[ in italiano:
http://it.groups.yahoo.com/group/crj-mailinglist/message/3895
en francais:
http://it.groups.yahoo.com/group/crj-mailinglist/message/3879 ]
Do we still have the right to criticize Bush?
Wolfowitz (the Pentagon) Tries to Bankrupt Michel Collon's Publisher
VANESSA STOJILKOVIC
265,000 Euros! (300.000 $) This is the enormous sum of money Hasbro is
demanding from EPO, the publisher of Michel Collon's book, Monopoly -
NATO in Search of World Conquest. Hasbro has initiated legal action in
Paris for alleged « copyright infringement » of their board game,
Monopoly. But who is pulling the strings at Hasbro ? Paul Wolfowitz.
Yes, the number 2 man in the Pentagon, Undersecretary of Bush's war
program. There are various indications that the attack is politically
motivated...
US multinational Hasbro suited the publisher EPO before the Court of
Justice in Paris. Demanding 150.000 Euros for the damage made to its
marks, 100.000 Euros for 'parasitism' and 15.000 Euros for costs. Why
in Paris since the publisher is Belgian ? Because French courts are
more repressive concerning freedom of speech and right to parody. On
July 9th 2004, EPO was condemned to pay 20.000 Euros. He decided to go
in appeal.
Is this a simple lawsuit about commercial and legal questions ? Not at
all :
1° The « legal pretext » is scurrilous : Hasbro alleges that it is « a
victim of copyright infringement » because Michel Collon published his
masterly analysis of the US global strategy under the title of Monopoly
- NATO in Search of World Conquest.
The maneuver is legally awkward. Because prohibitions concerning the
use of commercial trademarks exist to prevent actions that can be
described as 'unfair competition'. However, a book of political
analysis obviously does not compete with the sales of a board game.
Michel Collon's book bothered US leadership circles by exposing its
strategy of global warfare and unmasking their pretexts. But who can
claim with a straight face that this book would subtract from global
sales of the Monopoly board game ? They have something else in mind.
2° If we look at the board of directors of Hasbro, we find Paul
Wolfowitz among them. Vice-minister of War, he is the 'thinker'
preparing sinc 1991 the US strategy of 'global war'. He was the man who
first pushed Bush to war.
He, of course, resigned this lucrative position after he was named in
this Bush administration. (Hasbro, along with Mattel, is one of the two
global giants that dominate the toy industry). But business and
politics in the USA are « communicating » with frequent exchanges. Dick
Cheney, also, resigned from his position at Halliburton, but he
continues to pull some strings.
In the board of directors of Hasbro, we also find Marie-Helen Kravis.
Her name is not well known, but she happens to be the wife of one of
the world's riches men. The couple is tied in to the
military-industrial complex and to Israel, as well, via the secret
services and the global Jewish lobby in Congress. (Look the articles
that follow here: « Who's Hiding Behind Hasbro ? » and « Wolfowitz, the
'Brains' behind the Global War ».
3° It is clear that their goal is to bankrupt the publisher. EPO,
active in France and in Belgium, distinguished itself over the past few
years by publishing numerous books devoted to exposing US imperialism.
The following titles are only a sample: « September 11» by Franssen; «
Palestine » by Lucas Catherine; and the works of Calvo Ospina on the
CIA - Bacardi - Cuban Mafia connection. Or Hassan & Pestieau on the
occupation or Iraq. (See www.epo.be)
The publisher of EPO is fighting courageously in order to maintain his
independence in the wake of mergers that have put large publishers in
the hands of industrial and financial interests. To demand such an
exorbitant sum from him is clearly meant to prevent him from continuing
his publishing activities.
4° The problem is Monopoly's politically charged contents. In this
book, published in 2000, Michel Collon delivered a masterful
presentation that showed the war against Yugoslavia was not at all
humanitarian in nature, but, instead, announced other wars to come,
most notably the war against Iraq and against Afghanistan, which has
since been confirmed. He revealed that Washington is fighting for the
control of petroleum routes (projects for oil pipelines that will
traverse the Balkans), which will permit it to eventually block
European energy supplies. The real crime of Collon is to have exposed
with evidence the global war US strategy.
5° Michel Collon unmasked Wolfowitz in his book "Liar's Poker". The
Belgian author nailed Wolfowitz with a little-noticed report that dated
from 1992. Since 1992, Wolfowitz has been demanding that the Pentagon
do everything possible to prevent the appearance of a European army. At
a time when it seemed that the USA and Europe were marching in step,
Collon has shown that this report was a barely concealed declaration of
war against the USA's European 'friends'. The analysis was confirmed by
subsequent events and the opposition between USA and EU. (See Collon's
Liar's Poker, p. 116.)
6° Michel Collon : a man to destroy ? For the last twelve years, the
Belgian author has been leading original political actions that have
contributed a great deal in unmasking US imperialism. Since the
celebrated Attention, médias ! appeared in 1992, his books, frequently
republished in new editions and translated into numerous languages,
combine a strategic analysis that is at once global and trenchant; his
original contribution of the « media test » concept established his
reputation as a man who « outed media-lies ». Co-director with Vanessa
Stojilkovic of the film, The Damned of Kosovo, which has been
translated into six languages, Collon has been invited to hundreds of
conferences and debates throughout Europe and around the world.
An analyst, but also militantly anti-war, Collon has led important
international missions that studied the consequences of US aggressions
: « 15 Belgians under the bombs of Nato » (Yugoslavia, 1999) and the
120 « Inspectors for Peace» (Irak, 2002). This accounts for
Washington's fury. (soon at www.michelcollon-info/bio)
7° But it is most of all because of his « war crimes » lawsuit, which
he filed in Bruxelles against US General Tommy Franks that unleashed
Washington's wrath. Michel Collon is one of the leaders of the movement
"Stop USA," which has helped the families of 17 Iraqi victims file a
complaint in Brussels in 2003 against General Franks, Commander in
Chief of the US Army, for war crimes. It is a solid case that is based
on numerous witness testimonies. The complaint stood an excellent
chance of putting him away for good. But threats from Washington forced
Brussels to suppress its own law of « universal competence ».
'Coincidence' : The Hasbro firm went on the offensive a few days after
the filing of this complaint, but ... three years after the publication
of Monopoly. Vengeance is clearly the motive.
All of these signs show that the Hasbro - Wolfowitz attack is
politically motivated. The attack also involves major representatives
of US imperialism, who provide a perfect example of the personal fusion
of economic and political interests. The loathsome wars of US
imperialism have broadened into a war against freedom of expression in
favour of monopolies, Bill Gates and CNN.
The Publisher EPO Must Be Saved !
EPO must be saved. There are fewer and fewer independent publishers in
the world today who have the means to publish testimonies, revelations,
and serious analyses on US militarism, on the conduct of the Great
Powers, and on important social questions.
At the very moment when the whole world is mobilizing against the war,
the Hasbro - Wolfowitz attack is part of an initiative made by the Bush
administration to silence all protest. But, just as Michael Moore did
not yield when they tried to stop the distribution of his film,
Fahrenheit 9/11, Michel Collon and the publisher of EPO have decided to
continue fighting. They refuse to be silenced, whatever pretexts may be
used against them.
How can you support them during this lawsuit ?
1. By broadcasting this information (which is also available in
Spanish, Italian and Dutch : soon at http://www.michelcollon.info
2. By sending a protest letter to Hasbro www.hasbro.com Or Hasbro, 1027
Newport Avenue Pawtucket, Rhode island, 02862, USA)
3. By making the titles that EPO publishes known, by inviting their
authors to debates, by helping EPO find new channels of distribution
Contact : jos.hennes@ epo.be
4. By buying, in solidarity, one or more copies of Monopoly for
yourself or for resale (sales have not yet been banned). Editions have
been published in French, English, Spanish, Serbo - Croat and Dutch.
Your support will enable us to cover important legal fees.
TO ORDER IN ENGLISH (Monopoly under a new title) :
Milo Yelesiyevich serbianclassics@ hotmail.com
TO ORDER IN FRENCH : nessa.kovic@ indymedia.be who will forward
TO ORDER IN SPANISH : Eva Forest : hiru@ clientes.euskaltel.es
FOR INFORMATION IN ITALIAN : andreamartocchia@ libero.it
TO ORDER IN DUTCH : Jos Hennes : jos.hennes@ epo.be
Who Is Hiding behind Hasbro,
a 'Respectable' Toy Manufacturer ?
MICHEL COLLON
It's about toys, but it is not about a nice and sweet little world. The
global toy market is today in the hands of two mastodons who have
succeeded in eliminating or buying out nearly all the other companies
engaged in toy manufacturing: Mattel controls Barbie, Fisher-Price and
Scrabble... And as far as Hasbro is concerned, this little family
business (the Hassenfeld Brothers) took off in the 1960s by launching a
militaristic action figure, G.I. Joe. Then, numerous take-overs allowed
them to become the owners of the trademarks for Monopoly, Trivial
Pursuit, Playskool, Pictionary, Cluedo, Atari, Teletubbies, knock-offs
of Pokemon and Star Wars, numerous computer games, candy manufacturers
and plenty of other firms.
It's classic: the profits earned by these two toy giants went through
the roof when they closed the maximum number of factories in the US and
in Europe after having relocated them to impoverished Third-World
countries. In 2002, Mattel shut down its Kentucky plant. Now it
exploits 39,000 workers in factories in Asia. Hasbro only employs
10,000 people directly, only because it chiefly resorts to slave
trafficking, which has well known advantages. (1)
When You Buy a Board Game or a Toy, You're Making Paul Wolfowitz, the
"Brains behind Bush, Rich
When you buy a toy or a board game for yourself or for your children,
in all likelihood you are making the stockholders of Mattel or Hasbro
rich. And it is necessary to know that the average budget for toys for
a child growing up in the EU is ?250/per annum.
You'll find fashionable society among the board members you are
involuntarily enriching. Or villains. That depends on your point of
view. First of all, Paul Wolfowitz is one of the greatest war mongers
in the United States. Rumsfeld's no. 2 man, Bush's Secretary of War,
which forms a perfect tandem with Cheney, according to Time : "If
Rumsfeld is the face, the mouth and the arm carrying the gun for the
war in Iraq, then Wolfowitz is the intellectual godfather, the heart
and soul." (2) (See the following article on Wolfowitz.)
« The heart and the soul of the war » remained on the Hasbro board of
directors right up until the eve of his nomination by George Bush. Will
he return to Hasbro once his public service is completed, like many
other US personalities, fervent practitioners of this lucrative sport
which is the business-politics yo-yo ? It's likely, but in any case his
ties and their mutual interests remain, whether they remain discrete or
not. Dick Cheney, US vice-president, theoretically has nothing at all
to do with Halliburton's petroleum operations, which he administered
before his current assignment. But the scandal of « inflated orders »
has shown that he has shamelessly used the occupation of Iraq to line
Halliburton's pockets, and in all likelihood, his own too.
Tied to the Military-Industrial Complex and to Israel
But while perusing the list of the Hasbro board of directors, we
discover another very interesting name : Marie-Helen Kravis, who had
served on the board of directors of Ford, Canadian Imperial Bank,
Vivendi Universal and Hollinger. This company is connected to the US
hard right and to the Israeli secret service, whose former director,
Shlomo Ben Gazit, also sat on the board of directors of Hasbro (3). She
controls various British and American newspapers who played a leading
role in the dossier drawn up for Iraq.
Marie-Helen Kravis also sat on the board of directors of Seagrams,
whose founder, Edgar Bronfman Sr., is the president of the influential
lobby 'The World Jewish Congress'. She also has a seat on the board of
directors of the Hudson Institute, a conservative US think thank. Bush
Senior named her as an advisor to the Department of Energy. She is
presented as an « expert » in international economics, public policy
and strategy on the web site of the Council on Foreign Relations, most
important organ that discusses and decides US foreign policy. (4)
Her husband, Henry Kravis, is in 351st place on the list of Forbes
richest people in the world. His fortune is estimated to be at least
$1.3 billion. His firm, KKR, owns or did own outright or in part
numerous important firms: Safeway, Union Texas Petroleum, Duracell,
American Re Insurance, Nabisco...
Finally, for those who would be surprised that a French court would
demonstrate such deference to a US company, we note that KKR is the
principal stockholder of the French electric-power company, Legrand.
Whose president is Ernest-Antoine Seillière, the head of Medef, i.e.,
the most important of all business leaders in France(5). The business
world is, indeed, quite small.
Among the other current members of the board of directors of Hasbro, we
can also find Jack Greenberg (ex-boss of McDonalds), Paula Stern
(former president of the US International Trade Commission), Sylvia
Hassenfeld (American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee) and Alan
Batkin (Vice President of Kissinger Associates). Kissinger Associates
is a consulting firm that helps US multinationals make big profits with
"Doctor Henry's" seasoned advice. Dr. Henry was Pinochet's boss, and he
bossed around a few more of the bloodiest dictators on the planet.
Conclusion : Hasbro is by no means a game. Neither for the tens of
thousands of Third-World workers, exploited for the benefit of
stockholders and the richest of business leaders like Kravis and
Wolfowitz. Nor for its role on behalf of US and Israeli military
aggression. Hasbro is an element in the military-industrial complex
that installed the Bush regime in power and unleashed its global war.
(1) Figures from the International Council of Toy Industry. See also
Thérèse Jeunejean, Le grand jeu de la mondialisation, Le Ligueur
(Belgique), 12/11/2002. Gresea (Belgique), La face cachée du jouet,
juillet 2002.
(2) http://www.time.com/time/personoftheyear/2003/poywolf.html
(3) See Geoffrey Geuens index, Tous pouvoirs confondus, EPO, 2003, whom
we thank for his valuable aid.
(4) Source :
(5) On the importance of the Council on Foreign relations, see Geuens,
idem, p. 84-92.
Paul Wolfowitz, the Brains behind Bush's 'Global War'
This article will be soon on www.michelcollon.info This web site is not
yet open, you will receive a mail.
http://it.groups.yahoo.com/group/crj-mailinglist/message/3895
en francais:
http://it.groups.yahoo.com/group/crj-mailinglist/message/3879 ]
Do we still have the right to criticize Bush?
Wolfowitz (the Pentagon) Tries to Bankrupt Michel Collon's Publisher
VANESSA STOJILKOVIC
265,000 Euros! (300.000 $) This is the enormous sum of money Hasbro is
demanding from EPO, the publisher of Michel Collon's book, Monopoly -
NATO in Search of World Conquest. Hasbro has initiated legal action in
Paris for alleged « copyright infringement » of their board game,
Monopoly. But who is pulling the strings at Hasbro ? Paul Wolfowitz.
Yes, the number 2 man in the Pentagon, Undersecretary of Bush's war
program. There are various indications that the attack is politically
motivated...
US multinational Hasbro suited the publisher EPO before the Court of
Justice in Paris. Demanding 150.000 Euros for the damage made to its
marks, 100.000 Euros for 'parasitism' and 15.000 Euros for costs. Why
in Paris since the publisher is Belgian ? Because French courts are
more repressive concerning freedom of speech and right to parody. On
July 9th 2004, EPO was condemned to pay 20.000 Euros. He decided to go
in appeal.
Is this a simple lawsuit about commercial and legal questions ? Not at
all :
1° The « legal pretext » is scurrilous : Hasbro alleges that it is « a
victim of copyright infringement » because Michel Collon published his
masterly analysis of the US global strategy under the title of Monopoly
- NATO in Search of World Conquest.
The maneuver is legally awkward. Because prohibitions concerning the
use of commercial trademarks exist to prevent actions that can be
described as 'unfair competition'. However, a book of political
analysis obviously does not compete with the sales of a board game.
Michel Collon's book bothered US leadership circles by exposing its
strategy of global warfare and unmasking their pretexts. But who can
claim with a straight face that this book would subtract from global
sales of the Monopoly board game ? They have something else in mind.
2° If we look at the board of directors of Hasbro, we find Paul
Wolfowitz among them. Vice-minister of War, he is the 'thinker'
preparing sinc 1991 the US strategy of 'global war'. He was the man who
first pushed Bush to war.
He, of course, resigned this lucrative position after he was named in
this Bush administration. (Hasbro, along with Mattel, is one of the two
global giants that dominate the toy industry). But business and
politics in the USA are « communicating » with frequent exchanges. Dick
Cheney, also, resigned from his position at Halliburton, but he
continues to pull some strings.
In the board of directors of Hasbro, we also find Marie-Helen Kravis.
Her name is not well known, but she happens to be the wife of one of
the world's riches men. The couple is tied in to the
military-industrial complex and to Israel, as well, via the secret
services and the global Jewish lobby in Congress. (Look the articles
that follow here: « Who's Hiding Behind Hasbro ? » and « Wolfowitz, the
'Brains' behind the Global War ».
3° It is clear that their goal is to bankrupt the publisher. EPO,
active in France and in Belgium, distinguished itself over the past few
years by publishing numerous books devoted to exposing US imperialism.
The following titles are only a sample: « September 11» by Franssen; «
Palestine » by Lucas Catherine; and the works of Calvo Ospina on the
CIA - Bacardi - Cuban Mafia connection. Or Hassan & Pestieau on the
occupation or Iraq. (See www.epo.be)
The publisher of EPO is fighting courageously in order to maintain his
independence in the wake of mergers that have put large publishers in
the hands of industrial and financial interests. To demand such an
exorbitant sum from him is clearly meant to prevent him from continuing
his publishing activities.
4° The problem is Monopoly's politically charged contents. In this
book, published in 2000, Michel Collon delivered a masterful
presentation that showed the war against Yugoslavia was not at all
humanitarian in nature, but, instead, announced other wars to come,
most notably the war against Iraq and against Afghanistan, which has
since been confirmed. He revealed that Washington is fighting for the
control of petroleum routes (projects for oil pipelines that will
traverse the Balkans), which will permit it to eventually block
European energy supplies. The real crime of Collon is to have exposed
with evidence the global war US strategy.
5° Michel Collon unmasked Wolfowitz in his book "Liar's Poker". The
Belgian author nailed Wolfowitz with a little-noticed report that dated
from 1992. Since 1992, Wolfowitz has been demanding that the Pentagon
do everything possible to prevent the appearance of a European army. At
a time when it seemed that the USA and Europe were marching in step,
Collon has shown that this report was a barely concealed declaration of
war against the USA's European 'friends'. The analysis was confirmed by
subsequent events and the opposition between USA and EU. (See Collon's
Liar's Poker, p. 116.)
6° Michel Collon : a man to destroy ? For the last twelve years, the
Belgian author has been leading original political actions that have
contributed a great deal in unmasking US imperialism. Since the
celebrated Attention, médias ! appeared in 1992, his books, frequently
republished in new editions and translated into numerous languages,
combine a strategic analysis that is at once global and trenchant; his
original contribution of the « media test » concept established his
reputation as a man who « outed media-lies ». Co-director with Vanessa
Stojilkovic of the film, The Damned of Kosovo, which has been
translated into six languages, Collon has been invited to hundreds of
conferences and debates throughout Europe and around the world.
An analyst, but also militantly anti-war, Collon has led important
international missions that studied the consequences of US aggressions
: « 15 Belgians under the bombs of Nato » (Yugoslavia, 1999) and the
120 « Inspectors for Peace» (Irak, 2002). This accounts for
Washington's fury. (soon at www.michelcollon-info/bio)
7° But it is most of all because of his « war crimes » lawsuit, which
he filed in Bruxelles against US General Tommy Franks that unleashed
Washington's wrath. Michel Collon is one of the leaders of the movement
"Stop USA," which has helped the families of 17 Iraqi victims file a
complaint in Brussels in 2003 against General Franks, Commander in
Chief of the US Army, for war crimes. It is a solid case that is based
on numerous witness testimonies. The complaint stood an excellent
chance of putting him away for good. But threats from Washington forced
Brussels to suppress its own law of « universal competence ».
'Coincidence' : The Hasbro firm went on the offensive a few days after
the filing of this complaint, but ... three years after the publication
of Monopoly. Vengeance is clearly the motive.
All of these signs show that the Hasbro - Wolfowitz attack is
politically motivated. The attack also involves major representatives
of US imperialism, who provide a perfect example of the personal fusion
of economic and political interests. The loathsome wars of US
imperialism have broadened into a war against freedom of expression in
favour of monopolies, Bill Gates and CNN.
The Publisher EPO Must Be Saved !
EPO must be saved. There are fewer and fewer independent publishers in
the world today who have the means to publish testimonies, revelations,
and serious analyses on US militarism, on the conduct of the Great
Powers, and on important social questions.
At the very moment when the whole world is mobilizing against the war,
the Hasbro - Wolfowitz attack is part of an initiative made by the Bush
administration to silence all protest. But, just as Michael Moore did
not yield when they tried to stop the distribution of his film,
Fahrenheit 9/11, Michel Collon and the publisher of EPO have decided to
continue fighting. They refuse to be silenced, whatever pretexts may be
used against them.
How can you support them during this lawsuit ?
1. By broadcasting this information (which is also available in
Spanish, Italian and Dutch : soon at http://www.michelcollon.info
2. By sending a protest letter to Hasbro www.hasbro.com Or Hasbro, 1027
Newport Avenue Pawtucket, Rhode island, 02862, USA)
3. By making the titles that EPO publishes known, by inviting their
authors to debates, by helping EPO find new channels of distribution
Contact : jos.hennes@ epo.be
4. By buying, in solidarity, one or more copies of Monopoly for
yourself or for resale (sales have not yet been banned). Editions have
been published in French, English, Spanish, Serbo - Croat and Dutch.
Your support will enable us to cover important legal fees.
TO ORDER IN ENGLISH (Monopoly under a new title) :
Milo Yelesiyevich serbianclassics@ hotmail.com
TO ORDER IN FRENCH : nessa.kovic@ indymedia.be who will forward
TO ORDER IN SPANISH : Eva Forest : hiru@ clientes.euskaltel.es
FOR INFORMATION IN ITALIAN : andreamartocchia@ libero.it
TO ORDER IN DUTCH : Jos Hennes : jos.hennes@ epo.be
Who Is Hiding behind Hasbro,
a 'Respectable' Toy Manufacturer ?
MICHEL COLLON
It's about toys, but it is not about a nice and sweet little world. The
global toy market is today in the hands of two mastodons who have
succeeded in eliminating or buying out nearly all the other companies
engaged in toy manufacturing: Mattel controls Barbie, Fisher-Price and
Scrabble... And as far as Hasbro is concerned, this little family
business (the Hassenfeld Brothers) took off in the 1960s by launching a
militaristic action figure, G.I. Joe. Then, numerous take-overs allowed
them to become the owners of the trademarks for Monopoly, Trivial
Pursuit, Playskool, Pictionary, Cluedo, Atari, Teletubbies, knock-offs
of Pokemon and Star Wars, numerous computer games, candy manufacturers
and plenty of other firms.
It's classic: the profits earned by these two toy giants went through
the roof when they closed the maximum number of factories in the US and
in Europe after having relocated them to impoverished Third-World
countries. In 2002, Mattel shut down its Kentucky plant. Now it
exploits 39,000 workers in factories in Asia. Hasbro only employs
10,000 people directly, only because it chiefly resorts to slave
trafficking, which has well known advantages. (1)
When You Buy a Board Game or a Toy, You're Making Paul Wolfowitz, the
"Brains behind Bush, Rich
When you buy a toy or a board game for yourself or for your children,
in all likelihood you are making the stockholders of Mattel or Hasbro
rich. And it is necessary to know that the average budget for toys for
a child growing up in the EU is ?250/per annum.
You'll find fashionable society among the board members you are
involuntarily enriching. Or villains. That depends on your point of
view. First of all, Paul Wolfowitz is one of the greatest war mongers
in the United States. Rumsfeld's no. 2 man, Bush's Secretary of War,
which forms a perfect tandem with Cheney, according to Time : "If
Rumsfeld is the face, the mouth and the arm carrying the gun for the
war in Iraq, then Wolfowitz is the intellectual godfather, the heart
and soul." (2) (See the following article on Wolfowitz.)
« The heart and the soul of the war » remained on the Hasbro board of
directors right up until the eve of his nomination by George Bush. Will
he return to Hasbro once his public service is completed, like many
other US personalities, fervent practitioners of this lucrative sport
which is the business-politics yo-yo ? It's likely, but in any case his
ties and their mutual interests remain, whether they remain discrete or
not. Dick Cheney, US vice-president, theoretically has nothing at all
to do with Halliburton's petroleum operations, which he administered
before his current assignment. But the scandal of « inflated orders »
has shown that he has shamelessly used the occupation of Iraq to line
Halliburton's pockets, and in all likelihood, his own too.
Tied to the Military-Industrial Complex and to Israel
But while perusing the list of the Hasbro board of directors, we
discover another very interesting name : Marie-Helen Kravis, who had
served on the board of directors of Ford, Canadian Imperial Bank,
Vivendi Universal and Hollinger. This company is connected to the US
hard right and to the Israeli secret service, whose former director,
Shlomo Ben Gazit, also sat on the board of directors of Hasbro (3). She
controls various British and American newspapers who played a leading
role in the dossier drawn up for Iraq.
Marie-Helen Kravis also sat on the board of directors of Seagrams,
whose founder, Edgar Bronfman Sr., is the president of the influential
lobby 'The World Jewish Congress'. She also has a seat on the board of
directors of the Hudson Institute, a conservative US think thank. Bush
Senior named her as an advisor to the Department of Energy. She is
presented as an « expert » in international economics, public policy
and strategy on the web site of the Council on Foreign Relations, most
important organ that discusses and decides US foreign policy. (4)
Her husband, Henry Kravis, is in 351st place on the list of Forbes
richest people in the world. His fortune is estimated to be at least
$1.3 billion. His firm, KKR, owns or did own outright or in part
numerous important firms: Safeway, Union Texas Petroleum, Duracell,
American Re Insurance, Nabisco...
Finally, for those who would be surprised that a French court would
demonstrate such deference to a US company, we note that KKR is the
principal stockholder of the French electric-power company, Legrand.
Whose president is Ernest-Antoine Seillière, the head of Medef, i.e.,
the most important of all business leaders in France(5). The business
world is, indeed, quite small.
Among the other current members of the board of directors of Hasbro, we
can also find Jack Greenberg (ex-boss of McDonalds), Paula Stern
(former president of the US International Trade Commission), Sylvia
Hassenfeld (American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee) and Alan
Batkin (Vice President of Kissinger Associates). Kissinger Associates
is a consulting firm that helps US multinationals make big profits with
"Doctor Henry's" seasoned advice. Dr. Henry was Pinochet's boss, and he
bossed around a few more of the bloodiest dictators on the planet.
Conclusion : Hasbro is by no means a game. Neither for the tens of
thousands of Third-World workers, exploited for the benefit of
stockholders and the richest of business leaders like Kravis and
Wolfowitz. Nor for its role on behalf of US and Israeli military
aggression. Hasbro is an element in the military-industrial complex
that installed the Bush regime in power and unleashed its global war.
(1) Figures from the International Council of Toy Industry. See also
Thérèse Jeunejean, Le grand jeu de la mondialisation, Le Ligueur
(Belgique), 12/11/2002. Gresea (Belgique), La face cachée du jouet,
juillet 2002.
(2) http://www.time.com/time/personoftheyear/2003/poywolf.html
(3) See Geoffrey Geuens index, Tous pouvoirs confondus, EPO, 2003, whom
we thank for his valuable aid.
(4) Source :
(5) On the importance of the Council on Foreign relations, see Geuens,
idem, p. 84-92.
Paul Wolfowitz, the Brains behind Bush's 'Global War'
This article will be soon on www.michelcollon.info This web site is not
yet open, you will receive a mail.