On the bedside table:
Neoconflagration
Hegemony, \He*gem o *ny\, noun \ Greek hegemonia, fr. Hegemonia leader, fr. Hegeisthai to lead] - preponderant influence or authority especially of one nation over others.
Project For a New American Century
In 1992 Paul Wolfowitz, then Undersecretary for Defense Policy (3rd highest rank in Pentagon), prepared a strategy paper for his boss Dick Cheney, then Secretary of Defense, advocating that the US seek to dominate the world community militarily in the aftermath of the Cold War? This controversial paper, considered “over the top” at the time by then powerful 'realist' Republicans, the print media, the general public and the allies it targeted as potential adversaries, became the founding influence for the neoconservative group called “Project For a New American Century” (PNAC).Here is an excerpt from PNAC's 1997 Statement of Principles including signatories:
"Our aim is to remind Americans of these lessons and to draw their consequences for today. Here are four consequences:
• we need to increase defense spending significantly if we are to carry out our global
responsibilities today and modernize our armed forces for the future;
• we need to strengthen our ties to democratic allies and to challenge regimes hostile to our interests and values;
• we need to promote the cause of political and economic freedom abroad;
• we need to accept responsibility for America's unique role in preserving and extending an international order friendly to our security, our prosperity, and our principles.
Such a Reaganite policy of military strength and moral clarity may not be fashionable today. But it is necessary if the United States is to build on the successes of this past century and to ensure our security and our greatness in the next."
Elliott Abrams Gary Bauer William J. Bennett Jeb Bush
Dick Cheney Eliot A. Cohen Midge Decter Paula Dobriansky Steve Forbes
Aaron Friedberg Francis Fukuyama Frank Gaffney Fred C. Ikle
Donald Kagan Zalmay Khalilzad I. Lewis Libby Norman Podhoretz
Dan Quayle Peter W. Rodman Stephen P. Rosen Henry S. Rowen
Donald Rumsfeld Vin Weber George Weigel Paul Wolfowitz
The neocons are orchestrating a total transformation of the US from a nation that has historically relied primarily on engagement and containment to one that openly espouses an eagerness for global dominance—at any costs. PNAC strategy papers provided the theoretical basis for the September 2002 defense document, The National Security Strategy of the United States of America (NSS). The Iraq War was to be the first test case for the new “Bush Doctrine” of “preventative warfare.” The NSS document asserts that as a guiding policy the US has the right to use military force anywhere in the world, at any time we choose, against any country we believe to be, or we believe might at some point become, a threat to American interests anywhere in the world.
PNAC’s famous policy document from September 2000 specifically states that perhaps only a “new Pearl Harbor” could facilitate their goals of popular and military transformation. One has to wonder whether Osama read this paper. After all, he stated from the outset that his goal was to involve the US in a long, painful, expensive war in the desert to bleed the country dry, similar to what the Mujahadeen did to the Soviets in Afghanistan. Frankly, for all of their covert nefariousness, the neocons have proven to be easily predictable.
Oil
The US has only 2% of the world’s oil reserves but comprises 25% of the world’s oil usage annually? The US has only 5% of the world’s population but consumes more than 25% of the world’s energy. Also, the amount of oil in the Alaskan oil fields has proven to be significantly less than had been originally posited by politicians and the media and according to experts, even if fully exploited, would not even create a negligible blip on the radar screen in support of projected supply needs in the future.
Iraq sits on top of one of the world’s largest remaining supplies of easily extractable, high grade, crude oil? The best estimates show that Iraq has in the neighborhood of 1/10 of the world’s remaining oil, approximately 111 billion barrels. Some Geologists believe there could be another 100 billion barrels under the unexplored western deserts in the country.
Militarism
In the US, annual defense spending is nearing $450 billion per year? That total significantly exceeds the total of the next 20 countries combined (it is six times higher than China which places 2nd). Note: This does not include many military-related items that are outside of the Defense Department budget, such as nuclear weapons research, maintenance and production (which is in the Department of Energy budget), or the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan (which are largely funded through extra-budgetary supplements).
The per capita military expenditures in the US (along w/ Israel) are the highest in the world? We spend over $1400 per person per year on the military. By comparison Germany, the UK and France spend around $600 each per person and China spends $25 per person per year. According to the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute, the US accounts for approximately 47% of the world's total military spending annually.In 2004 the Department of Defense listed 725 US military installations (bases) in 120 countries?
Conclusion
The neocons have hijacked our government and have forced a transformation of America's global posture in the direction of extreme, unilateral militarism. Since we can no longer control world energy markets through "soft power" techniques via the supremacy of the dollar, we will do it through military confrontation. Keep in mind also that the military itself needs tremendous amounts of oil just to keep running. Note: in WWII Germany attacked Russia and Japan attacked the US preemptively in desperate attempts to obtain control over vital oil supplies on which to keep their military machines running.
The US desperately needs a new, real national energy philosophy/policy instead of an endless war on terrorism. Unfortunately, that will take enlightened leaders willing to come clean with Americans about the national sacrifices needed to change our excessive consumption habits.
"During times of universal deceit, telling the truth becomes a revolutionary act." - George Orwell
"If a nation expects to be ignorant and free, in a state of civilization, it expects what never was and never will be... The People cannot be safe without information." - Thomas Jefferson
Cites:
Petrodollar Warfare. William R. Clark.
http://newamericancentury.org/defensenationalsecurity.htm
http://www.crisispapers.org
Wikipedia