Politics of energy prevails. There is an oft-repeated story of the perpetual race between the power hubs of the Planet to gain control over more International energy resource centers, to help strengthen their respective positions, in terms of power, finance & energy availability. Many wars have been fought, many lives have been claimed and many citizens were duped into believing false intelligence reports so that their respective Governments could carry out its hidden agenda towards this end without having to face internal conflicts. It is also no secret that certain developed countries have funds specifically allocated in their annual budgets towards such “indirect investments” aimed at procuring control of International Energy Resources. But the judgments made by these players, armed with all the information in the world, cannot claim to be error free, as can be seen in the case of The US Invasion of Iraq.
America & the Middle-East Tug of War(s).
For the United States of America, the only interest in the Affairs of the cluster of nations around the Arabian Gulf is due to their vast expanse of oil resources. The Invasion of Iraq and the political involvement of US in the “never ending” Palestine-Israel conflict are all a part of its Machiavellian plot to control the energy resources in the region. The fact that the Palestine affair is never ending gives a permanent foot-hold for the US in Middle-east. The latest episodes in this story, of the Palestine territory literally splitting into two with the Fatah group(backed by US & Israel) in control of the West Bank and the Hamas seizing power in Gaza Strip, further enhances the scope for the US presence. Also, Saddam Hussein, the late dictator of Iraq, will be remembered for presenting a fertile opportunity to the US to further its interests in the region, by invading Kuwait. The world played a silent spectator to the drama that unfolded after the Kuwait invasion. The passing of the Iran-Libya sanctions Act (ILSA) in 1996 by the US Congress also has a similar behind- the-curtain story to tell. [Details courtesy: Iran Oil, a book by Roger Howard]. The idea was to support the American companies, who were restricted from any Oil imports or deals with Iran by a blanket ban imposed by the Clinton Government. The Act threatened to sanction any foreign companies that crossed $40 million limit for hydrocarbon investments in Iran.
The US occupation of Iraq
Iraq was never a Hub for terrorist activities, prior to its occupation by US & its allies, as we all know now. Saddam Hussein, its Dictator, ruled the country with iron hands. He also did not open Iraq’s gates to the terror community to run their pet projects of disaster, like the Taliban did in the case of Afghanistan. Also, Iraq was not in possession of Weapons of Mass Destruction (WMD), like the US and the others had wanted the World to believe. The US and its partner in crime, Britain, had misled the World Community and their respective citizens with false intelligence reports about WMD in Iraq’s possession, which could prove harmful to all in general and to the interests of America & Britain in particular.
Its ulterior motives, as discussed above, led the US to mastermind and execute the plan for invasion of Iraq with support from its allies. They were also successful in putting a dummy Government in Power. But the most visible (side) effect of these actions was the age old Shia-Sunni sectarian conflict in Iraq coming out in the open, with a very violent face. Violence has become the order of the day in Iraq and everyday many innocent Iraqis lose their lives in bomb blast & fire exchanges in various cities. The violence is very often let loose at the soldiers of the occupational forces in Iraq. Thousands of US Soldiers, among others have died till day. Even though the official death toll is available for all to see, nobody has a clear idea of the number of deaths in the US camp. This has become a major obstacle for the Bush Government in its homeland as well.
The US expected an Afghanistan like situation in Iraq. There the Taliban was ousted and the dummy Government by Hamid Karzai was installed, with wide support from the global community in the wake of the 9/11 tragedy. When even in Afghanistan, where things were almost in control, the current developments are pointing towards what may be termed, a volte face, the events in Iraq was a real setback for the US from the day one. The perpetual sectarian violence provided the perfect environment for terrorist machinery to take roots. Now, Al Qaeda and its sister concerns were finding it easier to establish their bases in Iraq.
With huge funds coming in from various terrorist outfits to Iraq, the violence there, especially against the occupied forces, knows no bounds. The situation has become uncontrollable for the US, for whom this is turning out to be a reminder of Vietnam. To add to its trouble, there has been a change in occupancy in ‘10 Downing Street’. With Tony Blair stepping down and Gordon Brown coming in as the British Prime Minister, George Bush is actually losing a personal ally(in an important position), who was a self – proclaimed supporter of his War policies. Now, all this leads to a typical catch-22 situation for the US. I strongly believe, that even if US desires to pull itself out of this mess, it is not possible.
What is holding US back……
Oil, of course is a major reason. Apart from this there are other factors which are forcing the US to continue its occupation of Iraq.
There is total anarchy prevailing in present day Iraq. Sectarian violence as well as attack against occupational forces is claiming many lives everyday. The propagators of violence in Iraq are getting ample cross border support from immediate neighbors such as Iran and Syria. Support also seems to be coming from various Islamic terror groups. If the US troops which has a major presence in the region, is withdrawn, the situation is bound to further deteriorate. This will be perfectly utilized by the ‘Friends of Osama’ community. Iraq will then become a platform for Islamist terror establishments to breed and flourish. The Government in Iraq will be in no position to control such a situation. Also Iran and Syria, unlike their public stand of offering to facilitate Iraq’s coming back to normalcy if the US occupation is ended, will have an enhanced role to play in maintaining the turmoil. The benefit is the possibility of fighting their overt or covert war with the US, from a soil which is not their own. All this means Jr. Bush will go down in history as the President who made available, a fertile land for terrorist groups to establish themselves and wage war against the United States of America.
There are other withdrawal issues haunting the US. The withdrawal process in itself may become a bloody affair. [Details Courtesy: The Hindu]. It may also turn out to be very time consuming and expensive. It took the US, four years to withdraw fully from Vietnam. It took the erstwhile USSR nine month to withdraw from Afghanistan, even as the countries shared a common border. Also its an old story that the Afghans made a fortune out of selling the weaponry left behind by the USSR troops, which were unable to carry them. The US has a considerably huge presence in Iraq. A rough estimate is that there are 200000 US troops, contractors & foreign workers who will need to be evacuated. This is not all. The US has around 1900 heavy Tanks, 43000 other military vehicles and around 700 aircrafts/helicopters. To add to this, there are supplies worth millions of Dollars spread across different locations in Iraq, where the troops have their presence. The withdrawal news will lead to an extremely hostile environment furthering mortar shelling on airfields, mine laden roads making it all the more difficult for the withdrawing troops. Even if the American troops make it out in good order, the local death toll is bound to be considerably high.
Again, a withdrawal decision will be a diplomatic disaster for America and Mr. Bush, and some may even read it as initial symptoms of an impending change in the World order – a tilt in the power balance, not at all favourable to the US. This may be particularly disastrous at a time when Russia is gaining importance in World Politics, in a post cold war era, and when the US and England are doing everything in their power to limit Russia’s influences within its territories. The reference is to instances such as the Litvinenko murder case leading to breakdown in diplomatic relationship between Britain & Moscow; and America strategically locating the planned missile defense system around Russia. The withdrawal of the US forces from Iraq will lead to Russia playing a more important role in the region.
What could be a way out………..for Iraq
While America is struggling to clear the bewilderment that is a result of its grave mistake, the situation in Iraq is on a continuous deterioration mode. Something has to be done and it has to be done fast. As the situation stands, I strongly believe that only non-radical Islamic establishments can make an impact on the warring factions. Regional Associations of Islamic nations such as Arab Gulf Countries council (AGCC) should come forward to play an important role in curbing violence in the state and cutting down support to terrorist groups from neighboring countries, by taking such countries into confidence and making them a part of the Iraq rebuilding processing. Strong signals from invaders of their intention of an early withdrawal, would also play a part in gaining support of neighbours such as Iran. It would be preferable to bring down the violent surges to some extend before the Occupational troops are with drawn. They should be replaced by Peace keeping Forces from countries whom the Iraqis consider as friends and based on their opinions.
All such options are easy to suggest, nice to hear, but difficult to implement. All said and done, Iraq and its people will always tell a story of a nation, which was pulled down from riches (in many ways) to rags, by a “energy hungry” super power, to give shape to its imperialist designs to control all oil resources in the Gulf.
America & the Middle-East Tug of War(s).
For the United States of America, the only interest in the Affairs of the cluster of nations around the Arabian Gulf is due to their vast expanse of oil resources. The Invasion of Iraq and the political involvement of US in the “never ending” Palestine-Israel conflict are all a part of its Machiavellian plot to control the energy resources in the region. The fact that the Palestine affair is never ending gives a permanent foot-hold for the US in Middle-east. The latest episodes in this story, of the Palestine territory literally splitting into two with the Fatah group(backed by US & Israel) in control of the West Bank and the Hamas seizing power in Gaza Strip, further enhances the scope for the US presence. Also, Saddam Hussein, the late dictator of Iraq, will be remembered for presenting a fertile opportunity to the US to further its interests in the region, by invading Kuwait. The world played a silent spectator to the drama that unfolded after the Kuwait invasion. The passing of the Iran-Libya sanctions Act (ILSA) in 1996 by the US Congress also has a similar behind- the-curtain story to tell. [Details courtesy: Iran Oil, a book by Roger Howard]. The idea was to support the American companies, who were restricted from any Oil imports or deals with Iran by a blanket ban imposed by the Clinton Government. The Act threatened to sanction any foreign companies that crossed $40 million limit for hydrocarbon investments in Iran.
The US occupation of Iraq
Iraq was never a Hub for terrorist activities, prior to its occupation by US & its allies, as we all know now. Saddam Hussein, its Dictator, ruled the country with iron hands. He also did not open Iraq’s gates to the terror community to run their pet projects of disaster, like the Taliban did in the case of Afghanistan. Also, Iraq was not in possession of Weapons of Mass Destruction (WMD), like the US and the others had wanted the World to believe. The US and its partner in crime, Britain, had misled the World Community and their respective citizens with false intelligence reports about WMD in Iraq’s possession, which could prove harmful to all in general and to the interests of America & Britain in particular.
Its ulterior motives, as discussed above, led the US to mastermind and execute the plan for invasion of Iraq with support from its allies. They were also successful in putting a dummy Government in Power. But the most visible (side) effect of these actions was the age old Shia-Sunni sectarian conflict in Iraq coming out in the open, with a very violent face. Violence has become the order of the day in Iraq and everyday many innocent Iraqis lose their lives in bomb blast & fire exchanges in various cities. The violence is very often let loose at the soldiers of the occupational forces in Iraq. Thousands of US Soldiers, among others have died till day. Even though the official death toll is available for all to see, nobody has a clear idea of the number of deaths in the US camp. This has become a major obstacle for the Bush Government in its homeland as well.
The US expected an Afghanistan like situation in Iraq. There the Taliban was ousted and the dummy Government by Hamid Karzai was installed, with wide support from the global community in the wake of the 9/11 tragedy. When even in Afghanistan, where things were almost in control, the current developments are pointing towards what may be termed, a volte face, the events in Iraq was a real setback for the US from the day one. The perpetual sectarian violence provided the perfect environment for terrorist machinery to take roots. Now, Al Qaeda and its sister concerns were finding it easier to establish their bases in Iraq.
With huge funds coming in from various terrorist outfits to Iraq, the violence there, especially against the occupied forces, knows no bounds. The situation has become uncontrollable for the US, for whom this is turning out to be a reminder of Vietnam. To add to its trouble, there has been a change in occupancy in ‘10 Downing Street’. With Tony Blair stepping down and Gordon Brown coming in as the British Prime Minister, George Bush is actually losing a personal ally(in an important position), who was a self – proclaimed supporter of his War policies. Now, all this leads to a typical catch-22 situation for the US. I strongly believe, that even if US desires to pull itself out of this mess, it is not possible.
What is holding US back……
Oil, of course is a major reason. Apart from this there are other factors which are forcing the US to continue its occupation of Iraq.
There is total anarchy prevailing in present day Iraq. Sectarian violence as well as attack against occupational forces is claiming many lives everyday. The propagators of violence in Iraq are getting ample cross border support from immediate neighbors such as Iran and Syria. Support also seems to be coming from various Islamic terror groups. If the US troops which has a major presence in the region, is withdrawn, the situation is bound to further deteriorate. This will be perfectly utilized by the ‘Friends of Osama’ community. Iraq will then become a platform for Islamist terror establishments to breed and flourish. The Government in Iraq will be in no position to control such a situation. Also Iran and Syria, unlike their public stand of offering to facilitate Iraq’s coming back to normalcy if the US occupation is ended, will have an enhanced role to play in maintaining the turmoil. The benefit is the possibility of fighting their overt or covert war with the US, from a soil which is not their own. All this means Jr. Bush will go down in history as the President who made available, a fertile land for terrorist groups to establish themselves and wage war against the United States of America.
There are other withdrawal issues haunting the US. The withdrawal process in itself may become a bloody affair. [Details Courtesy: The Hindu]. It may also turn out to be very time consuming and expensive. It took the US, four years to withdraw fully from Vietnam. It took the erstwhile USSR nine month to withdraw from Afghanistan, even as the countries shared a common border. Also its an old story that the Afghans made a fortune out of selling the weaponry left behind by the USSR troops, which were unable to carry them. The US has a considerably huge presence in Iraq. A rough estimate is that there are 200000 US troops, contractors & foreign workers who will need to be evacuated. This is not all. The US has around 1900 heavy Tanks, 43000 other military vehicles and around 700 aircrafts/helicopters. To add to this, there are supplies worth millions of Dollars spread across different locations in Iraq, where the troops have their presence. The withdrawal news will lead to an extremely hostile environment furthering mortar shelling on airfields, mine laden roads making it all the more difficult for the withdrawing troops. Even if the American troops make it out in good order, the local death toll is bound to be considerably high.
Again, a withdrawal decision will be a diplomatic disaster for America and Mr. Bush, and some may even read it as initial symptoms of an impending change in the World order – a tilt in the power balance, not at all favourable to the US. This may be particularly disastrous at a time when Russia is gaining importance in World Politics, in a post cold war era, and when the US and England are doing everything in their power to limit Russia’s influences within its territories. The reference is to instances such as the Litvinenko murder case leading to breakdown in diplomatic relationship between Britain & Moscow; and America strategically locating the planned missile defense system around Russia. The withdrawal of the US forces from Iraq will lead to Russia playing a more important role in the region.
What could be a way out………..for Iraq
While America is struggling to clear the bewilderment that is a result of its grave mistake, the situation in Iraq is on a continuous deterioration mode. Something has to be done and it has to be done fast. As the situation stands, I strongly believe that only non-radical Islamic establishments can make an impact on the warring factions. Regional Associations of Islamic nations such as Arab Gulf Countries council (AGCC) should come forward to play an important role in curbing violence in the state and cutting down support to terrorist groups from neighboring countries, by taking such countries into confidence and making them a part of the Iraq rebuilding processing. Strong signals from invaders of their intention of an early withdrawal, would also play a part in gaining support of neighbours such as Iran. It would be preferable to bring down the violent surges to some extend before the Occupational troops are with drawn. They should be replaced by Peace keeping Forces from countries whom the Iraqis consider as friends and based on their opinions.
All such options are easy to suggest, nice to hear, but difficult to implement. All said and done, Iraq and its people will always tell a story of a nation, which was pulled down from riches (in many ways) to rags, by a “energy hungry” super power, to give shape to its imperialist designs to control all oil resources in the Gulf.
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