|
October 22, 2006
A seismic shift has occurred in support for the war in Iraq in the US. The Amercian campaign to restore democracy to Iraq has failed. That failure haunts the Republicans and undermines their policy of 'staying the course', the designed months ago by Republican strategist Karl Rove.
Martin Rowson
The situation is reaching a 'tipping point' both in Iraq and in US politics.Death squads, militias and insurgents are running rampant, and so bad is the violence that rumors of a coup attempt are gaining credibility. This would install a Saddam-like strongman to rule with a heavy hand, and it adds to the pressure on Bush to set a timetable for withdrawal - even former allies are joining the call.
Even the Weekly Standard is back peddling and taalking in terms of running from Iraq. Reuel Marc Gerecht says:
Nevertheless, a consensus is growing in Washington. There isn't really much difference between left and right: While Democrats Howard Dean, John Kerry, and John Murtha all wish for a rapid departure, former Republican Secretary of State James Baker will soon release his centrist "alternative," reportedly announcing that victory is impossible and our best bet amounts to "cut, pause, talk to the neighbors, and run." Conservative writers like George Will and William F. Buckley long ago gave up on the idea that the United States could help build a democratic government in Iraq. Fewer and fewer among the nation's political and intellectual elites believe that "staying the course" in Iraq advances the war against terrorism and our national interests in the Middle East.
Unlike the state of denial of the Howard Government Gerecht says that it is reasonable to assume that the conflict has helped anti-American Sunni jihadists multiply their numbers.
|
These are tumultuous times. The six biggest economies in the world today are, United States, Japan, Germany, France, Britain and Italy. No one would be surprised to discover that these nations formed the major protagonists of WW2, minus the Soviet Union which has since dissolved. Given the dwindling world oil supplies no one would be surprised discover that these nations have been busy seeking out new sources of oil to secure their economic needs for the decades to come and beyond.
These countries are the big industrial players in the world, transport, Chemicals, Aerospace, Oil, Defence-Armaments etc. The sales and contracts in these industries are worth billions. These industries really make a difference to the trade figures.
Four of the six nations above (US, Britain, Italy, Japan) where involved in the war in Iraq, either directly (invasion force) on indirectly (pacification/reconstruction).
Throw in the big oil companies.
Anglo-American: BP-Amoco, Chevron-Texaco, Exxon-Mobil, Shell
European: Total-Fina-Elf, ENI
What did Marx say about wars between capitalist nations to capture markets. Fifteen years since common enemy the Soviet Union departed the scene, they appear to be already turning on each other. Same old story, new players. Invade a defenceless country on some pretext, regime change, hegemony – kick the competitors out, closed market, problem solved. With an estimated 220bl barrels of oil reserves in Iraq, that’s a lot of income for the US & UK oil companies and govts for decades to come. This year, it is expected the US trade deficit with the rest of the world will top 800bl. Japan, China and the EU all run trade surpluses.
I think it must have dawned on the US, especially after the successful launch of Airbus that the Franco-German alliance was working at furthering its own European agenda. Unlike Britain and the US they had no plans on de-industrialising. France and Germany would keep its 150 year-old industrial base, and build upon it.
A lot of the time, Franco German conglomerates come against anglo-American conglomerates, competition intensifies, friction, market encroachment, disputes, threats, counter-threats.
I think you pointed it out in another post. The US used one of the few tools left in its tool bag to get ahead of the pack, its military. But the plan failed – 500,000+ dead and counting. If there was any justice in this world, the Nuremberg trials would be reconvened, and Bush and Blair placed on the dock.