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This arrogant SOB of a reporter talks about Saddem's downfall and the installation of the umpteenth blatantly quisling government in the midde east as if it's a DONE DEAL. We'll see about that. To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] From: Rick Rozoff <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Subject: Iraq Part Of US Grand Strategy In Mideast [WWW.STOPNATO.ORG.UK] Date sent: Tue, 1 Oct 2002 03:13:30 -0700 (PDT) Send reply to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] > HTTP://WWW.STOPNATO.ORG.UK > --------------------------- > > http://www.hinduonnet.com/stories/2002100101601400.htm > > The Hindu > October 1, 2002 > > Iraq part of U.S. grand strategy in West Asia [Middle > East] > By Atul Aneja > > -Security analysts in Iraq's neighbourhood are > increasingly veering round to the view that the U.S. > exertions in Iraq are the centrepiece of changing the > geopolitical map in the region in its favour. > Washington's first core objective, by unleashing and > winning a war, they say, is to make Iraqi territory > the springboard for acquiring complete political > dominance of the resource rich region. > > > MANAMA (BAHRAIN) Sept. 30. In its on-going effort to > justify a war with Iraq, the Bush administration is > trying to set the stage for promoting two of its core > strategic objectives in the region, analysts in the > region say. > > Security analysts in Iraq's neighbourhood are > increasingly veering round to the view that the U.S. > exertions in Iraq are the centrepiece of changing the > geopolitical map in the region in its favour. > Washington's first core objective, by unleashing and > winning a war, they say, is to make Iraqi territory > the springboard for acquiring complete political > dominance of the resource rich region. > > One view that is gaining salience here is that the > U.S. may have already decided on the broad contours of > a Washington-friendly regime in Baghdad after the > Iraqi President, Saddam Hussein, is unseated. While > the details of this plan may not have yet been fully > defined, the effort is likely to revolve around the > resurrection of the remnants of the Iraqi royalty that > was violently ousted in 1958. Iraq at one time was > ruled by one branch of the Hashemite dynasty that is > currently positioned in neighbouring Jordan. > > The London-based Al-Sharif Ali bin Hussein, who has a > Hashemite lineage and who is the maternal cousin of > Iraq's former monarch, King Faisal, is currently the > focus of attention in Britain and the United States. > In London, Mr. Hussein leads the Constitutional > Monarchy Movement (CMM) for Iraq since 1990. The > Hashemite angle to the post-Saddam disposition in Iraq > was also evident when Prince Hussein, the uncle of > Jordan's King Abdullah, attended a conference of > Iraq's military opposition groups in London this > summer. > > Strategic forecasters in the region anticipate that > the resurrection of a Hashemite rule in Baghdad is > likely to be part of a larger political change in the > region. Jordan's merger with Iraq in the future is not > ruled out, though the possibility of the formation of > a Jordan-Iraq confederation under the two branches of > the Hashemite dynasty is more likely. The status of > Southern Iraq that is dominated by Iraqi Shias who > comprise nearly half of the country's population is > also under serious debate. Basra in Southern Iraq, > that is increasingly the focus of U.S. and British air > raids, is at the head of the Persian Gulf and is at > the heart of Iraq's oil industry. There is > considerable speculation among the Arab intelligentsia > that a new political arrangement between Kuwait and > parts of Southern Iraq after Mr. Hussein is out of the > picture maybe on the cards. Analysts point out that > U.S. consolidation in Iraq is likely to be the first > step that would put countries such as Iran on notice. > The new U.S. doctrine of pre-emptive intervention that > allows the use of force against emerging threats can > be invoked for this purpose. > > According to diplomatic sources, Iran's association > with the militant group Hezbollah that is widely > accused of launching terror attacks can, in the > future, be cited to justify a more assertive U.S. > approach towards Teheran. > > Control over oil prices appears to be the second core > objective of Washington's grand strategy in the > region. That means breaking the backbone of the Saudi > Arabia-dominated oil cartel OPEC that has favoured > keeping oil prices at a high between $22 and $28 > dollars a barrel. But by finding access to Iraqi oil, > and with Russia already emerging as a major oil > supplier, the U.S. would be much better positioned to > combat the OPEC by controlling oil supplies and > prices. > > Iraqi oil, however, is unlikely to flood the > international market immediately. It is likely to take > at least four to five years before Iraqi oil > infrastructure is brought into shape, allowing Baghdad > to push in supplies to around five million barrels per > day, that along with Russia's around eight million > barrels per day, could bring down energy prices > significantly. > > > > __________________________________________________ > Do you Yahoo!? > New DSL Internet Access from SBC & Yahoo! > http://sbc.yahoo.com > > --------------------------- > ANTI-NATO INFORMATION LIST > > --------------------------- ANTI-NATO INFORMATION LIST ==^================================================================ This email was sent to: [email protected] EASY UNSUBSCRIBE click here: http://topica.com/u/?a84x2u.bacIlu Or send an email to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] T O P I C A -- Register now to manage your mail! http://www.topica.com/partner/tag02/register ==^================================================================
