There’s a new twist to the geo-political battle in Iraq, unforseen by even the most farsighted of Amireca’s free marketeers. When Ahmadinejad paid a state visit on the 2nd and 3rd of March to US occupied Iraq, condemned American presence and outlined a programme to foster economic ties between Tehran and Bagdad, he caught both servants (the Republican and Democratic Parties) of American finance capital unawares.
With US military in all sorts of trouble, expenditure costing the American treasury more than $5 million per month, and the vast gas and oil reserves of Iraq virtually unopened for exploitation by American companies, the last thing Washington needed was the second target in its “nexus of evil” waltzing in and signing a deal of economic co-operation with the country it (America) deems important only as its client state. Ahmadinejad promised a $1 billion infrastructural regeneration deal among others, including electricity supply from its nearly completed nuclear power plant construction. As things stand, Iran is already Iraq’s largest source of import and the trade between these two countries currently total more than $8 billion per year.
Five years after the invasion, and more than one million people dead as a direct result of the invasion, the occupation force of the US risen with an additional 160, 000 troops and more than 100 000 mercenaries (drawn from Britain, South Africa, America itself, Australia, to name but a few significant players) supplementing its own force, America’s plunderous exploiting classes still only have marginal influence in this resource-loaded patch of the world. The question is: will they accept this marginal influence? Looking at its predatory apetites, its history in the region of the last twenty five to thirty years and especially its history since 11 September 2001, one must answer this question with an emphatic ‘no’.
There is too much at stake in Iraq to simply now walk away, whatever the sentiments of Presidential candidates and the hundreds of millions of ordinary Americans. With Ahmadinejad and his country included in a region of 700 million people just around the corner, no dent as yet made in the oil and gas reserves and a crisis ridden economy at home, withdrawal is not on the cards for Washington, no matter who’s White House it becomes. The logic of things points to war (oh yes, there is the peacable alternative of the American ruling class giving up its power and interest in the region voluntarily, but no class in history has ever given up its power without a fight; and it’s not going to happen now– it has to be wrested away). Perhaps not tomorrow, but there’s a new war on the horizon and the objective conditions for it are ripening.
If there’s anything to the press reports in Israel (the Jerusalem Post in particular), Bush and Co. believe that military action is called for. The build-up of America’s military forces within striking distance from Iran, admissions from senior plunder officials from that country that the USS Mount Whitney, the most advanced vessel of the USA Navy, is on an ‘unscheduled mission’ cannot be taken as Bush’s preparation for a Sunday School picnic.
With the American elections in October, no-one should be surprised at a cynical synchronised attack on Iran, a sort of October surprise.
Whoever takes over from George W Bush as commander in chief better roll up the sleeves, we’re going to war. Again! [Wonder…is that right? They’ve never stopped the war, did they? They’re just planning to butcher yet another country in their insatiable thirst for more power.]
A prince with dignity and determination
Prince Ngarambe’s goals are to become Rwanda’s first transgender model and to uplift the country’s youth
The EFF’s principles are unshakeable
Unlike the ANC, the core values of the freedom fighters do not change with each leader it elects
