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The Next War on Washington's Agenda

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Only the blind do not see that the US government is preparing to attack Iran. According to Professor Michel Chossudovsky, "Active war preparations directed against Iran (with the involvement of Israel and NATO) were initiated in May 2003."

Washington has deployed missiles directed at Iran in its oil emirate puppet states, Oman and the UAE, and little doubt in the other US puppet states in the Middle East. Washington has beefed up Saudi Arabia's jet fighter force. Most recently, Washington has deployed 9,000 US troops to Israel to participate in "war games" designed to test the US/Israeli air defense system. As Iran represents no threat unless attacked, Washington's war preparations signal Washington's intention to attack Iran.

Another signal that Washington has a new war on its agenda is the raised level of Washington's rhetoric and demonization of Iran. Judging by polls Washington's propaganda that Iran is threatening the US by developing a nuclear weapon has met with success. Half of the American public support a military attack on Iran in order to prevent Iran from acquiring nuclear capability. Those of us who are trying to awaken our fellow citizens start from a deficit that the minds of half of the US population are under Big Brother's control.

As the International Atomic Energy Agency's reports from its inspectors on the ground in Iran have made clear for years, there is no evidence that Iran has diverted any enriched uranium from its nuclear energy program. The shrill hype coming from Washington and from the neoconservative media is groundless. it is the same level of lie as Washington's claim that Saddam Hussein in Iraq had weapons of mass destruction. Every US soldier who died in that war died in behalf of a lie.

It could not be more obvious that Washington's war preparations against Iran have nothing to do with deterring Iran from a nuclear weapon. So, what are the war preparations about?

In my judgment, the US government's war preparations are driven by three factors. One is the neoconservative ideology, adopted by the US government, that calls for the US to use its superior military and economic position to achieve world hegemony. This goal appeals to American hubris and to the power and profit that it serves.

A second factor is Israel's desire to eliminate all support for the Palestinians and for Hezbollah in southern Lebanon. Israel's goal is to seize all of Palestine and the water resources of southern Lebanon. Eliminating Iran removes all obstacles to Israel's expansion.

A third factor is to deter or slow China's rise as a military and economic power by controlling China's access to energy. It was China's oil investments in eastern Libya that led to the sudden move against Libya by the US and its NATO puppets, and it is China's oil investments elsewhere in Africa that resulted in the Bush regime's creation of the United States Africa Command, designed to counter China's economic influence with US military influence. China has significant energy investments in Iran, and a substantial percentage of China's oil imports are from Iran. Depriving China of independent access to oil is Washington's way of restraining and boxing in China.

What we are witnessing is a replay of Washington's policy toward Japan in the 1930s that provoked the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor. Japan's bank balances in the West were seized, and Japan's access to oil and raw materials was restricted. The purpose was to prevent or to slow Japan's rise. The result was war.

Despite the hubris in which it wallows, Washington understands the vulnerability of its Fifth Fleet in the Persian Gulf and would not risk losing a fleet and 20,000 US naval personnel unless it was to gain an excuse for a nuclear attack on Iran. A nuclear attack on Iran would alert both China and Russia that they could suffer the same fate. The consequence would be that the world would face a higher risk of nuclear armageddon than existed in the mutually assured destruction of the US-Soviet standoff.

Washington is getting all of us in over our heads. Washington has declared the "Asia-Pacific" and the South China Sea to be areas of "America's national interest." What sense does this make? It makes the same sense as if China declared the Gulf of Mexico and the Mediterranean Sea to be areas of China's national interest.

Washington has deployed 2,500 Marines, promising more to come, to Australia in order to do what? Protect Australia from China or occupy Australia? Encircle China with 2,500 Marines? It would not mean anything to China if Washington deployed 25,000 Marines to Australia.

When you get right down to it, Washington's tough talk is nothing but a silly pointless provocation of Washington's largest creditor. What if Washington's idiocy causes China to worry that Washington and its UK and European puppets will seize its bank balances and refuse to honor China's holdings of $1 trillion in US Treasury bonds? Will China pull its balances from the weak US, UK, and European banks? Will China decide to strike first, not with nuclear weapons, but by selling its $1 trillion in Treasury bonds all at once?

It would be cheaper than war.

The Federal Reserve would have to quickly print another $1 trillion dollars with which to buy the bonds, or US interest rates would shoot up. What would China do with the $1 trillion in newly printed paper? In my opinion, China would dump it all at once in the currency market, because the Federal Reserve cannot print euros, UK pounds, Japanese yen, Swiss francs, Russian rubles, and Chinese yuan with which to buy up its newly printed currency.

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http://www.paulcraigroberts.org/

Paul Craig Roberts was an editor of the Wall Street Journal and an Assistant Secretary of the U.S. Treasury. His latest book, HOW THE ECONOMY WAS LOST, has just been published by CounterPunch/AK Press. He was awarded the Treasury Department's (more...)
 

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He Who Increaseth Wisdom, Increaseth Sorrow... by Ron Brassfield on Thursday, Jan 12, 2012 at 7:02:09 AM
What a great article, thank you PCR by bogi666 on Thursday, Jan 12, 2012 at 7:19:19 AM
"Woops There It Is" by Jack Heart on Thursday, Jan 12, 2012 at 8:38:48 AM
The link above needs to be amplified on the board by Mike Preston on Thursday, Jan 12, 2012 at 1:15:15 PM
We own China Trillions of dollars. by Eddy Schmid on Thursday, Jan 12, 2012 at 10:42:20 PM
Iran is NOT developing nuclear weapons by 911TRUTH on Thursday, Jan 12, 2012 at 11:39:08 AM
who is behind the green curtain? by tim mcghie on Thursday, Jan 12, 2012 at 12:44:27 PM
This is Mr. Roberts' by intotheabyss on Thursday, Jan 12, 2012 at 12:46:39 PM
You know ... by landtorpedo on Thursday, Jan 12, 2012 at 2:21:25 PM
The Agenda by Bahramerad on Thursday, Jan 12, 2012 at 5:47:19 PM
The enemy is within by Mike Preston on Thursday, Jan 12, 2012 at 7:07:30 PM
Don't waste your time by Jack Heart on Thursday, Jan 12, 2012 at 9:46:56 PM
I am very much aware of the thoughtherding here by Mike Preston on Thursday, Jan 12, 2012 at 10:31:07 PM
They have adopted the Machiavillian philosophy of fear. by bogi666 on Saturday, Jan 14, 2012 at 9:44:24 AM
'Vichy Empire' by Alan MacDonald on Friday, Jan 13, 2012 at 9:06:16 AM
Half Of Americans Support Waging War Against Iran. by Eddy Schmid on Thursday, Jan 12, 2012 at 10:38:41 PM
Here is a link to by GLloyd Rowsey on Friday, Jan 13, 2012 at 10:48:07 AM
It's all about Iran's switching their reserve currency by Lance Ciepiela on Friday, Jan 13, 2012 at 11:25:51 AM
The USG achilles heel is the dollars status as the reserve by bogi666 on Friday, Jan 13, 2012 at 12:38:37 PM
Previously posted on Michael Byron's "it's now or never" by Calvin Davis on Friday, Jan 13, 2012 at 4:36:42 PM
I respect Mr Roberts, but it is not going to happen by Jimmy Walter on Saturday, Jan 14, 2012 at 1:12:39 AM
Islamic Bankrupted Republic by Bahramerad on Sunday, Jan 15, 2012 at 7:12:07 AM