Noam Chomsky quite often refers to the U.S. invasion of Iraq as a “test run” in what seems to be the modus operandi of the Bush administration regarding American hegemony. The propaganda machine comprised of the U.S. government with the complicity of the corporate media apparatus, effectively sold the majority of the American citizenry on the idea that Iraq was an imminent threat to U.S. security. There were other factors that led to this conclusion which do not require discourse, but in opposition to the majority of the world the U.S. and Great Britain have set the blueprint for what is to come in the realm of global politics. Let us analyze the implications of this “test run” and attempt to discern what is next in the wonderful world of Anglo-American hegemony.
Although there has been much discourse regarding how the calamities of 9/11 changed the world, for the sake of this essay I would like to divulge into the implicit ramifications of it. The United States has the world’s largest economy that is highly reliant on the black gold that finds its home in huge quantities under the sand of the Middle East. In order to protect the common interest, which is just a euphemism for the elite interest, the U.S. must have a means to control this region. Traditionally, policymakers have chosen not to do this directly because in the grand scheme of things, it is far less efficient and it gives the perception that you are a global hegemony. The U.S. has combated this perception by employing puppet regimes or client states to perform the ostensible functions of governing Middle Eastern countries, yet really protecting the investments of U.S. and British global oil conglomerates. For the puppets, they received generous subsidies from the British and the U.S. as well as the security of the world’s most powerful militaries. This had been the structure of Middle East relations for the last 50 years or so and it has been relatively effective but with one glaring drawback. Even though the U.S. essentially controls the minds of the Arab leaders there was still the slim possibility that things could go awry and the backbone of the global economy could be crushed. The oil embargo of 1973 illuminated this possibility and highlighted the vulnerability of the industrialized countries if there wasn’t a cheap supply of oil.
As stated earlier, the client state has been the conduit for the U.S. to maintain its level of control over the region. Partially due to economics but mostly due to politics. Although sometimes naive, the American populace has traditionally been reluctant when it comes to engaging in foreign adventures around the globe, particularly when it involves military intervention. This concept has protected the client regimes from a more aggressive foreign policy agenda by the U.S. and Great Britain. It has actually caused the U.S. to be far more diplomatic with these countries than would be expected considering its violent proclivities when it comes to protecting interests.
September 11, 2001, was the ultimate legitimizer for military aggression in the Middle East. Now, the once pacifistic American populace has become vicious sanguinaries and are willing to accept even the most radical foreign policy agenda if it is cloaked in defeating terrorism. The “Evil Arab” seed was already planted with Saddam after the first Gulf War so it was relatively easy to manufacture consensus among Americans as to his iniquitous disposition. Iran seems to be next but, Saudi Arabia might be higher on the list of terrorist states that need to be eradicated, than they think. After all they possess the world’s largest supply of untapped oil reserves and anyone with the IQ of a shrunken raisin could connect the Saudis with 9/11. So client states beware the Anglo-American alliance has just been issued a blank check when it comes to military interventions and they intend to cash in.
Mr. Girard Newkirk contributed above article to Media Monitors Network (MMN) from North Carolina, USA. He writes on most of the issues regarding the Middle East, religion and its tremendous impact on the world as a Political Theorist.
