Do You Believe In The Parcel Bomb Conspiracy?

By Mshari al-Zaydi
This comment was published in Asharq al-Awsat on 15/11/2010
 
I have a suggestion that could make somebody millions of dollars!
 
More than this, I am prepared to waive my intellectual property rights to the person that can benefit from this idea, not out of a sudden sense of altruism, but because I do not want my name associated with a project such as this, in a financial or moral sense, due to my complete rejection of this idea.
 
The idea, my dear readers, is for somebody to write a conspiracy thriller with a compelling storyline based upon the parcel bomb plot and the explosive parcels that were sent from Yemen to everywhere from Europe and the US via the Gulf, with this story being translated into a number of different language. This story would revolve around the belief that this incident was nothing but a malicious conspiracy hatched by mysterious forces of evil that devise and oversee their terrible plots from the shadows.
 
It wouldn’t hurt to turn back the clock, and re-examine the files of the CIA and similar western "agents of evil", over the past fifty years. From here, we could argue that the parcel bomb "conspiracy" aimed to kill several birds with one stone. Firstly, this would serve to divert public attention from the WikiLeaks scandal that saw classified military documents being leaked on the internet, revealing the practices of U.S. troops in Iraq.
 
Secondly, the parcel bombs plot could act as a pretext for western interference in Yemen's affairs. The presence of Al-Qaeda would serve as a rationale for invasion, in a manner similar to the weapons of mass destruction that Saddam Hussein was allegedly in possession of.
 
Thirdly, the incident could open the market for new products, sold by security companies, including state-of-the-art airport and aircraft scanning technology. These products are very expensive, and thus there needs to be a strong incentive for states and aviation companies being persuaded to purchase them. Of course, the company producing such products would have to be an American one, owned by a secret alliance of secretly wealthy Jews in the United States.
 
What else?!
 
We must leave it to the imagination of the author, to add his own personal touch to this story.

He may wish to consider the experiences of a French author, who took a similar short cut to fame and fortune. I am of course talking about Thierry Meyssan and his book "9/11: The Big Lie" which catered to those who buy secret conspiracy theories. His argument was that 9/11 terrorist attacks were a secret plan hatched and carried out by the CIA.
 
The only downside here is that the author will have to accept the fact that his fame will not last for long. His story will lose its fans once the next conspiracy theory is born and other incidents occur.
He has to be a good sport, be practical, and be content with his slice of the cake.
 
Time is a decisive factor here. The book must be written quickly, whilst it is still possible to exploit the feelings of confusion due to the fact that we still do not know the complete picture. Now is the time to strike and profit from the prevailing state of distortion and uncertainty.
 
I have already witnessed elements of this idea elsewhere, namely by Kuwaiti extremist cleric Hamed al-Ali, on his internet blog. After elaborating on his view regarding the ‘devious’ US intelligence services, he said: "It is so naïve, and absolutely pathetic of us to be carried away by the parcel bomb news and forget the heartbreaking scenes of millions of victims who are struck by terror, starvation, disease and poverty every day."
 
We are still waiting for talented conspiracy theorists to come up with something, as for me, I suggested this idea to a well-informed authority, who smiled derisively my conspiracy theory.