From: "chris wright" <cwright-AT-21stcentury.net>
Subject: AUT: Re: The slogan: No blood for Oil
Date: Mon, 17 Feb 2003 04:17:45 -0600


Hi all

> Tom Seay.--
>
> If the primary US-UK interest in waging this capitalist war with Iraq, et
> al.
> is not really  Oil ,as you say ,( actually profits and control of
> Oil supplies, $ exchange monopoly of US,) and strategic
> bases, etc, than what the hell are these high stakes
> of  tens/hundreds of  billions cost  in military power being
> used for?? Do you think American imperialism just
> overdosed on testosterone, as the radical feminists say?

I think that oil is a consideration, but there is a lot more going on.  I
heard a very good interview on National Public Radio today with a guy who
argued that the other issues include:

1: US regional control, which is oil related, but not immediately about
Iraqi oil.
2: The assertion of US military domination and the right of the US to
"settle" conflicts.  I think there is a major conflict brewing within the
capitalist classes over this conflict.  Look at the US attempts to undermine
NATO, for example.  It is also about reinforcing US rights to a renewed
'gunboat diplomacy.'
3: The Bush policy wonks are very concerned with bolstering Israel and
establishing a longer term military presence.
4: IMO, given the list as one about class composition, we have been paying
too little attention to the broader move to decompose labor in the Middle
East further, esp. in light of Saudi weakness domestically and a feeling
that Suadi Arabia is no longer sufficiently reliable and stable.  There is
also some aspect of this which may hope to revive the weakened economy by
the managing of oil prices, but since the oil companies will not benefit
much from cheaper oil, this also has to do with power relations between the
various capitalist states, in which the US hopes, IMO, to establish greater
control over European and Japanese oil (since, for example, Iraqi oil is
$1/barrel of high grade crude, compared to $10/barrel of medium grade crude
from the North Sea.)  I mean, really, do the oil companies want super-cheap
oil flooding the market?  Not really.  The issue is control and
recomposition at several levels.

So does oil fit into this picture?  Yes.  But is oil the only issue or even
the most important?  No and not necessarily.  The long term strategic goals
aimed at having carte blanche to squash opposition anywhere on the globe is
still on the US agenda.  I am not convinced that the US ruling class as a
whole is ready to go with a Negrian Empire.  There are obviously elements
which want a US Empire and that seems to me to be the forces backing this
war and Bush's regime.  This might also explain why the smaller, weaker
states in the Middle East, like Jordan, Qatar and Oman are supporting the
US, unlike the larger states.  Both Qatar and Oman have started construction
of billion dollar plus military airbases, and I think we can guess who those
are intended to be enticements for.

For those reasons, I think that No Blood for Oil is simplistic and too
catchy for our own good.

I haven't read the Wallerstein article yet, but I am looking forward to it.

Cheers,
Chris




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