Worried about gasoline prices? Concerned that more middle-east wars will send prices at the pump skyrocketing? Oil companies aren’t. Shell, the worlds third largest oil company, reported first quarter net profit of $6.89 billion, up 3.1%. Keep in mind that I did not say “earnings.” I said “net profit,” cold cash, play money.
It is safe to say that at least one lobby in the U.S. has an interest in seeing the United States dominate every oil country in the Middle East. They are currently building a massive embassy in Iraq, larger than Vatican City, on a 102-acre site. It is a fortress, the type of thing you’d expect from an occupying empire, not from a nation supposedly promoting “democracy” and “freedom.” Take that, you Moslems. Try taking 8,000 embassy workers hostage.
The future, as the “experts” see it, looks pretty bleak.
The U.N. Security Council will not make a resolution allowing for sanctions and/or military action because China and Russia won’t allow it.
The United States will once again denounce the U.N. for being benign (read, reasonable). They will manufacture some “intelligence” suggesting that Iran is not only producing nuclear weapons, but also has chemical and biological weapons. They are also, as has been already propagated by the conveniently loyal U.S. media, the world’s largest state sponsor of “terror.” (does that mean Iranians make horror movies?). The threat will be “imminent” and military action will be necessary. The EU will not support it, but, of course, they will do nothing to stop it. Tony Blair will do everything Bush tells him, even if it costs him his job, and Israel will aim all of its missiles at Tehran.
The U.S. will start a bombing campaign, supposedly targeting nuclear facilities. But most of these facilities are miles under the ground, so they will be forced to use “low-yield” nuclear weapons to “extract” them. The results will be cataclysmic. Thousands of innocent Iranians will die, and Iran will retaliate swiftly. The U.S. will be cut off from all oil in the Persian Gulf region, including oil from Kuwait. Hizbullah will mobilize against Israel. The U.S. occupation in Iraq will be reduced to nothingness, as the majority of Shi’a parties turn against them, perhaps even joining with the Sunni insurgents. Oil prices will skyrocket to over $200 a barrel. America will enter a new “Great Depression” not because there’s no work but because no one can afford to drive to work.
At this point, instead of apologizing to Iran, packing up the troops in Iraq and Afghanistan, the Bush regime will become even more angry with Iran (like a parent with a disobedient child), and they’ll make some statement like, “This is going to hurt me more than it hurts you” (and in this case the U.S. means it). They’ll try to drum up support for the “resistance movements” (read terrorists) in Iran, but the “rebellious Iranian youth” will support their government, even though they dislike it, over some foreign power or a few insurgent arabs. Iran will crush the rebellion, and the U.S. will be “forced” to invade Iran and “liberate” the Iranian people from their “oppressive” government.
They will, of course, fail, and who knows what reaction Russia will give to all of this. Russia, after all, is completing a multi-million dollar deal with Iran to sell them surface-to-air missiles. And the nuclear materials used in Iran were built by Russia. An attack on Iran is, in essence, an attack on Russia, a country with many more nuclear weapons than any other. China, another nuclear state, also has financial interests in Iran. They can severely punish the U.S. for any intervention. No, China will not mobilize their army. They do not need to; all they have to do is make a few phone calls and watch as the American economy, indebted to the Chinese, crumbles.
That is all the worst-case scenarios I can think of right now. Here’s what could happen instead:
1. The U.S. opens diplomatic talks with Iran, diffusing hostility and paving the way for cooperation on peaceful nuclear energy.
2. The EU threatens the U.S. with sanctions, should they attempt to invade Iran.
3. The U.N. grows a backbone, and instead of sanctioning Iran, they trust Iran and offer them concessions to continue peaceful nuclear activities.
4. The U.S. opens talks with China and Russia about sharing the Middle East oil wealth instead of competing for it.
Unfortunately, I do not think any of the four will occur, mainly because the current U.S. administration is far beyond “practical” or even “economic” reasons for their desire to invade Iran. Their true motives are mainly ideological.
The people moving the Bush Administration belong to an organization called the Project for the New American Century. You’re probably thinking, “OK, here comes the conspiracy theory.” But it is not. The organization is not secret, and their motives have been made crystal clear.
They make “proposals” to the government about courses of action in foreign policy, with the overarching goal of “shaping” the world according to U.S. interests, using military and diplomatic measures. Expanding U.S. defense spending and promoting “freedom and democracy” around the world are all part of their agenda.
Nevertheless, the American people still have power to make change. If they do not support the objectives of their government, they must make it known. Politicians are ultimately at the mercy of public opinion, but they’ve simply found a way to shape that opinion to fit their needs. Breaking those chains of media-dependency can only be achieved through education and truth-seeking.
If the American people do nothing, God help us.
