Under the banner of the “war on terrorism,” Washington and its imperialist allies use the PSI to assert the right to stop and board on the high seas any ships they suspect of carrying “weapons of mass destruction” or materials that could be used for their production and to confiscate their cargo.

This was the 13th such joint operation since the PSI was announced by U.S. president George Bush in a May 2003 speech in Cracow, Poland.

“Our nations are sharing intelligence information, tracking suspect international cargo, conducting joint military exercises,” said Bush nine months later at the National Defense University in Washington, D.C. Taking stock of the gains the U.S. rulers had made in bringing other governments into the PSI, he said, “We’re prepared to search planes and ships, to seize weapons and missiles and equipment that raise proliferation concerns.”

Coast Guard vice-admiral Vivien Crea told reporters in Miami that Chokepoint ’04 “emphasized the sharing of intelligence information in order to improve the ability of these countries to successfully track and take down a suspected vessel.” Aircraft and ships for the operation were provided by Washington, London, Paris, and the Hague. Troops also came from Canada. From Europe, the governments of Demark, Germany, Italy, Norway, Spain, and Sweden took part. From Asia and the Pacific, the governments of Australia, Japan, Singapore, and Turkey dispatched troops. In addition, the four Latin American governments mentioned above participated.

The U.S. State Department said in a statement that “the purpose of the exercise is to enhance the level of training and interoperability among the agencies of participating countries in carrying out maritime interdictions of weapons of mass destruction, their delivery systems, and related materials.” Washington aimed to use this particular training session to “promote greater awareness” of the PSI in the Caribbean, and “focused on unique operational issues and legal authorities associated with interdictions in maritime chokepoints, such as straits and canals.”

The last naval exercise, Operation Samurai, was held in late October near Japan’s Tokyo Bay off Korean waters. It involved warships from Australia, France, Japan, and the United States. The government of north Korea protested these naval maneuvers as “a reckless preliminary war against DPRK.” U.S. imperialism has made Pyongyang a central target in its “nonproliferation” campaign.

Washington is not trying to forge long-term alliances through the PSI, or to conclude treaties that will commit the U.S. rulers to any particular grouping of governments. “We often say ‘PSI is an activity, not an organization,’” said U.S. undersecretary of state John Bolton in a speech in Tokyo at the time of Operation Samurai. “This is not hard to understand, but is unusual. We think it is a fundamental reason for PSI’s success to date…. Through PSI, we create the basis for action.”

Bolton is in line for promotion to deputy secretary of state, reports the Wall Street Journal. In a November 19 editorial, the big-business daily said Bolton “is also the architect of what has arguably been Colin Powell’s most important achievement at State, the very ‘multilateral’ Proliferation Security Initiative.” The Journal noted that “one of the attractions of PSI is that countries participate as needed on a voluntary basis.”

Although the PSI is not directed at any single government, said Bolton, north Korea is a target. Washington and its allies “are sending a message to rogue states like North Korea: get out of the proliferation business or risk having your cargoes of terror interdicted, regardless of whether you ship them by land, by air, or by sea.”

During the buildup to the U.S.-led invasion of Iraq and six months prior to Bush’s launching of the PSI, Spanish commandos at Washington’s request boarded a north Korean ship in the Arabian Sea headed for Yemen in December 2002. The ship was carrying Scud missile parts that were not listed on its cargo manifest. Madrid released the ship because such cargo is not forbidden by maritime laws.

In August 2003 the government of Taiwan detained a north Korean ship carrying chemicals used in the making of rocket fuel. According to the Christian Science Monitor, Washington informed Taipei of the cargo on board the Be Gaehung, which had docked in Kaohsuing Harbor, Taiwan’s largest port. Taiwanese authorities received agreement for the unloading of barrels of phosphorous pentasulfide, and then confiscated the cargo. The action was carried out under bilateral accords between Washington and Taipei.

In his National Defense University speech in February 2004, the U.S. president pointed to the interception of the BBC China in October of last year as a model. The German-owned ship was allegedly loaded with parts for centrifuges used to enrich uranium. “After the ship passed through the Suez Canal, bound for Libya,” said Bush, “it was stopped by German and Italian authorities.” Following the seizure, he said, “The U.S. and Britain confronted Libyan officials with this evidence of an active and illegal nuclear program. About two months ago Libya’s leader voluntarily agreed to end his nuclear and chemical weapons programs.”

On Dec. 19, 2003, the Libyan government effectively surrendered a good part of its sovereignty with the announcement that it would dismantle its nuclear and chemical weapons programs and allow United Nations “inspectors” to verify its compliance. The decision came after Washington and London made it clear that the Libyan regime could face a similar fate to that of former Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein unless it bowed to U.S. dictates on “weapons of mass destruction.”  
 
 
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