Pravda.ru
by
Dr. Elias Akleh
USA
The American “power elite” had drawn a “Grand Plan” to control and to monopolize global oil and nuclear energy resources to assure American global hegemony. The collapse of the Soviet Union had created a power vacuum the American administration is trying to fill up.
The attacks of 911 were necessary requirement for the Bush administration to wage a “global war against terror” that would serve as a cover up for American hegemonic actions. President Bush had borrowed Mussolini’s fascist motto of “If you are not with me, you are against me”, and turned it into “You are either with us or with the terrorist” to terrorize weaker nations into accepting American expansions.
The part of the “Grand Plan” that deals with the Middle East and South East Asia was handed down to Bush/Cheney administration for execution. The invasions and destructions of Afghanistan and Iraq are just the beginning. Iran, Syria and Lebanon are next.
Controlling Iran is very important for the American administration. Iran sits on a lake of oil and has large deposits of uranium, that when mined and refined could make Iran a super global power. Controlling Iran leads to the containment of China (America’s greatest competitor), who depends heavily on Iranian oil to satisfy its growing hunger for energy. Geographically Iran makes the shortest and the most economical route for Kazakhstan’s oil pipeline from the Caspian Sea north to the Persian Gulf south with all the oil-tankers traffic. Iran also fits perfectly within the line of American hegemony in South East Asia starting from Afghanistan east extending to Iraq west. Listening to Bush’s speeches –especially his speech to the UN last September 2006- one can detect his “enthusiasm” for “spreading democracy and freedom” in the “despotic Middle East” with Iraq as an example.
Bush/Cheney administration started its overt aggression against Iran immediately after 911. Iran was labeled as one of the “axis of evil” sponsoring terrorist groups – Hezbollah and Hamas. It is accused of meddling into Iraq and instigating civil war by supporting Shiites against Sunnis, and of opening its borders for terrorists to enter Iraq. Iran is also accused of building a nuclear bomb to wipe Israel off the map. Condoleezza Rice, the Secretary of State, described Iran as “central bank for world terrorism” threatening the stability in the region
The American media joined the administration into demonizing Iranian leaders describing them as extremist fundamental theocracy seeking to revive the glory of ancient Persian Empire by establishing a nuclear Islamic “Caliphate”. Ahmadinejad is portrayed as an irrational, violent, mad Hitler-like anti-Semite, who hates Jews, denies the Holocaust and wants to wipe Israel off the map.
The American administration refused to consider all Iranian attempts for dialogue and cooperation. According to Washington Post June 18th 2006 Richard Hass, head of policy planning at the State Department in 2003, stated that at the wake of American invasion of Iraq Iranian leaders offered the Americans a proposal for a broad dialogue that included full cooperation on war against terror, nuclear program, accepting Israel and halting support to Hamas. The administration already had plans for regime change in Iran that started immediately after the invasion of Iraq. Spy stations were erected at the Iraqi/Iranian borders. Congress had authorized the expenditure of $75 million to support Iranian opposition. Scott Ritter, former UN weapons inspector, reported in June 2005 and in his book “Target Iran” that the US has been using terrorist organizations (Mujahedeen el-Khalq) under the supervision of the CIA to conduct covert terrorist operation in Iran. This terrorist group is operating out of Camp Habib in Basra and launches their terrorist raids against the southern region of Iran.
Israel , on the other hand, refuses to “live under the threat” of nuclear Iran. Israeli politicians point to Ahmadinejad’s alleged threat to wipe Israel off the map as a threat to their own existence, and a possible justification for a pre-emptive strike as a measure of self-defense. They continually threaten to strike Iran’s nuclear facilities the same way they did to Iraq’s nuclear reactors. Israel had sent its military operatives into the Kurdish region north of Iraq to establish training camps for the Kurds. The Kurds want to establish their independent Kurdistan extending from north Iran to east Turkey. Encouraged, financed, and armed by Israel the Kurds send their militants to conduct military operations into northern Iran.
The US is adamant on invading Iran. Invasion plan was originally to take place last April 2006, and consisted of 5 days of continuous aerial bombardment by joint air planes of Israel, UK, and US that might include tactical nuclear bunker buster bombs. Land invasion was to follow from west (Iraq), from east (Afghanistan), and from sea (Persian Gulf and Gulf of Oman).
To stop this invasion Iran flexed its military muscles in war games conducted last April demonstrating its effective capability of waging war on land, sea, and air with sophisticated weapons. Iran also conducted other war games last August in coordination with China and Russia. The Americans discovered that they had underestimated Iran’s military power, and decided to adjust its war plans by bringing in more allies such as EU and some Arab states.
Contrary to the American propaganda Iranian leaders are pragmatic politicians, who seek peace, stability and nuclear-free Middle East. After their negotiation proposal to the US was rejected they needed to protect their interests in the region and to counter balance the threat of warring Israel, UK, and US by supporting Hamas, Hezbollah and Iraqi Shiites. For many generations Iran has not been involved in any colonial war. Iran was defending itself during the eight years Iraq/Iran war that was instigated by the US. Iranians are aware that if they were to hit Israel with one nuclear bomb Israel would shower them with their 200 or more of their nuclear bombs.
Ahmadinejad is not the mad man intent on wiping Israel off the map as Israelis keep alleging. Juan Cole, a Middle East specialist at the University of Michigan, stated in New York Times of June 11th that “Ahmadinejad did not say he was going to wipe Israel off the map, because no such idiom exists in Persian. He did say he hoped its regime i.e. a Jewish-Zionist state occupying Jerusalem, would collapse”. Ahmadinejad is not a Jew hater; he pointed to the largest Jewish community out of Israel, who lives peacefully in Iran. They are recognized as a religious minority and are represented by a Jewish MP, Maurice Mohtamed, in the Iranian parliament. Iranians make a distinction between Jews and Zionists.
To avoid the seemingly inevitable war Iran had followed the diplomatic path with no avail. It opened its nuclear facilities to the strictest and most detailed inspections by IAEA. Iran proposed to stop its nuclear program if the US halts its threats and gives guarantees not to attack Iran. Ahmadinejad had called for peaceful negotiations and a nuclear-free Middle East in his speech to the UN last September, but his speech was boycotted by American politician and American media. Lately Iran proposed to have an international consortium to supervise uranium enrichment in Iran to guarantee that its program is really for peaceful purposes only.
Iran had also turned to the international community – mainly anti-American countries- for political support through economical trade and common political interests. In 2004 Iran sold China Petrochemical Corp. 51% stake in its Yadavaran oil field near the border of Iraq. Iran also became Russia’s most important weapons customer. Iran had also gained the political support of at least 118 countries during the summit of the Nonaligned Movement in Cuba in mid last September.
The US recognizes that attacking Iran will disrupt oil flow to the west. Iranian would close the Strait of Hermuz and could hit the Baku-Tblisi-Ceyhan oil pipeline carrying oil to Europe. Venezuela’s president Hugo Chavez, an Iranian ally, had threatened to stop oil shipments to the US if Iran and Syria were attacked. China might also enter the conflict to protect its oil assets. The American administration decided to postpone its attack until it creates a “war oil reserve”, forms a large alliance of “willing countries”, and sends a big military armada to the region to guarantee a quick victory (a blitzkrieg).
The influence of the American administration on the UN and NATO can be seen clearly by the types of resolutions the UN adopts, and by the NATO troops becoming an American proxy occupier of Afghanistan. The US and NATO countries had lately amassed the largest military armada in the Middle East. The American armada consists of Carrier Strike Group 12 led by nuclear powered aircraft carrier USS Enterprise, Eisenhower Strike Group – another nuclear powered aircraft carrier with companion vessels and submarines, Expeditionary Strike Group 5 led by aircraft carrier USS Boxer, the Iowa Jima Expeditionary Strike Group, and the US Coast Guard. Canada has sent its HMCS Ottawa frigate to join the American armada.
Under the guise of UN resolution 1701 NATO countries had sent 15 thousand armed UNIFEL troops into southern Lebanon to protect Israel. They also sent their naval armada to the eastern shores of the Mediterranean allegedly to stop arm shipments to Hezbollah. Germany, Italy, Spain, Denmark, Greek, Netherlands, France, Belgium and Bulgaria have sent their military ships to the region.
This is the largest amass ever of military power in the region, and it has gathered there for a reason. With the American “Leading Edge” war game in the Gulf followed by the Iranian “Great Prophet” war games the powder keg became ready and all it needs is a match to ignite it. This could come in the form of an “arranged” terrorist act in Lebanon e.g. another political assassination or toppling of the government to be blamed against Syria and Iran. American warnings of such an act are already in the media.
The present American administration is an extremist theocratic apocalyptic neoconservative Christian-Zionist war mongering law-breaking power hungry administration with a bragging “war president” adopting the doctrines of pre-emptive strike and perpetual war against global terror. This war will take place far away from the American home-land, and will generate large profits for the American military corporations. The war against Iran would engulf the whole Middle East and might overflow to its neighboring countries. Controlling Iran is a very important strategic move to assure American global hegemony. According to military experts this war is scheduled to take place during March/April 2007 period.
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