In this case Indonesia is so much under our influence I think it is the case that a simply phone call, more or less, was enough to turn the issue. Indonesia has been very dependent on US advisors and military armaments so it makes perfect sense they would listen if we even cough. I've met Alan Nairn and spoken with him one-on-one and there aren't many like him. He has done top-notch reporting and has put his life on the line. He isn't making a TV anchor's salary doing this. If you have a problem with his "simple phone call" comments then just accept it as legitimate hyperbole.
And, again, yes, the ruling class acts on its own behalf--they're certainly not altruistic or beholden to the poor or working class.
-Steve Grube =======================================
Mattcapri at aol.com wrote:
> In a message dated 2/16/00 2:42:07 PM, brettk at unica-usa.com writes:
>
> <<The most striking thing about this is US influence - when the US wanted the
> atrocities to stop, it stopped. Intervention was never required - a simple
> phone call from Clinton to Wiranto would have sufficed.>>
>
> This bugs me, much like Alan Nairn's assertion that Clinton just had to make
> a phone call. I think the generalization that I could draw from this is that
> everything would be fine if the ruling class just stopped acting in its own
> interest.
>
> mcapri