson School major from Vancouver, B.C. He can be reached at trahim@princeton.edu.