Orville Douglas is a Montreal writer.

The War in Iraq may be close to an end yet there is a new war going on. There is still reticence by the black community in relation to the role of Mr. Colin Powell and especially Ms. Condoleeza Rice role. The black press has only showered praise on Ms. Rice claiming that all blacks around the world be proud that she has reached the level of National Security Advisor to the American president. Yet the black global community has not questioned Ms. Rice about the dead bodies bludgeoned by bullets of American aggression as innocent people die.  The Iraqi people are non-white people just like the black Americans dying due to white violence.

Rewind over a century ago the beatings, raping, torture, of black American slaves also had taken place within the boundaries of America. Another war is taking place within the sphere of American society and that is the terrorism against women and people of colour. The war on Iraq may be over but much of the international and American media's focus has been on American president George Bush and not on the real intelligence, which is Ms. Condoleeza Rice.

The black press and the racist American media propaganda machine CNN, and the Republican Party that we should be proud of Ms. Rice. Ms. Rice is the prefect obedient house slave, that has conformed to the standards of whiteness she does not disobey her white master the president of the United States and just like the house slave she follows the masters orders. She is educated, can play the classical piano and she is the first black woman to be in such a highly powerful position. We are force fed this information to be enlightened that Ms. Rice is a black woman advancing the black race. But my question is Ms. Rice really concerned about blacks or black rights?

However, I am not proud only ashamed. The black press in publications such as Essence and Ebony magazine have hailed Ms. Rice as a figurehead of black progress as proof blacks can progress in a white supremacist American society. My question is this really true? In fact, my view is Ms. Rice has distanced herself from the black collective in search of whiteness. Ms. Rice used to be on the board Chevron. In America some blacks still believe they can divorce themselves from the black collective by associating and identifying with whites. Some blacks believe that by associating and identifying with whites they are no longer black or should care about black issues. Of course, this is false.

Condoleeza Rice has also failed women specially black women and women of colour. Ms. Rice may have been a professor at Stanford University and now the National Security Advisor to President Bush but this is not social progress. Rice has always attempted to erect a barrier from other black women and the black race. Rice may be an academic and yet this war on Iraq will murder and kill innocent women and children. The United Nations has already stated that hundreds of thousands of innocent Iraqi children are dying due to starvation. The UN sanctions have crippled and harmed innocent youth. Ms. Rice is in favor of these sanctions and claims the new military action on Iraq will liberate the Iraq women and children. However, Afghanistan has proven that American aggression does not solve the Middle East Crisis.

We live in a society that embraces women's rights to achieve success and become independent. The views, ideals, and values of young women are given more social importance now, which is progress. Due to feminism young women are encouraged to move beyond society's restrictive roles and have non-traditional roles in this world. Feminists and other female scholars have argued that Condoleeza Rice is an example of emancipation for women since she is the National Security Advisor to President Bush. Not much has been discussed about Rice's role in the black community or her attempts to distance herself from the black race.  Rice has spoken out against Affirmative Action in relation to the current polemic with Michigan University's controversial admission's program.

Rice also separates herself from her gender from women's issues. Rice is secretive, aloof, and reticent about issues that affect American women especially in relation to President's Bush's new ignominious attempt to make abortion illegal in the United States. Is Ms. Rice not a woman? She clearly realizes that in order for her to progress in a patriarchal political system she must suppress her gender and her views as a woman to succeed. It is also important to note that Ms. Rice is not married nor does she have any children. This could play a key critical role into her myopic view of women's rights and her refusal to speak out about women's issues.

Condoleeza Rice cannot divorce herself from the fact her ancestors less then two centuries ago were slaves. Slaves to American racism and aggression. America participated in the terrorism of blacks after slavery creating Jim Crow laws, social Apartheid, laws against interracial marriages, the destruction of black churches. Rice comes from a race of people that have experienced terrorism directly in America and this terrorism exists today. As a black woman Rice should have more empathy for the people of Iraq especially since the black race in America still faces such brutal racial discrimination and prejudice. Rice as a black woman should also understand the consequences of American colonialism and imperialism. The new war on Iraq is just a new chapter in America's attempts to control the world, as we know it.