What is the Minimum for a Victory in Iraq
In trying to figure out the objective in the War of Iraq and what would be the minimum requirements for an American victory one should consider a couple of things that don't get much attention in the American press. One is the building of a massive American Embassy, in the heart of Baghdad along with several large military bases and the new oil law the American's want the Iraqi government to approve.
The American Embassy under construction will be the largest Embassy in the World. http://www.thenation.com/doc/20060703/howl In the midst of a war zone it is being built, a virtual self contained fortress for 25,000 people. You can be sure this is one project that will not be shoddily built. Similarly, there is no slowdown in building permanent military bases in Iraq. http://www.globalsecurity.org/org/news/2004/040323-enduring-bases.htm
The New Oil law will privatise the oil industry turning over the exploration and development for the Iraqis' Oil Resource to corporations agreeable to the US, and guarantee that Iraq will continue to deal in oil using US dollars. (Before the war they were going to switch to the Euro.) http://www.democracynow.org/article.pl?sid=07/02/20/1523250Iraq was a socialist State in which the government owned and controlled the country's oil resource. We now know for certain the war was about oil. From the beginning when the oil ministry building was the only one guarded by the US against vandalism it was obvious to many.
Ignore all the noble talk about bringing security and democracy to Iraq. ( The US has long been comfortable with some of the worst autocratic cruel goveernments around the world as long as it served their interest.) This is just a nice distraction if they can be achieved; but not essential for a victory. Likewise, ignore the fear mongering about al-Qaeda having to be defeated there rather than on US soil. Al-Qaeda is there because the Americans are there. The Iraqis didn't want anything to do with them before the war and after the Americans leave the Iraqi's will rid their country of these extremists. The notion that fighting in Iraq is the only and last defense of America against extremists is nonsense. The Americans have resources, overt and covert and diplomatic and policing to deal with those who might seek to cause the US harm. They could take lessons from the Israeli Mossad who for years has quietly murdered "enemies" of Israel. Do you remember the raid on Entebbe or the fact that all the militants involved in the 1972 massacre of Israeli Olympic atheletes were systematically hunted down and murdered. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mossad
What the US wants from Iraq is control over the oil resource so it comes to the US rather than China and they want permanent military bases in Iraq so they can have military away over the Middle East and Central Asia.
Both Democrats and Republicans want these two objectives. Otherwise, the Democrats would be trying to cut off funding for Bushes Palace of an Embassy and the permanent military bases. Not a word about this by the Democrats. All the talk about bring the troops home is referring to combat troups. ALL IS NOT ALL. There will be large numbers of troups left behind "At the invitiation of the Iraqi government", to guard the massive US Embassy and man the US miliary bases, train Iraqi troups and even off support. It is significant that the US in building the Iraqi military has not helped them build a tank corp or an effective Air Force, the two things necessary to fight an effective insurgency. Could those roles mean that the Iraqi government will be dependent on the US to survive.?
When the US is granted long term leases for permanent military bases and the oil industry is privatized, the US can declare victory and withdraw from the civil war they fostered. This is a long way from the pie in the shy vision of rebuilding Iraq on the American model of democracy and neo-liberal economics. Sometimes you have to settle for what you can get. In this case, it will be essentially what they wanted all along.
The day after I wrote this blog the following article appeared which reflects my essential points and gives a greater detailed explanation. Iraq War Is All About Controlling The Oil - CommonDreams.org - Breaking News &
posted by Tossing Pebbles in the Stream @ 6:24 p.m.
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1 Comments:
Wars can be fought for many objectives. Profit is not an unknown one. The British Empire was built on the back of many profitable wars. In fact, between 1500 and 1914, the only unprofitable war was the one fought with George Washington and those "pain in the ass" colonists. It was a lucky thing, because it eventually led to the realization in Westminister that it would be better to grant Canada independent status rather than trying to defend it.
The invading troops in Iraq first secured the oil fields in order to ensure that they were not destroyed by Hussein (as he tried to do in Kuwait) in order to ensure that there would be revenue to pay for the invasion and the reconstruction. It is fair to ask the American taxpayers, however, as Dr. Phil is wont to do, "how's that working out for you?"
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