Black Agenda Radio, from Glen Ford
U.S. aggressions in the Middle East are motivated by more than lust for oil. The real goal is world domination.
U.S. Aggressions Have Deep Roots
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The Bush regime is gearing up for an attack on Iran, an aggression that's been "on the table" ever since the American's boy, the Shah - a torturer and despot of historical magnitude - was overthrown in a popular revolution, in 1979. An Islamic theocracy came out on top in Iran after the Shah was kicked out - a regime that would not do Washington's bidding, as the Shah had. So the U.S. encouraged their other boy, at the time, Iraqi President Saddam Hussein, to attack Iran. An eight-year-long war followed, fueled by U.S. aid to Saddam, in which as many as a million Iraqis and Iranians died. After both sides were exhausted, the U.S. then turned on Saddam. We all know the rest of the story.
It is received wisdom on the Left that these American machinations are driven by greed for oil, of which both Iran and Iraq have plenty. And that's true, as far it goes. But the real driving force behind U.S. foreign policy is bigger than oil. It is Empire - supremacy over the entire planet.
"The men who rule in Washington believe the U.S. is destined to be the globe's last - and only - empire."
The people who rule in Washington do not crave oil because they fear that someone else will cut off the supply. First of all, the world's oil actually goes into one big market, fed by many sources. Oil-producing countries sell to the world market. The economic health of their nations depends on the smooth-functioning and stability of that market. They don't want to rock the international boat. It is not in their interest to cause a crisis that slows down international economic growth, because that would diminish demand for oil. Peace is good for oil-producing countries. Venezuela keeps on pumping oil for U.S. consumption, even though George Bush wants to kill its President.
Secondly, the Bush regime is a servant of international corporations, most especially, Big Oil corporations. When the price of oil goes up, U.S.-based oil companies get even richer. That makes the Bush men happy, no matter what lies they tell the American public.
No, there is nothing defensive on the Bush men's minds, when they seek to dominate the Middle East and its oil fields, or the oil resources of Africa or Latin America or anywhere else. The intentions of the people who rule the United States are aggressive, not defensive. They want to dictate the terms of the world energy trade, just as they attempt to dictate world monetary policy through the artificial supremacy of the dollar. It is Washington that seeks to strangle the economies of nation's whose governments it does not like. The Americans tried to cripple Venezuela's oil industry, just to get rid of President Hugo Chavez. The Iraq invasion vastly reduced Iraq's oil production, and an attack on Iran could throw the international economy into an oil crisis. But the cabal that rules in Washington does not want stability - not for you and me, not for the world. They crave planetary power. They believe that the U.S. is destined to be the globe's last - and only - empire. Their ambitions are different only in scope, but not in kind, from those of the founders of the United States, who quite openly spoke of the new country as an empire in the making. Nearly two centuries ago, the U.S. declared all of the Western Hemisphere to be its domain, and now claims to have "vital interests" everywhere on the planet. It is the notion of American Manifest Destiny that is the main threat to world peace - and people everywhere know it. Everyone, that is, except the American people. For Black Agenda Radio, I'm Glen Ford.
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Black Agenda Report Editor and Columnist Ajamu Baraka has thoughts on Black Misleadership, faux human rights, the decline of the Empire, white Social Democrats, and other issues.
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