is the only way to peace while the arab league announces its reach an agreement with damascus long promised reform. would be back with another summer if we had fifteen minutes from now the meantime the decade that followed the nine eleven attacks was marked by wars fought under the flag of ridding the world of terrorists lawrence wilkinson he's a former u.s. official in george w. bush's administration told r.t. that america thinks it holds an unchallengeable place in the world and abuses the power it no longer special interview next. i. after nine eleven america did not just go after those who perpetrated that tragic vicious attack it only to campaign on nations that had nothing to do with nine eleven we're talking about iraq where hundreds of thousands of innocent civilians have died since two thousand and three america's been in constant war since nine eleven in different countries are we talking about one of the most

profound overreactions in military history to talk about that i'm joined by colonel lawrence wilkerson whose service call in powell is chief of staff colin powell secretary of state under george w. bush colonel wilkerson thank you so much for joining me thanks for having me more than six thousand american servicemen have died in the last decade of war spawned by the nine eleven attack. tragedy worth remembering and knowing no doubt but why in all those speeches delivered by american officials i never hear about hundreds of thousands of innocent civilians dead in the wars waged by the united states and other countries like iraq as a collective entity we seem to think were exceptional and so exceptional that we don't have to think about other people were as i said that's a position you can maintain as long as you are as powerful as we were powerful as roman in its day post world war two but we're no longer that powerful in our

powerful recedes even as we speak here today some of the people who were at the helm back then are now writing books saying everything they did was right including guantanamo including everything else i'm talking about dick cheney first of all president under george w. bush and at the same time they're all blaming each other for something why all this confusion and should one be worried about the general picture that's being created at the last decade of war because they're all trying to blame each other and trying to get out of some of the blame and yes we should be. why are they trying to blame each other let's let's face a factor for a moment that most americans don't even think about. nine eleven happened on george w. bush and dick cheney's what. they allowed the greatest killing of americans on american territory since there are but. a lot of their rhetoric and aggressive actions post nine eleven was to hide that fact and also to keep it from happening again because

if it had happened again they probably would've been impeached on the spot thrown out of office so we spent four trillion dollars to counter an attack by bin laden's a watery that cost maybe half a million that's not very cost effective that's really bad it's bad business so you have to understand that first of all about the bush cheney administration the second thing you have to understand i think is that we have made a cottage industry if not a much more than a cottage industry out of the what my former boss colin powell has called the terrorist industrial complex lots of people are making lots of money off of this so-called global war on terror you're saying that you had lots of doubts about building this case for war in iraq was it possible that some point. to stand up and say no we have doubts we're not writing this speech where we're out of it we all did key points in the preparation of old pals presentation on some of those occasions george tenet and his deputy john mclaughlin said ok ok let's roll that

out of the cia head of the cia and the director of central intelligence at the time . will throw that out and they threw it out the real essence of that presentation that they preserved they being george tenet and john mclaughlin and i think under some strong influence from the vice president's office they preserved and that was the mobile biological laboratories that was the active nuclear program as symbolized by the aluminum tubes and it was the existing chemical stocks and. next sions hard connections between al qaeda and baghdad those were the real faults of goods in that briefing that george tenet and john mclaughlin the representatives of not just the u.s. intelligence community but of israel finance britain jordan and a host of others who were feeding intelligence into us. that's what they said was sacrosanct they said that is the case that is what saddam hussein is doing only

later did we learn that even those elements of his presentation were composed of half truths false woods even and i think today after doing more research outright lies lies created in the defense department under undersecretary of defense for policy doug feith and his special iraq team why and allies created in the vice president live it in your opinion because they wanted for the same reason that in the summer of two thousand and two i have discovered that the emphasis on enhanced interrogation techniques changed suddenly from being to try and find out if another attack were coming after all a lot of time expired for another attack or a coming it would have come. in the summer of two thousand and two it shifted suddenly to enhanced interrogation in order to find out if baghdad had contacts with al qaida so we were actually torturing people not under the so-called smoking

gun argument that we might have another attack so it was justified we were torturing people so we could attack iraq and convince the american people we should do so. that's how drastic it got now ask me why they want to go to war with iraq and i'll give you a half a dozen answers if it's douglas feith it's protection of israel if it's paul wolfowitz the deputy secretary of defense it's a little bit of israel it's a little bit of oil and it's a little bit of bringing peace and democracy and freedom to the middle east if it's george bush who i fear the nexus between al qaida and baghdad which cheney had convinced him of i'm sure george tenet had convinced him of it george tenet didn't think there was that big a nexus. with dick cheney i think it was a while iraq right now is sitting on probably two hundred billion barrels maybe three hundred billion barrels that's a rex own oil report that surpasses. the radio. if iraq is sitting on three hundred billion barrels of oil if that turns out to be true it will be more than saudi

arabia now you know why dick cheney went to war in iraq it also was the low hanging fruit north korea was far more dangerous but too difficult one hundred thousand casualties were predicted by the pentagon on both sides so would be destroyed iran was too difficult seventy million people not fractured like the iraqis and the sunni and shia christian and other so the low hanging fruit was a rock just used a moment in the wake of nine eleven they use the moment in in the wake of nine eleven to divert from afghanistan a real target should have been our real target and go to iraq that's exactly what they did you said they would testify if they put someone like dick cheney on trial and out what would you accuse them off i think he's already done it no one needs to accuse him of anything he has admitted publicly it is on videotape that he condoned waterboarding that he would still waterboard then he does not believe waterboarding is torture waterboarding is torture there is

a ipso facto case the man's guilty but they're saying they did it in the best interest of their country it seems to be the ultimate reasoning which can't be confronted what would you say to that i say that the in never justifies the means and the question is does the lesser evil ever justify itself because it prevents a greater evil or some real problems with that argument the logical problems as well as philosophical and what i would call value laden problems first is you can never know a hypothetical you never know if your lesser evil action actually prevented the greater evil big cheney spends hours on television and elsewhere and in this book trying to say that his actions prevented a greater evil another attack on the united states and so forth well that's his interpretation my interpretation of the bureaucracy. which is probably far better than his because i was buried in it i heard people talking about it every day so

bottom line is i know what dick cheney doesn't know because he was in the ivory palace and he can't know horse soldiers surrounding cheney the people who surrounded cheney or david addington and john hannah and scooter libby and they tell dick cheney what dick cheney wants to hear george tenet told dick cheney what dick cheney wanted to hear oh yes it's working mr vice president we're getting great information and we're stopping terrorist attacks that is utter bull they didn't stop anything through inherent enhanced interrogation techniques i have that from some of the most respected people in the f.b.i. and the intelligence community so i can't fault big cheney for not knowing the truth because he couldn't know the truth he's trapped he's trapped in his own military but the truth is the methods don't work and they rebound to your discredit and they recruit as you said for your enemy dick cheney is asked what would happen if an american were captured in iran and what would happen if they water boarded

him because they thought he was a threat to the state of iran and so he just skirted around the question what he really said was if you listen closely americans are better than anybody else in the world americans shouldn't be waterboarding but anybody else we can waterboard especially if we're americans doing it that's essentially what dick cheney said now here's the kicker about forty percent of america agrees with him. you poll you look at the polls that have been done about forty percent of america at any given time they think that americans have the right to torture other people and other people don't have the rights to torture americans for various reasons most seven think it's that way because we have a bigger gun that's why they think we can get away with it and do it because we have a bigger gun that's why i say the reckoning is coming the reckoning when we are just another country in the world and that a is coming it may not come in my lifetime but unfortunately i think it's coming in my children and my grandchildren's

lifetime and this is going to be a hard time for washington because we know are going to have the money were no are going to have the economic might we're no longer going to have the military might and so forth to say to the world we can torture you but you can't torture us many say that america's response to nine eleven was one of the most profound overreactions in military history but your grave with that i think initially it was proportional it was rational it was fairly well supported in the international community and it was a sadness that yes the initial reaction what we should have done was gone to afghanistan as we did we did what we did about six months later said ok here's your government karzai you've got it go ahead and run your country as best you can we'll give you economic and financial support from afar we are going home oh by the way footnote if you entertain terrorist in this country good will come back and do it

again in what way could that overreaction backfire. i think it already has and this is a profound change really that's happened since world war two it's been creeping up on us and now with libya it's here we have it an executive power that is beyond any check by the people by the congress or by the courts for war we can go to war to drop of a coin it matters not that the obama administration and i have to say i voted for president obama it matters not that they have protested rather futilely and idiotically really that they weren't involved in hostilities that the war powers act was not relevant and so forth it certainly was any time you kill people for state purposes the war powers act is relevant and the constitution is relevant we've reached a point now where the president the united states can kill people for state purposes any time he or she would feels the need james madison said very

eloquently when you compare combined the power to initiate war with the power to execute it you have achieved tyranny that is a very profoundly worrying situation in this that's happened in this country. in the united kingdom. the only way even if. it is in. some country house today in the pool. remember. it used to feel. the oil the ruben's hotel.

top stories in america decades since the tragedy of nine eleven which united a nation for. of the bloodiest walls of the twenty first century. in afghanistan which was invaded by the us shortly after the atrocity of the relentless taliban staged another deadly suicide bombing as r.t. discovers most afghan civilians don't even know why their country was ever occupied by foreign troops. in the country's national ice hockey team in the blink of an eye forty three people died on wednesday when. plane crashed on takeoff. on the international community not to take sides in serious internal violence as president negotiation is the only way to peace on the arab league announces it's reached an agreement with damascus on long promised reforms. but i'll be back with

more news for in about fifteen minutes from now meanwhile is here with the next. thank you bill very warm welcome to a sports day base the evening here in central moscow plenty ahead including. moving on up spartak moscow stretched their unbeaten record to eight games in the russian premier league with victory over a car. pitched battle reigning rugby world cup champion south africa age wales in their opening clash of this year's campaign. give me five and top long world finals kick off in moscow with the home side earning a podium spot on table. going with football where a late goal has seen sports move to fourth in the russian premier league capital

sides meeting with omkara the first of sunday's four games only one goal coming on a dreary day in perm our children's zone about the chance to alter the scoreboard midway through the second half but miss chewed his effort when really he should have at least forced a save the phones literally soaking in the experience when nicholas did break the deadlock with the pinpoint free kick five minutes from time strike and now for the muscovites to take all three it's. the league's other. fit me well so there was continue no chick going down to our stuff but i'm on. the opportunity to open the thirty eight minutes and also the former russian international beat the keeper he could not beat the post both teams who had trouble executing and indeed creating chances until they were. pushed into the area outside of a home in the evening third minute. bottom of the league after that one the loss.

where indeed bottom heading into the weekend but when at home to have. seen them swap places with while samuel eto is revving up the crowds and. for a time african player of the year taking part in his first home game for what so far there is no score against fifteen minutes played. just a two game time for consideration in the english premier league today the first of which has now ended with west brom left to celebrate their first win of the season doing so at the expense of new boys noraid city former lock in the t.v. c'mon peter odemwingie netting just three minutes in to see the marks from points for the west midlands side who have just one point three games are entertaining blackburn who no point one one the school with around five minutes to go on craven . brings us to tennis where the final lineups at the u.s.

open are set novak djokovic rafael nadal will do battle for the men's kronwall some up their stories or will attempt to hold shereen a williams quest for a fourteenth grand slam title the younger sister of venus burley breaking sweat in the first set against world number one car line was the key williams continued the dominance in the second the twenty nine year old's power telling in the guise of a six two six four scoreline the all those short for a fourth title at flushing meadows for serie. she now take solace trillion some stores or who saw off surprise package a leak kerber in a rain delay plush stews are starting strongly taking the first set six three but the own seated german pulled back to level a much in emphatic style the third set one side of the further with still her recent to a five advantage before eventually wrapping up six three two six six two five.

one. now but take it in now on this happy i'm giving myself another see just go out there and use a little bit of that experience from last year really go after it and see what i can do it with the. major highlight of my career there was another classic match up between novak djokovic and roger federer in the men's semifinals the march a full five setter with joker fighting back brilliantly from to say it's too much points dollar and eventually fame the way six seven four six six three six two seven games to five the epic result five time when our federal law at the same stage onto the same mom up last year's u.s. open while the top seeded top which is aiming for his third grand slam crown all of this year alone. it's always important to. be kong to stay

positive and to believe believe that you can win i mean since you're already in the fifth set for the match it's only one breaker difference so make the break. rafael nadal now a stands between djokovic glory in new york the spawn your defeating fourth seed on the murray six four six two three six six two in the second semi once again denying the scots dream of a major success so it is the tell vs djokovic shy rematch of last year's final one by the serb on the buffer between the world's top two ranked players backlash takes place on monday. to the real world cup where holder south africa have gotten off to a winning start in new zealand but only just the springboks beating wales by the minimum of margins in their fixture the boks getting off to a flyer in wellington from steyn the man pummeling his way over for a try as early as the third minute. but the dog. didn't let the deter

them too much going in at the break ten six don after good work from the boots of james who. got wins man promptly seize the initiative in the second half to be. touching down to get the six to ten leads so that for get well they are world champions for nothing francois who guard years license threw for his side second try on sixty five minutes the boks seventeen sixteen. would finish off the hoops missed penalty minutes after the south africa winning by this stand off their. first really showed why they are second favorites for the tournament before that bettering italy by twenty six points wallabies flyhalf quade cooper starting things off with a ninety minute penalty. cooper then becoming one of four different astri employers to cross the try line made it sixteen to six center digby you on a another extensive effort to see what to do thirty two six the final score

a possible point c. table topping in country what are the no weights on sunday for the twice world cup champions. the. irish themselves taking care of the us eagles in between those games but only after a tough ninety eighty minutes in new plymouth told me both running into tries for arlington about one rush to kick off their campaign on thursday against the us. all right that brings us to the european basketball championships for russia continuing to do well just about everything writes on the hardwood david beaten after seven games following victory over two thousand and five winners greece on saturday the game close in the opening half as the scrappy greeks marched russia shot for shots of four of the russians were up by eight to start the final quarter thanks to some superb shooting from golf eighty three sixty seven how it will eventually end in the second run through prestigious lush muscle donia who have not lost since their

opener are up next for russia on monday. in formula one sebastian vettel second straight drivers' title appears all but imminent with six races to go the overall leader once again dominating the competition finishing almost ten seconds ahead of mcclaren rival jenson button in. it was ferrari's fernando alonso who initially roared into the lead but german vettel regained kept his number one position after the. red bull to meet mark webber while he was one of eight drivers to retire russian of the telly petroff was another so it's vettel on top again button seconds with a loan to taking the last step on the podium bethel's lead in the standings now rises to a full one hundred twelve points over. let's . go herb and benefited from teammate you very much he loves vala slowing down on their team orders to win the rally of australia the finn taking his second win of

the season with his compatriot relegated to second place overall the thirty one year old is now fifteen points behind seven time defending champion sebastian. race is to go now rushing yes give me another cough had quite a rough ride during a particularly challenging stretch of churning singing here but it is herman who ticks the wind despite ford team a superb weekend off work where he won nine special stages better solberg coming home in third the lonely cedric enough top three. finally the modern pentathlon world championship stuff kicked off in moscow ukraine's victoria tara shook securing individual gold in the russian capital while team russia didn't finish the opening day empty handed either cos ref reports. four out of seven russian women qualified for the finals on the modern pentathlon world championship in moscow and judging from their opening performance it seems one of them might even get a place on the podium you have

a good fish nico must start of the second event with the best results from earlier fencing tournaments while her team partner you can see you know who to ask you know wasn't third this woman competition so both women relinquish their leading roles with dropping to fourth and who are asking are all the way down to thirteenth. in the third events which is show jumping. and her horse made only one mistake and climbed up to third place going into the final phase which is running and shooting at that point she was the only russian left with a chance to claim a podium spots as her other teammates slipped away below thirty. become blind events which is a little similar to by half long where athletes run a three thousand meter distance stopping to shoot it's our gets separated the cool headed from the rest though the russians result wasn't enough to win an individual

medal the fourth place finish still earned it you have. a place on russia's olympic team. despite the fact that you've become a poster to personal best results. fanciness women she still couldn't win the bronze this shows that women can tatham is very competitive and to win a tournament and the third most to himself the tournaments will continue over the next few days with the men's women's and mix team relays still to come as well as the men's individual final. cost for of r.t. moscow alright just before i go i'll update you on some football news in russia samuel eto has scored on his home debut for the score one one with a vole get that is all your sport i'll see you in two hours time from.

america marks a decade since the tragedy of nine eleven which united a nation brought about two of the bloodiest walls of the twenty first century. and afghanistan which was invaded by the u.s. shortly after the atrocity the relentless taliban's staged another deadly suicide bombing in the south he discovers most afghan civilians dead even know why their country was ever occupied by foreign troops. in the sports world say goodbye to the country's top national ice hockey team white tiles in a plane crash that killed forty three people. on a moscow calls on the international community not to take sides in syria's internal violence as president inventive says negotiation is the only way to peace.