Re: MERIP on the roots of the war drive

I tend to agree with this assessment of a more generalized goal 
of US imperialism. With control over Iraq, the US can (at least 
tentatively) "erase" the border betw the #1 and #2 producers of 
oil and undermine the power of OPEC, the organization that 
Washington loves to hate. Cheney has suggested breaking up Saudi 
Arabia into smaller emirates with the US in control of the most 
strategic protectorate. With CentCom in the area, Israel no 
longer would be needed as the US proxy/client state in the area; 
the US can relieve itself of its very controversial duty to 
subsidize Israel's nuclear-based war machine and Israel's 
tendency to make fools of high Washington officials, such as 
sending Colin Powell off to Antarctica when he was supposed to be 
checking out the Jenin massacre. The US govt wouldn't have to 
deal with Israel's occasional further extortion of US taxpayers 
for "exercising restraint" in ongoing US involvement in Iraq, 
Iran, etc. (Israel asked for/demanded a $14 billion pay-off not 
to get involved this time in Iraq). Israel is in violation of 
over 30 UN resolutions, and like Turkey, is sometimes a vivid 
contradiction to "American values" in foreign policy.  There are 
other aspects of this broader picture of US interests in the area.
A Grand Conspiracy?  WEll, things do add up.
Norberto Valdez

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Threehegemons@aol.com wrote:
> Middle East Report (excellent publication in general) has an interesting theory about the drive to war in their 'from the editor' section of their current issue (winter 2002).  Basically, they argue that Washington is seeking a middle east base for CENTCOM (central command) the name for (I'm a little confused here) the Persian Gulf region in Pentagon speak.  This is not simply to secure US oil, or that of its allies (more dependent on middle east oil) but also to undermine Russia, China, and India's capacity to act as great powers challenging the US:  "The capacity to deprive a potential military rival of fuel for its war machine is one crucial element of what Deputy Defense Secretary Paul Wolfowitz calls 'area denial or anti-access strategies.  It will allow the US to police the 'southern belt of strategic instability' from the Balkans and West Africa through the Middle East to South and Southeast Asia.
>
> Interesting stuff
>
> Steven Sherman