How To Silence the War Drums on the Potomac!

The Bush Administration plans to topple the government's of Iraq, Iran and Saudi Arabia (in that order) to establish an American controlled oil cartel of Middle Eastern puppet states. Maybe a win-win opportunity for Bush's "oil buddies" & Israel but it could spark Armageddon in the Middle East, again all for oil! How to stop the war?

The irony is neither public pressure in the US, foreign government mediation or the military of Iraq or Iran can halt the attack, surprisingly, it all depends on Saudi Arabia. To stop the outbreak of war, the Saudi's must publicly warn they will transfer government reserves out of dollars & switch their substantial world investment holdings out of US stocks and bonds if America begins an invasion of Iraq and the Middle East. The threat of a US dollar & stock market collapse is the only card left to play to stop the coming war and maybe Armageddon in the Middle East.

Map: The Middle East

While the Bush Administration continues to make the questionable case for a war against Iraq, few in the establishment media have dared question the real Bush agenda here and it is 100% about oil. Now we all know

Iraq is ruled by a power-hungry dictator who cares little for his people but there is really no credible evidence that Saddam is in any tangible way involved with the 9/11 terrorists. After all, they are extremist religious zealots and he is a secular leader. This is the same leader and government, Bush senior left in control after the Gulf War, so the question must be asked, why attack now?

In politics, nothing happens by accident. If it happens, you can bet it was planned that way. --Franklin D. Roosevelt

Second, why was the report leak suddenly released last week suggesting that Saudi Arabia is an enemy of the United States? Then why yesterday did Dr. Condoleezza Rice, National Security Advisor state "Iran is a place where an unelected few are really crushing the aspirations of their people," she said. "Iran is not on the side of peace. Iran is on the side of the terrorist." Now of course, the case can be made that Saudi Arabia is an an enemy of the U.S. by their support for Islamic terrorism around the world, the nationality of most of the 9/11 hijackers and the financial support for the terrorist attacks against Israel. But for years, our Washington politicians have assured us of the "special relationship of friendship" between the government of Saudi Arabia and the United States. While few knowledgeable Americans have believed the propaganda, why the sudden change in Washington policy toward Saudi Arabia?

Graphic: The World’s Oil Reserves

So what is the real Bush agenda? A look at the map and accompanying oil production chart will explain everything. The plan of Bush and Chaney is to create a new Washington led "oil cartel" which will control almost 90% of the world's oil production and reserves. Iraq is directly between Saudi Arabia and Iran and together they have most of the Middle East oil reserves. With American armed forces in control of Iraq, then we would have the option of moving against either basically defenseless Saudi Arabia or the stronger Iran. Neither nation is a friend to the United States due to our Middle East policies.

So, what is wrong with this scenario as it is undoubtedly in American strategic interests to have more subservient and docile nation-states in the Persian Gulf region than the current regimes in Saudi Arabia, Iran and Iraq? While being able to control 90% of the world's oil might benefit oil company profits and their political contributions to the Republican Party, the downside risks of such an action are frightening.

America Will Invade Iraq Without Broad Support - We will have the UK and will of course purchase endorsements from a few other nations who will cheer us on when the Washington checks arrive but this will be our support. First of all, the national leaders of Europe aren't stupid and they know the real plans of the Bush administration. Why should they get involved as the military risks are substantial and Europe has little or no oil industry anyway. A successful venture would probably mean cheaper oil in the long run and in the case of a failure, they still want to be on good terms with the Arabs in order to buy their oil. Any oil embargo by Iraq, Iran and Saudi Arabia would only be directly against the U.S. anyway. So, Europe will wisely sit out the conflict.

Iran & Saudi Arabia Will Side With Iraq - The current leadership of Iran and Saudi Arabia are fully aware that they will be next, once troublesome Iraq is out of the way. Iran also knows, it will be "next under the gun" after Iraq for reasons we will explain in the next paragraph. The Bush plan is for Washington to takeover all Middle East oil current production and its more important reserves by installing new pro-Washington puppets as the government of each nation. The only oil producers now outside our control are Iraq, Iran and Saudi Arabia as most other Arab nations, Yemen, Oman, U.A.E, Kuwait, Pakistan, and most recently in Afghanistan are already Washington puppets. This is nothing new as the British Empire did this for years all over the Middle East. Read my , Today's Middle East Conflict: Born At Versailles, a talk given in the Middle East back in 2001.

(See… Today's Middle East Conflict: Born At Versailles
http://www.ronholland.com/mideast.htm)

Saudi Arabia Will Dump U.S. & Dollar Investments - While the Saudi military is negligible except for their early warning system and air force, they are somewhat protected by the Holy places in Mecca and Medina. Any invasion by U.S. troops even near these regions would set off Armageddon in the Middle East so that option is out. Brent Scowcroft, who advised a string of Republican presidents, including Mr Bush's father and one of the Republican party's most respected foreign policy gurus yesterday appealed for President Bush to halt his plans to invade Iraq, warning of "an Armageddon in the Middle East".

Frankly, U.S. policy makers desire to change either Saudi government policy or the leadership by taking out the two Moslem military powers in the region, Iraq and Iran, thus leaving Saudi Arabia defenseless and without military allies. What will the Saudi's do? Sit tight except for maybe some defensive air cover as their financiers attempt to finish moving assets out of the U.S. markets and financial institutions and sell its vast holdings of U.S. stocks, bonds and dollars probably before the attack because Saudi assets will be frozen in the event of war. .

The Upside For the U.S. Oil & Service Industry - They will regain the control of the Middle East oil resources lost after the Second World War by the British and American companies in the surge of Arab nationalism and the nationalization of the oil industry in the region. Then Washington and our oil industry will call the tune on pricing, production and distribution.

The Downside For Our Military & the United States - While, the U.S. military undoubtedly has the resources to invade Iraq, attack Iran and bully Saudi Arabia into submission in the short term, the best case scenario would over time mean tens of thousands of Americans coming home in body bags from a long term Middle East conflict. Second, the Saudi elite's dumping of U.S. stocks and bonds could bring on a 1929 style collapse in the dollar and investment markets. Third, taking the Middle East oil is one thing, holding on to it long term when demographics and the population hate you is another. Finally, what about Bent Scowcroft's warning of Armageddon in the Middle East. The wild card is Iraq and Iran's position when they know they are being invaded. Why should they not launch everything they have against Israel and of course Israel will respond maybe with nuclear weapons which might make the oil fields unproductive for decades.

So, in the final analysis, the Bush and U.S. oil industry will win either way. For Bush, the war will take American investor minds off the stock market collapse as they rally and vote for the party in power as during every war. The oil industry will win through either control of the oil or the destruction of the oil fields. Israel will win, either way if these three nations are defeated and conquered unless Saddam really is able to bring a weapon of mass destruction against Israel, something I doubt. But what about the hundreds of thousands of Arab and Israeli civilians that might become "collateral damage" in the conflict? What if this "Bush War For Oil" does bring on Armageddon and total destruction in the region? Finally how many brave American soldiers will die in the initial conflict or the longer term occupation of the Middle East?

The history of the Middle East shows time and time again how invading and conquering the region is easy but holding on to the territory is impossible. If you don't believe me, ask the Greeks, the Romans, the European Crusaders, the Ottoman Empire Turks, the Knights Templars, the Italians, the British, the French, and now the state of Israel. Today, America is about to go down this long dusty road all for oil and oil company profits. Personally I think the price is too high and its time to silence the Bush war drums on the Potomac before it is too late!

How To Stop the Bush Attack In the Middle East - Only a coordinated Saudi public relations campaign directed to the US investing public and Wall Street with rhetoric and intensity matching US propaganda threatening to liquidate US holdings on a par with Bush war preparations and totally in the event of war and invasion will shock the American stock market and the Bush Administration into calling off their war plans and silence the war drums on the Potomac. The threat and temporary damage to the markets will be enough to call the war off. After all, the survival of Wall Street, our investment markets and the savings of millions of Americans is far more important than just the oil industry. - Ron Holland

© Ron Holland 2002, used with permission

* - Ron Holland is an Asheville, NC investment & financial consultant and a libertarian, conservative & freedom oriented political writer. Formerly president of a national investment firm, he is editor of several alternative internet news sites and the author of two books and over 60 special reports and articles, many on the Middle East including the text of his 2001 speech in the Middle East titled, “Today’s Middle East Crisis – Born At Versailles” His past essays have been published on many internet sites including LewRockwell.com He personally edits http://www.ronholland.com/ and http://www.swissgnomes.com/ in addition to several other political & free-market websites. ronholland@compuserve.com

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