December 18, 2006

Iran - the Pivot of Geopolitics. Part One

The Shah as America’s Primary Geostrategic Asset in the Middle East and Central Asia 1953-1979.
In 1953 iran’s democratically elected prime minister mohammed mossadegh nationalized the country’s oil industry. The cia promptly organized a coup to overthrow him and replaced the country’s democracy with a dictatorship run by mohammad reza pahlavi – yet another example in america’s long history of snuffing out democracy in the middle east. Over the following twenty five years america showered the newly installed phlavi, the so-called shah of iran, with the weapons needed to maintain his regime against the wishes of his own people in return for allowing america’s multi-national energy corporations to exploit iran’s vast fossil fuel reserves. Phlavi never enjoyed popular support. As time went by he lost most of the support he had and was forced to rely increasingly on the brutality of his security services to survive in power.

During the phlavi’s reign, america looked upon iran as a critical geostrategic asset for a number of reasons.
* its possession of vast quantities of fossil fuels;
* its possession of large deposits of uranium;
* its position next to the oilfields of the middle east and central asia;
* its proximity to the straits of hormuz through which passed a major proportion of the world's oil supply – today estimated at a fifth;
* its geographic position surrounded by 15 countries many of which contain fossil fuel deposits; and,
* its geographical position squeezed between russia and china. "A look at the map will reveal how geopolitically strategic Iran is for Russia, as well as for Israel and the US. Iran controls the strategic Strait of Hormuz, the choke point for oil from the Persian Gulf to Japan and the rest of the world. Iran borders the oil-rich Caspian Sea." (F William Engdahl ‘A high-risk game of nuclear chicken’ http://www.atimes.com/atimes/Middle_East/HA31Ak02.html Jan 31, 2006).

During phlavi’s reign america looked upon iran as a far more important geostrategic asset than the jews-only state in palestine (jos). The jos had little in the way of any geostrategic value since it had no fossil fuels and was located on the fringe of the middle east, well away from middle eastern oil countries and even further away from central asian oil countries. The americans enhanced iran’s geostrategic value by arming phlavi to become a major military power in the region. This gave the shah another major geostrategic advantage over the jos: whilst iran, surrounded by 15 countries in the middle east and central asia, could use its military might to control these moslem countries, the jos could not do so without triggering a regional conflagration. Phlavi, then, was america’s policeman on the middle eastern beat.

It was only after the jewish defeat of arab armies in the 1967 war that american politicians began to look upon the jos as a possible military asset in the greater middle east. "The idea that Israel was the "strategic asset" of the United States in the Middle East, or America's "unsinkable aircraft in the Eastern Mediterranean," was popularized by the intellectual predecessors of today's neoconservatives in the aftermath of the Israel's military victory in the 1967 Middle East War. The relationship between the United States and Israel was promoted as a "strategic alliance" in order to mobilize support for the Jewish state (after all, Israel had defeated Egypt, a military ally of the Soviet Union) and strengthen the political backing by disaffected liberal Jews of an unpopular war in Southeast Asia." (Leon Hadar ‘Neocons Amid Lebanon’s Rubble: A Challenge to Krauthammer's Israel-as-Strategic-Asset Argument’ http://www.nationalinterest.org/Article.aspx?id=12062 September 14, 2006).

Although after 1967 american politicians began to perceive the jos as a military ally, it wasn’t until phlavi’s fall in 1979 that the jos emerged as one of america’s major military assets in the region – despite the fact that its military was strategically unusable. During this period 1967-1979, the primary reason for america’s increasing approval of the jos was because jewish propaganda in america fabricated the jos’s supposed value as a military ally. Any objective assessment would have concluded the jos was a gross military liability: it couldn’t act militarily on america’s behalf without causing a regional conflagration. "I do not recall a single instance where any administration saw the need for Israel's military power to advance U.S. Imperial interests. In fact, as we saw in the Gulf War, Israel's involvement was detrimental to what Bush, Sr. wanted to accomplish in that war. They had, as you might remember, to suppress any Israeli assistance so that the coalition would not be destroyed by their involvement." (James Abourezk ‘Letter to jeff Blankfort’ jablankfort@earthlink.net December 03, 2006). Even worse was that some jewish politicians let it be known they would never act on america’s behalf unless it was also in the jos’s own interests. As it has turned out, the jos has never gone to war on america’s behalf. So whilst the jos was unwilling to sacrifice itself for america, jewish propagandists in america were insisting that america sacrifice itself for the jos. During the october 1974 war america’s military intervention on behalf of the jos had been a catastrophic disaster provoking an arab oil boycott which triggered a decade long global, economic recession. And yet jewish propaganda in america was so powerful it succeeded not merely in sweeping the jos’s catastrophic impact on america’s interests under the carpet but in presenting the jos as an indispensable, unwaveringly loyal, military asset willing to do america any favours it might ask. Jewish propagandists succeeded in elevating the jos as america’s ally by pushing out of sight america’s national interests. In contrast, even after its islamic revolution, iran was still, objectively, a far more important geostrategic asset in the region than the jos. As will be seen, the same is true even today. America cannot get a better geostrategic asset in the greater middle east than iran. And, conversely, it cannot get a more catastrophic ally than the jos.

America’s Fruitless, Twenty-Seven year, Policy of Regime Change in Iran, 1979-2006.

Phlavi’s brutality against his own people gradually undermined what little support he had within the country. In turn, america relied too much upon phlavi and his security services to maintain its dominance over the country’s oil industry instead of fostering a prosperous, western-oriented, middle class in a stable democratic system which would have been a much more solid and reliable source of support. In 1979, phlavi was overthrown by a popular revolt, an islamic revolution – the first in history. Although america lost a vital asset in the middle east, iran’s geostrategic value was too significant to be ignored. The americans were faced by the choice of either wooing the new islamic regime, and forgiving it for the relatively minor diplomatic offense of holding americans hostage, or trying to bring about regime change. Under intense pressure from america’s jewish elite, american politicians chose the latter option. Since then, american jews have continually stimulated virtually all american politicians into a knee-jerk, loathing of iranian politicians no matter what their political objectives.

America’s choice of tactic towards iran should have been decided on pragmatic considerations i.e. the most fruitful means for benefiting from iran’s geostrategic importance and its huge military potential. Seeking reconciliation with iran would have been the easiest and quickest option and, given iran’s considerable geostrategic assets, it would also have been the most sensible. But a succession of american presidents continued to froth belligerently at iran – even though there was not at any time the slightest prospect of their effecting regime change in iran. Indeed, the greater the hostility that america has shown towards iran, the greater the resistance it has generated amongst iranians, thereby diminishing the prospects of regime change. To date, this tactic has lasted twenty seven years – an appallingly low rate of return for any foreign policy. America has had a number of chances to negotiate with iranian leaders who have signaled they wanted better relationships with america - but each time they were rebuffed. Given iran’s vast geostrategic importance and its military potential, america should have swallowed its petty grievances in order to reap the vast economic and political benefits of an alliance with iran.

Jews scupper Iran’s efforts to Negotiate with America.
The question that needs to be asked is who benefits from american hostility towards iran? Certainly not america nor iran. The only beneficiary is the jos. The primary reason america has never adopted a pragmatic course of action towards iran based on its own national interests is because america’s ruling jewish elite has continually demonized iran to deter americans from abandoning the jos as america’s main ally in the middle east. The more that jewish propagandists could persuade american politicians to distrust iran, the more likely was it that america would continue to support the jos – even though it was in america’s interests to dump the jos and support iran. That american politicians have failed to realize their country’s national interests is due partly to bribes they were given by the jewish lobby to support the jos. But it is also due to the virtual monopoly of jewish propaganda in america. Americans are subjected to a constant flood of jewish propaganda pumped out by the jewish dominated american media, the jewish lobby, jewish think tanks, jewish politicians in the democratic/republican parties, and jewish politicians in a succession of presidential administrations.

In the 1980s any desire by american politicians to develop a rapprochement with iran were undermined by continual jewish denunciations about alleged iranian terrorism. "For example, in the fall of 1985 there was an abrupt departure from CIA's analytical line that Iran was supporting terrorism. On Nov. 22, 1985, the agency reported that Iranian-sponsored terrorism had "dropped off substantially" in 1985, but no evidence was adduced to support that key judgment. Oddly, a few months later CIA's analysis reverted back to pre-November 1985 with no further mention of any drop-off in Iranian support for terrorism." (Ray McGovern ‘The Cheney-Gates Cabal’ http://www.antiwar.com/mcgovern/?articleid=9988 November 10, 2006).

In 1995 under pressure from america’s jewish lobby and the jewish dominated american media, america once again sacrificed its own geostrategic interests by banning its gigantic multi-national oil corporations from investing in iran’s fossil fuel industry. "Under Executive Order 12959, signed by President Clinton in 1995 and renewed by President Bush, all U.S. companies are barred from operating in Iran." (Michael T. Klare ‘Putting Iran in Great Power Context’ http://www.antiwar.com/engelhardt/?articleid=9150 June 16, 2006). The ban was opposed by richard cheney and by members of clinton’s own administration. "Mr. Indyk criticized the Iran-Libya Sanctions Act signed by President Clinton as "counterproductive." He said it had split America from its allies in Europe. The bill had been championed by the American Israel Public Affairs Committee." (Ira Stoll ‘‘Israel Lobby' Caused War in Iraq, September 11 Attacks, Professor Says’ http://www.nysun.com/pf.php?id=40629 September 29, 2006).

After the pentagon and new york (p*ny) bombings iranian politicians saw a chance of reversing two decades of jewish induced, american animosity towards iran. They offered to help america over the invasion and occupation of afghanistan in the hope that this would result in a dramatic improvement in america’s relationship with iran. America suddenly discovered iran could help it in a number of vital ways. Firstly, iran used its allies in afghanistan to help the american military overthrow the taliban. Secondly, it rounded up al quaeda suspects fleeing afghanistan and offered to exchange them for anti-iranian terrorists held by the united states. And, thirdly, iran helped america to stabilize the post taliban regime. "After the Sept. 11 attacks, U.S. officials responsible for preparing for war in Afghanistan needed Iran's help to unseat the Taliban and establish a stable government in Kabul. Iran had organized resistance by the Northern Alliance and had provided arms and funding at a time when the United States had been unwilling to do so. It was thanks to the Northern Alliance Afghan troops, which were supported primarily by the Iranians, that the Taliban was driven out of Kabul in mid-November. Two weeks later, the Afghan opposition groups were convened in Bonn under United Nations auspices to agree on a successor regime. At that meeting, the Northern Alliance was demanding 60 percent of the portfolios in an interim government, which was blocking agreement by other opposition groups. According to U.S. special envoy to Afghanistan James Dobbins, Iran played a "decisive role" in persuading the Northern Alliance delegate to compromise. But the cooperation against al-Qaeda was not the priority for the anti-Iranian interests in the White House and the Pentagon." (Gareth Porter ‘How Neocons Sabotaged Iran's Help on al-Qaeda’ http://www.antiwar.com/orig/porter.php?articleid=8590 February 23, 2006).

Despite this invaluable assistance, in january 2002 the jewish fundamentalists and their jew-ish allies within the bush regime manipulated their imbecilic president into denouncing iran as part of an entirely fictitious ‘axis of evil’. "Only weeks after the Bonn Conference in December 2001 where Tehran's assistance was crucial in finding a compromise among Afghanistan's many warlords, Bush put Iran into the "axis of evil", along with Iraq and North Korea. Tehran's goodwill gestures were for naught." (Trita Parsi ‘Iran the key in US change on Iraq’ http://www.atimes.com/atimes/Middle_East/HK11Ak04.html November 11, 2006). There were no connections between iraq, iran, and north korea except in the paranoid fantasies of jewish fundamentalists but the fiction succeeded in bringing the bush administration into line with the jos’s foreign policies.

The prime advocate for a war against iraq was the jewish lobby. The jewish lobby was so effective in bringing about this policy it can be suggested america embarked on a proxy zionist invasion of iraq. Jewish propagandists lied to the american public that saddam was going to attack america with weapons of mass destruction and that the iraqi people would greet american troops as liberators. If america’s occupation of afghanistan had produced a raft of common interests between america and iran, the same was true after america’s occupation of iraq. As time has gone by, the more the occupation has became a military and economic catastrophe for america, the greater has become the bush administration’s need for iranian help in curbing the multifarious conflicts in iraq.

Both countries have a common political interest in stabilizing iraq. "The fact is that the United States needs Iran for maintaining regional stability and there is a growing chorus of ex-diplomats, such as James Baker, and policy analysts in Washington advising the US to engage Iran in bilateral talks." (Kaveh L Afrasiabi ‘Iran and the US: Fork in the road’ http://www.atimes.com/atimes/Middle_East/HJ14Ak02.html October 14, 2006).

In may 2003, despite being demonized as part of the jewish fantasy of an axis of evil, iran offered the bush regime yet another chance for an improvement in their relationship. "The Iranian negotiating offer, transmitted to the State Department in early May 2003 by the Swiss ambassador in Tehran, acknowledged that Iran would have to address U.S. concerns about its nuclear program, although it made no specific concession in advance of the talks, according to Flynt Leverett, then the National Security Council's senior director for Middle East Affairs. Realists, led by Powell and his deputy, Richard Armitage, were inclined to respond positively to the Iranian offer. Nevertheless, within a few days of its receipt, the State Department had rebuked the Swiss ambassador for having passed on the offer." (Gareth Porter ‘Neocons Blocked 2003 Nuclear Talks With Iran’ http://www.antiwar.com/orig/porter.php?articleid=8778 March 29, 2006); "Within two weeks, the administration had spurned an unprecedented offer from Iran to negotiate all outstanding differences between the two nations, including its nuclear program and its support for armed anti-Israel groups, in exchange for security guarantees. The Bush administration also broke off all diplomatic contacts with Tehran, including until-then fruitful talks on stabilizing Afghanistan, after accusing Iran of harboring al-Qaeda militants allegedly linked to a series of bombings in Saudi Arabia. The neo-conservatives were euphoric; their agenda had not only become policy, but their vision of a "new American Century" seemed well on its way to becoming reality." (Jim Lobe and Michael Flynn ‘The rise and decline of the neo-cons’ http://www.atimes.com/atimes/Front_Page/HK22Aa01.html November 22, 2006). As a result of pressure from the jewish extremists in the bush administration, this offer was also rejected.

At present iran is playing a critical role in stabilizing western afghanistan and could do something similar for the rest of the country if bush gave the go ahead. "Equally important, Iran has played a major stabilizing role in Western Afghanistan, especially in Herat, severely limiting Taliban influence. Iran works closely with Italian and ISAF reconstruction teams in rebuilding the region. The Financial Times (November 18, 2006 p.11) reports: "The main factor holding the west of Afghanistan together is the positive influence of neighboring Iran which is ‘pumping a lot of money into the reconstruction of the west’, says a senior US administration official in Washington"." (James Petras ‘The US and the Middle East: A "Grand Settlement" Versus the Jewish Lobby’ December 2006).

In 2006, the united states’ ambassador to iraq, zalmay khalilzad recognizing the common interests between america and iran, tried to break the jews’ death grip over the bush administration by insisting the administration should hold talks with iran about combating iraq’s civil war. But, after agreeing to such talks, the bush administration eventually allowed iran’s offer to lapse. Even though direct talks with iran were in america’s best interests because of its military and financial catastrophe in iraq, the jewish lobby and the jewish neocons in the bush administration succeeded in scuppering any meeting.

Despite these rejections, iranians continue to seek negotiations with america in the hope of resolving their differences. "Najmeh Bozorgmehr, an Iranian journalist now at the Brookings Institution as a visiting scholar, agrees. Based on several years of covering Iran's national security policy, she says, "Iran wants to bargain with the United States on Iran's regional role," as well as on removal of sanctions and assurances against U.S. attack. Tehran has been looking for any source of leverage with which to bargain with the United States on those issues, she says, and "enrichment has become a big bargaining chip." (Gareth Porter Iran Nuclear Conflict Is About US Dominance’ http://www.antiwar.com/orig/porter.php?articleid=8982 May 12, 2006). The jos and the jewish lobby in america are at the forefront of the pressure to deter bush from taking the advice of james baker’s iraq study group to talk to iran. The day after bush was presented with the isg’s report he was back to fantasizing over an american victory over iraq, ""You saw that the president used the word ‘victory’ again the next day," said one of Mr. Bush’s aides. "Believe me, that was no accident."" (Quoted in Jim Rutenberg and David E. Sanger ‘Bush Aides Seek Alternatives to Iraq Study Group’s Proposals, Calling Them Impractical’ http://fairuse.100webcustomers.com/fairenough/nyt706.html December 10, 2006).

The Dramatic Rise of Russia as the World’s Fossil Fuel Superpower.

Iran’s geostrategic value cannot be appreciated without an understanding of russia’s dramatic rise as the world’s fossil fuel superpower.

Vladimir putin has brought about an almost miraculous transformation of russia’s fortunes since the collapse of the soviet empire and the ransacking of the country’s major industries by jewish criminals – known in the jewish dominated western media merely as ‘the oligarchs’. From a point where russia’s jewish neocons had been on the verge of selling off the country’s vast fossil fuel wealth to american energy companies, putin has not merely reestablished state control over the country’s resources he has transformed the country into the world’s premier fossil fuel broker. It is the wealth from russia’s fossil fuels that is financing the rebuilding of the country’s economy and society. "It was a matter of time before geopolitics made its entry into the debate, insofar as energy sales contribute as much as a quarter of Russia's GDP and hydrocarbon exports provide the base for the country's economic recovery, and, in turn, act as the strategic underpinning for Russia's return to the international stage as a major power." (M K Bhadrakumar ‘The G8 summit: A chronicle of wasted time’ http://www.atimes.com/atimes/Global_Economy/HG06Dj01.html July 6, 2006). Putin is without doubt the world’s greatest political strategist of our time. His dazzling global oil strategy consists of six main components.

Russia’s Fossil Fuel Pipeline Network: An Empire of Pipelines.
Russia is gaining increasing dominance of the eurasian fossil fuel pipeline network. Before putin became president, russia had constructed nearly two hundred thousand miles of pipelines. Since becoming president he has ordered the construction of a massive extension of the network and is attempting to buy up more pipelines to control the flow of fossil fuels across the planet’s largest landmass.

The political implications of this tactic alone are significant as the following examples attest. China is highly dependent on oil imports from the middle east, particularly iran. It "depends heavily on Iranian oil to satisfy its growing hunger for energy." (Elias Akleh ‘War on Iran: Unleashing Armageddon in the Middle East’ http://www.countercurrents.org/iran-akleh091106.htm November 09, 2006). Because this oil is transported via oil supertankers, china is highly vulnerable to american control of the high seas. In a confrontation between america and china, the american navy could block oil shipments to china. "Zbigniew Brzezinski wrote in January 2005 in Foreign Policy: "Forty years after acquiring nuclear-weapons technology, China has just 24 ballistic missiles capable of hitting the United States. Even beyond the realm of strategic warfare, a country must have the capacity to attain its political objectives before it will engage in limited war. It is hard to envisage how China could promote its objectives when it is acutely vulnerable to a blockade and isolation enforced by the United States. In a conflict, Chinese maritime trade would stop entirely. The flow of oil would cease, and the Chinese economy would be paralyzed." This is the basis of China's bending backward to avoid a military confrontation with the United States, the danger for which comes entirely from US preemptive strategy." (Quoted in Henry C K Liu ‘The lame duck and the greenhorn’ http://www.atimes.com/atimes/China/HF23Ad02.html June 23, 2006); "China has repeatedly expressed its concerns that in a potential regional conflict, the US Navy would likely attempt to choke Chinese fuel shipments from the Middle East in the narrow Strait of Malacca, through which an estimated 80% of China's energy imports now flow. Indonesia, which represents one of the strait's land barriers, would be crucial in that hypothetical strategic scenario." (Bill Guerin ‘Indonesia-Russia: Arms, atoms and oil’ http://www.atimes.com/atimes/Southeast_Asia/HL12Ae02.html December 12, 2006). However, russia is in the process of constructing oil pipelines to china which will dramatically reduce the threat posed by an american blockade of oil supplies to china during a crisis.

For many years america has looked upon kazakhstan as an important geostrategic ally in central asia. "Washington had based its strategy on Kazakhstan being its key partner in Central Asia." (F William Engdahl ‘The US's geopolitical nightmare’ http://www.atimes.com/atimes/China/HE09Ad01.html May 9, 2006). American energy companies had made significant investments in the country’s fossil fuel industry and yet their success has been limited by russia’s ownership of the area’s pipelines. "In 1994, Cheney was a member of Kazakhstan's Oil Advisory Board. He helped broker a deal between Kazakhstan and Chevron, a company where Secretary Condoleeza Rice served on the Board. Today, US oil companies have large stakes in Kazakhstan's oil fields. But most of the oil being pumped goes through Transneft lines out of the Russian port in Novorossiisk. America has been battling with Russia to get Kazakhstan to pump its oil through an alternate pipeline, the Baku-Ceyhan pipeline, that goes through Azerbaijan, Georgia and Turkey." (Mark Ames ‘How Dick Cheney Got His Cold War On A Cold War Timetable’ http://www.exile.ru/2006-May-19/the_cold_war_timeline.html May19, 2006). Putin has worked to consolidate russia’s economic, political, and cultural, links with kazakhstan to ensure it is not lured into a deeper alliance with america. "The US wants to expand its physical control over Kazakhstan's oil reserves and formalize Kazakh oil transportation via the Baku-Ceyhan pipeline, as well as creating the dominant US role in Caspian Sea security. But Kazakhstan isn't playing ball. President Nursultan Nazarbayev went to Moscow on April 3 to reaffirm his continued dependence on Russian oil pipelines." (F William Engdahl ‘The US's geopolitical nightmare’ http://www.atimes.com/atimes/China/HE09Ad01.html May 9, 2006).

Russia’s control over eurasia’s pipelines also gives it considerable advantages in negotiations to supply fossil fuels to india. "Russia's increasing influence in Central Asia and its dominant control of the pipeline routes implies that only a well-crafted energy partnership will enable India to access those oil and gas reserves." (Zorawar Daulet Singh ‘Reviving the India-Russia partnership’ http://www.atimes.com/atimes/South_Asia/HK14Df01.html November 14, 2006).

Russian pipelines also provide fossil fuels to virtually all european countries and some middle eastern countries. The political implications this has for europe are discussed below.

Long term, State to State, Fossil Fuel Contracts.
The second component of putin’s energy strategy is drawing up long term, fossil fuel contracts with other states rather than supplying fossil fuels for the global market. In effect, what putin is doing is reducing the importance of global oil markets where american wealth predominates. "The US-backed liberal, open global oil market order is beset by an accelerating proliferation of private, state-to-state long-term agreements and contracts concluded within the circle Russia and its partners are defining." (W Joseph Stroupe ‘Russia spins global energy spider's web’ http://www.atimes.com/atimes/Global_Economy/HH25Dj01.html August 25, 2006).

The political implications of this tactic are considerable. "Putin explicitly stated that Russia and other suppliers want long-term supply contracts with consuming nations so that suppliers know there will be a "stable demand" for their exports. The long-term supply contract tends, of course, to lock the West's consumer states into deeper and longer-term dependence on Russia, thwarting moves toward diversification of supply. There is also the distinct likelihood that as such long-term contracts multiply, the world's energy supply and even its reserves will become progressively "locked up" into private pools for consumption only by the states that are party to such contracts, thereby robbing oil and gas from the virtual global pool sustained by the traditional liberal global energy market order. The implications could include the development that unless you're inside the circle defined by such long-term agreements, then you're outside the circle of energy security. That implication could develop as a full-fledged concern much more quickly than is generally recognized, because by and large it is the economies of the East, whose rise is meteoric and whose energy appetite is ravenous, that are far ahead in the concluding of such agreements with suppliers to secure their own growing private pools of oil and gas. The West is already far behind that curve." (W Joseph Stroupe ‘Part 4: The West's thorny crown’ http://www.atimes.com/atimes/Central_Asia/HI28Ag01.html September 28, 2006).

Putin’s adoption of long term contracts is also being copied by other oil producing nations – doubtlessly under his prompting since synchronizing these contracts will yield further benefits to the contracting countries. "Instead, the world's producing regimes are increasingly entering key joint ventures between themselves and in very close cooperation with the powerhouse economies of the rising East, such as China." (W Joseph Stroupe ‘Russia spins global energy spider's web’ http://www.atimes.com/atimes/Global_Economy/HH25Dj01.html August 25, 2006); "To varying yet alarming degrees, the resource-rich regimes around the globe are copying the Russian model. Resources-based corporate states with a profound political affinity for one another and a simultaneous collective disdain and even a hatred for US-led unipolar dominance are proliferating around the globe." (W Joseph Stroupe ‘Russia spins global energy spider's web’ http://www.atimes.com/atimes/Global_Economy/HH25Dj01.html Aug 25, 2006).

Another major political/financial consequence of long term contracts is that fossil fuels do not have to be bought with petro-dollars. Such contracts lend themselves to bartering arrangements. Petro-dollars are one of the pillars propping up the american economy. Bartering arrangements considerably reduce the colossal financial benefits that america receives from the use of its currency for oil sales around the world.

Russia’s Fossil Fuel Market.
Although putin has focused on drawing up long term fossil fuel contracts, he has not abandoned oil markets altogether. He is also aiming to create a new russian market where fossil fuels can be bought and sold in rubles not dollars. "Russia's new St Petersburg exchange, slated to come online next year, will settle transactions in the ruble. According to Russian Economy Minister German Gref, Russian products will be offered on the New York exchange until the St Petersburg exchange is operational, at which time Russian products will be shifted out of the New York exchange to the Russian exchange." (W Joseph Stroupe ‘The New World Oil Order. Part 2: Russia tips the balance’ http://www.atimes.com/atimes/Central_Asia/HK23Ag01.html November 23, 2006). Whatever trade is done on this new market will undermine the power of the petro dollar.

Breaking into Consumers’ Fossil Fuel Markets.
Another component of putin’s fossil fuel strategy is his insistence that if russia is to provide countries with a reliable, long term, supply of fossil fuels, then russian fossil fuel companies must be permitted to sell fossil fuel related goods and services in those countries. Thus, although putin might sell fossil fuels at a cheaper price through long term contracts than he could get for them on oil markets, the financial gains he can make by persuading consumer nations to allow russian energy companies to enter their domestic energy markets, enables russian firms to increase their long term profits. In the past, many western countries refused to allow russian fossil fuel companies to play any role in their domestic markets but now these companies can make significant profits all along the fossil fuel chain from production to consumption. "What Gazprom wants is to control the whole chain - from production to the final consumer in Europe. What the EU wants is for Gazprom to bring gas to the EU's external borders, where the gas will be bought by EU partners who will then distribute it inside Europe. This would mean the end of long-term Gazprom contracts with European energy giants - a no-no for Putin." (Pepe Escobar ‘The Gazprom Nation’ http://www.atimes.com/atimes/Central_Asia/HE26Ag01.html May 26, 2006). Putin is pushing the same tactic elsewhere, "Indian policymakers should discern that Russia's long-term energy strategy, evidenced by its public pronouncements and dealings with the European Union, China, East Asia and North Africa, is based on the idea of comprehensive energy cooperation with all its partners rather than the traditional paradigm of import-export relationships. In commercial terms this would amount to the buyer nation opening its downstream energy markets (such as refining, petrochemicals, electricity) for Russian investment in return for assured supplies and reciprocal access to upstream Russian assets." (Zorawar Daulet Singh ‘Reviving the India-Russia partnership’ http://www.atimes.com/atimes/South_Asia/HK14Df01.html November 14, 2006).

Energy hungry countries are offering other fossil fuel exporting countries similar package deals to obtain long term supplies of fossil fuels. "The lucrative economic, financial, political and diplomatic package of enticements being offered to producers around the globe by China, India and the other economies of the East far outweigh what the US can offer - the US simply cannot compete." (W Joseph Stroupe ‘The New World Oil Order. Part 1: Russia tips the balance’ http://www.atimes.com/atimes/Central_Asia/HK23Ag01.html November 23, 2006).

Co-ordinating Fossil Fuel Strategies.
Russia is also drawing up agreements with other fossil fuel producing countries that will protect their mutual interests rather than setting them in competition with each other on global markets. "Stronger economic ties could translate into new philosophies surrounding Indonesia's management of its bountiful natural resources. Noting that Indonesia is currently the biggest supplier of energy to Asia, Putin said: "We believe it is extremely important to coordinate our actions on world energy markets so that there is no damage but instead to boost cooperation." Indonesia and Russia are now set to sign an agreement for Russian energy giants Gazprom and Lukoil to take part in oil and gas projects in Kalimantan, the Indonesian section of Borneo island. That could open the way for Russian companies to secure more lucrative natural-resource deals, which until now has long been the domain of US and other Western resource giants such as Texaco, ExxonMobil, Unocal and Conoco." (Bill Guerin ‘Indonesia-Russia: Arms, atoms and oil’ http://www.atimes.com/atimes/Southeast_Asia/HL12Ae02.html December 12, 2006).

Excluding America’s Energy Companies from Exploiting Russia’s Resources.
The final component of putin’s fossil fuel strategy has been to exclude american energy companies from exploiting russia’s fossil fuel resources. When putin first came to power he was willing to allow american energy companies to continue with the one-sided contracts they’d drawn up during the presidency of boris yeltsin. Putin built a seemingly trusting relationship with george bush who looked into putin’s soul and liked what he saw. The two leaders’ grew even closer in the aftermath of the pentagon and new york (p*ny) bombings - russia providing help for america’s invasion of afghanistan. But, only a matter of months later, bush repudiated the anti-ballistic missile treaty with the intent of america developing the technology for winning a nuclear war. This posed a huge strategic threat to russia. As stephen f cohen has outlined, since 1991 successive american administrations, including the bush administration, have pursued a twofold policy towards russia - publicly encouraging it whilst actually undermining it. "The real US policy has been very different-a relentless, winner-take-all exploitation of Russia's post-1991 weakness. Accompanied by broken American promises, condescending lectures and demands for unilateral concessions, it has been even more aggressive and uncompromising than was Washington's approach to Soviet Communist Russia." (Stephen F. Cohen ‘The New American Cold War’ http://www.thenation.com/doc/20060710/cohen July 10, 2006). It has been noted above that bush was willing to receive iran’s help in the invasion of afghanistan but almost immediately afterwards showed little gratitude for what it had done. The same was also true of the way bush treated putin. Bush’s withdrawal from the abm treaty was not merely an existential threat to russia but was almost a betrayal of the trust putin had put in him. This led to putin’s disenchantment with america. Eventually he seems to have decided that every time america transgressed against russian interests he would retaliate by stopping another american company from exploiting russian resources.

Even in july 2006 it looked as if putin was willing to give american energy companies the chance to invest in russia’s fossil fuel industry. "Equally, the Bush administration had been pressing for a mega-deal for Chevron and ConocoPhillips - the US oil majors that have bid for Russia's Shtokman gas fields. Meanwhile, getting a share of the Shtokman fields for the US companies would be a major score for Bush (and Vice President Dick Cheney). From the Russian point of view, it is yet another instance of having to appease Washington. Interestingly, Russia's Gazprom announced over the weekend that the successful bidder for the giant Shtokman gas deposits off the Arctic coast would be made known next month. The short-listing of competing companies - Norway's Statoil, France's Total and America's Chevron and ConocoPhillips - was completed last September." (M K Bhadrakumar ‘The G8 summit: A chronicle of wasted time’ http://www.atimes.com/atimes/Global_Economy/HG06Dj01.html July 6, 2006). Putin’s rejection of their bids must have been a shock to america’s energy companies. "Gazprom, the Russian gas monopoly, announced that it would develop on its own without foreign companies the fabulous Shtokman deposit, holding an estimated 3.2 trillion cubic meters of natural gas and 31 million tonnes of gas condensate in the Barents Sea, 360 kilometers off the coast, at a depth of 320 meters. And most significant, Gazprom also said it would send most of the gas from the giant Arctic Shtokman field to Europe, rather than to the United States. Western commentators have rightly analyzed that the Gazprom decision on Shtokman ought to be viewed against the background of the broader increase in perceived US hostility toward Russia. The point is, Gazprom's decision hits US interests hard. There cannot be two opinions about that." (M K Bhadrakumar ‘Russian energy: Europe's pride, US's envy’ http://www.atimes.com/atimes/Central_Asia/HJ14Ag01.html October 14, 2006). Putin is shutting the americans out of russia’s vast energy business, "Plainly speaking, Gazprom's decision on Shtokman implies that as of today there are no major plans on the anvil in the Russian energy sector aimed at the US market. This is a dismal legacy for the Bush administration, which is supposed to be tied to the US oil industry by the umbilical cord. More to the point, this comes at a juncture when, flush with funds, Moscow is embarking on several new gas-production projects in the Far East, the Yamal Peninsula, the Arctic Shelf and other areas. US oil majors are simply being kept at arm's length from Russia's massive oil and gas reserves." (M K Bhadrakumar ‘Russian energy: Europe's pride, US's envy’ http://www.atimes.com/atimes/Central_Asia/HJ14Ag01.html October 14, 2006).

Putin is also moving to renegotiate or revoke the licenses of a number of american energy companies which had negotiated deals during yeltsin’s administrations under conditions far too favourable to these companies. "Russian finance officials accuse Shell, principal shareholder of the Sakhalin Energy Investment Co (SEIC), and operator of the Sakhalin-2 project, of fabricating costs, which have jumped since last year by almost 125% to $22 billion. According to the terms of their production sharing agreement (PSA), signed by corrupt officials of former president Boris Yeltsin's administration when Russia's Treasury was close to bankruptcy, oil production declining, and Russian corporates desperately short of investment capital, Shell (and ExxonMobil at Sakhalin-1, an oil-export project) would not have to pay profit taxes until they had cleared their project costs. The cost overruns have significantly postponed these tax payments. "If costs continue to rise without control, Russia will be left with only 6% of royalties, while all profit will go to repaying costs," Sergei Fyodorov, head of geological and subsoil use policies at the Natural Resources Ministry, said in September." (John Helmer ‘Sakhalin gas: Shell loses, whales win’ http://www.atimes.com/atimes/Central_Asia/HL15Ag01.html December 15, 2006). Putin’s action against shell seems all too justifiable given the way the company seems to have been milking russia’s natural resources. "The Russian authorities have already attacked Shell, TNK-BP and ExxonMobil over their environmental records. The news comes after Shell, BP and ExxonMobil were challenged by Mr Mitvol. The environmental watchdog has threatened to revoke Shell's Sakhalin-2 project licence on ecological grounds. TNK-BP, the Anglo-Russian oil venture, has been threatened with licence withdrawal and a new investigation is set to be launched into ExxonMobil's Sakhalin-1." (Marianne Barriaux ‘Russia wipes £130m from gold miner by threatening to revoke licences’ http://www.guardian.co.uk/russia/article/0,,1960249,00.html November 30, 2006).

Putin is also intent on renegotiating or revoking licenses held by non-fossil fuel companies obtained during yeltsin’s terms in office. "Russia said it was looking at revoking the licences of Peter Hambro, the gold mining company, in a fresh challenge yesterday to western businesses operating in the country." (Marianne Barriaux ‘Russia wipes £130m from gold miner by threatening to revoke licences’ http://www.guardian.co.uk/russia/article/0,,1960249,00.html November 30, 2006).

Conclusions.
As a result of his radical fossil fuel strategy, putin has ensured that russia will benefit not merely economically but politically in being able to promote russia’s political objectives. What adds to russia’s strategic influence over the world’s fossil fuel resources is that it has recently overtaken saudi arabia as the world’s biggest oil exporter, "Russia, which has now surpassed Saudi Arabia as the world's largest exporter of oil .." (W Joseph Stroupe ‘Russia spins global energy spider's web’ http://www.atimes.com/atimes/Global_Economy/HH25Dj01.html August 25, 2006). In order to appreciate russia’s domination of the fossil fuel industry, it should be noted that russia not merely exports more oil than saudi arabia, it also exports vast amounts of gas. Gazprom, which is on course to become the world’s biggest company, produces about as much gas as saudi arabia does oil. "Gazprom had a gas output of 547.2 billion cubic meters in 2005. This is equivalent to 9.42 million barrels of oil a day, or the daily extraction output in Saudi Arabia, the world's biggest oil supplier." (Pepe Escobar ‘The Gazprom Nation’ http://www.atimes.com/atimes/Central_Asia/HE26Ag01.html May 26, 2006).

Since the early 1970s america has had a strategic relationship with saudi arabia. The saudis agreed to sell their oil only in dollars in return for american military protection. The use of the dollar as the world’s reserve currency has brought immense financial benefits to america. However, as a result of putin’s fossil fuel strategy, russia has gained greater strategic influence over the world’s fossil fuels than saudi arabia. Russia is now the world’s energy superpower not saudi arabia nor saudi arabian dominated opec. "Resource-rich Russia's mounting global leverage with the world's other producing states and with the powerhouse economies of the East, and its profound political affinity with such producers and key consumer states, far outweighs the influence of the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC)." (W Joseph Stroupe ‘Russia spins global energy spider's web’ http://www.atimes.com/atimes/Global_Economy/HH25Dj01.html August 25, 2006). In the future, russia’s influence over the world’s fossil fuels is due to become even more pronounced.

Russia’s dramatic rise as the world’s most powerful fossil fuel, power broker is leading to a resurgence in its global political power - much of which has been obtained unobtrusively at america’s expense. Whilst america’s jewish elite have forced america into an almost exclusive preoccupation with the middle east to boost the jos’s regional supremacy, putin has been busy implementing a highly productive fossil fuel strategy around the world to regain russia’s global influence. Whereas the bush regime has been squandering vast amounts of financial, and human, resources on military catastrophes in afghanistan and iraq, almost as if it believes its supply of dollar is limitless, putin has been carefully husbanding his country’s resources to maximize their economic and political potential. Whilst the bush regime has been belligerently challenging, if not attacking, virtually all the world’s major military powers from russia to china and iran, putin has been using his country’s fossil fuels to nurture alliances with many countries in order to promote russia’s national interests.

America’s belligerence towards russia does not make the slightest economic or political sense. It should be cultivating good terms with russia to enable its energy companies to make vast profits from exploiting russia’s fossil fuel resources. It is impossible to believe that a co-operative relationship between the two governments could not have benefited both countries enormously. It has to be suggested that the primary reason for america’s belligerence towards putin is that america’s jewish neocons are outraged that putin managed to prevent russia’s jewish oligarchs from ransacking the country’s resources. They are far more intent on effecting regime change in russia than they are with developing good relationships with him to exploit russia’s natural resources. Here then is a clear difference in the political objectives of america’s wasp elite and america’s ruling jewish elite. America’s jewish rulers aren’t in the slightest bit bothered about american fossil fuel companies losing out on vast profits in russia as long as they are able to continue attacking the putin regime in the hope of restoring to power their ethnic criminal colleagues who once controlled russia’s resources. If there was a chance that america’s jewish oligarchs might succeed in helping their russian counterparts back into power then such belligerence might make sense but putin is so popular in russia that there is virtually no chance of this happening. All that the jewish neocons’ criticisms of putin achieve in russia is to remind the russian people of the intolerable conditions they experienced whilst russia’s jewish criminals were ransacking their country. The vast majority of the russian people do not want these criminals back in their country but america’s jewish oligarchs seem to have a compulsive need to continue supporting their russian counterparts even though they will never succeed and even though it dramatically damages america’s fossil fuel companies. And the longer america’s neocon oligarchs persist with their outrageous accusations against putin – such as his involvement in the murder of russian dissidents – the more damage they inflict on america’s multi-national oil corporations. America’s jewish fundamentalists are basically provoking putin to marginalize america’s energy industry to such an extent they are being pushed towards extinction! "In virtually all cases, the interests of the West and of its multinational oil companies and big Western financial institutions are being minimized and/or pushed out as the global trend of nationalization, by one means or another, of the oil-and-gas sector picks up speed. That is occurring in Russia, in Central Asia, the Middle East and in Latin America. Within virtually all such regimes the lines of separation between the top levels of political leadership and the directorship of key corporations and industries are not only blurred but are being obliterated. The multinational oil companies of the West are being marginalized as a direct result." (W Joseph Stroupe ‘Russia spins global energy spider's web’ http://www.atimes.com/atimes/Global_Economy/HH25Dj01.html Aug 25, 2006).

Iran - the Pivot of Geopolitics. Part Two

The Rise of Iran’s Geostrategic Value.
During phlavi’s reign, iran possessed considerable geostrategic value which america was all too willing to exploit and enhance. There are a range of reasons for proposing that iran’s geostrategic value is even greater now than it was then.

The Increase in Iran’s Geostrategic Value: America in the Middle East.
Ever since the pentagon and new york (p*ny) bombings america’s jewish neocon foreign policies have inadvertently boosted iran’s political and military power. Firstly, america’s invasion of afghanistan resulted in the overthrow of the taliban - an implacable enemy of shia iran. Secondly, america invaded iraq and overthrew saddam hussein – iran’s biggest adversary. If this wasn’t enough, the american neocons tried to replace saddam with another dictator - ahmed chalabi – later exposed as an iranian double agent. Thirdly, the coalition provisional authority set up after the invasion of iraq dismantled the iraqi military thereby leaving the country virtually powerless against iran. Fourthly, the bush regime was eventually pressured into accepting national elections in iraq which allowed iraqi shiites, allies of iran, to take a dominant role in the iraqi government. Fifthly, after the assassination of rafiq hariri, america forced syria to remove its army from the lebanon thereby giving default power to hezbollah which has been trained, armed, and financed, by iran. Sixthly, the bush administration insisted on free elections in palestine only for the palestinians to elect hamas - another iranian ally.

So, in a matter of a few, short years america’s neocon foreign policies boosted iran’s power in afghanistan, iraq, lebanon, and palestine. It even boosted the power of hardliners within iranian politics. "So far the administration's magic potion for democracy in the Middle East has produced a majority for Hamas and its Islamist leadership, a sworn enemy of Israel and ally of Iran, in the Palestinian territories, and an alarming election sally by the long banned Muslim Brotherhood, another sworn enemy of Israel and friend of Iran, in Egypt. Hezbollah, an adjunct of Iran in Lebanon, is also comfortably installed in the parliament in Beirut." (Arnaud de Borchgrave ‘Iraq, Iran unintended results’ http://www.upi.com/InternationalIntelligence/view.php?StoryID=20060217-115704-7804r Feb. 17th 2006).

The Increase in Iran’s Common Interests with America.
America has always shared some common interests with iran.

Firstly, developing iran’s fossil fuel reserves. If america had allowed its multinational energy corporations to exploit iran’s vast fossil fuel reserves, both countries would have enjoyed a huge economic bonanza. America’s oil corporations would have made huge profits - profits that would have helped to boost the american economy. The profits made by the iranians would have enabled them to buy american goods and weapons – instead of the current situation where america’s ruling jewish elite manipulates america into giving away american weapons to the jos for free.

Secondly, developing iran’s uranium deposits.

Thirdly, stemming drug production in afghanistan. There are a huge number of heroin addicts in iran – just as there are in america. The drug trade damages iranian society just as much as it does american society. "Like the fact that no nation fights harder against the Afghan drug trade than our axis-of-evil enemy Iran, while our "staunch ally" Pakistan lends support to the trade and to the Taliban as well." (Ann Jones ‘What Are They Smoking?’ http://www.antiwar.com/engelhardt/?articleid=9933 October 30, 2006). America’s occupation of afghanistan has caused the production of heroin to soar.

America’s catastrophic foreign policies in the greater middle east have not merely inadvertently boosted iran’s geostrategic value, they have also established new common interests between the two countries. As a result of its invasions of afghanistan and iraq, america has common interests with iran in establishing political stability in these two countries - which would also help to stabilize the middle east as a whole.

The Increase in Iran’s Geostrategic Value: Central Asia.
The discovery of vast oil and gas deposits in central asia boosted iran’s geostrategic value. The shortest, quickest, and cheapest, route for the export of these fuels is through pipelines across iran to the country’s persian gulf ports. "Geographically Iran makes the shortest and the most economical route for Kazakhstan’s oil pipeline from the Caspian Sea ,north, to the Persian Gulf south with all the oil-tankers traffic." (Elias Akleh ‘War on Iran: Unleashing Armageddon in the Middle East’ http://www.countercurrents.org/iran-akleh091106.htm November 09, 2006). The same is also true as regards turkmenistan and, since america’s invasion, afghanistan. "Afghanistan is especially important to Washington because it is the only plausible way to bring natural gas down from Turkmenistan to Pakistan and India. The Turkmenistan alternative is being used to push Delhi away from any flirtation with an Iranian pipeline. As Afghanistan falls again into substantial chaos, India is being forced to reconsider, and to seek to draw on Iran's Yadavan fields, with a pipeline coming down through Pakistani Baluchistan and over to the Indian border. The turn for the worst in Afghanistan may explain the sudden warming of relations between Delhi and Tehran." (Juan Cole ‘The Iraqization of Afghanistan’ http://www.juancole.com/2006_09_01_juanricole_archive.html September 08, 2006).

The Increase in Iran’s Geostrategic Value: Europe.
Europe currently obtains a substantial amount of its fossil fuels from russia. Friedmann muller, head of the research group global Issues at the german institute for international and security affairs .. "emphasizes that 10 of the current 25 EU member states depend on Russia for more than 50% of their total natural-gas supplies, and five of them for 100%. France, Germany and Italy import between 25% and 50% each." (Pepe Escobar ‘Iran impasse: Make gas, not bombs’ http://www.atimes.com/atimes/Middle_East/HE09Ak02.html May 9, 2006); "At the consumer end of this (russian) pipeline system, reliance on Russian gas is currently 100% in Finland; 99% in Bulgaria; 97% in Slovakia; and 76% in Greece. In volume of Russian gas consumption, Germany takes most, followed by Italy, Turkey and France." (John Helmer ‘Sakhalin gas: Shell loses, whales win’ http://www.atimes.com/atimes/Central_Asia/HL15Ag01.html December 15, 2006).

Europe’s imports of russian fossil fuels will increase dramatically in the coming decades. "Europe now depends on Russia for 25% of its gas, a figure set to rise to 70% by 2020 ..." (David Clark ‘Putin's power struggle’ http://www.guardian.co.uk/russia/article/0,,1959441,00.html November 29, 2006). But russia is also offering to sell more fossil fuels to asia which means it is unlikely to be able to meet all of europe’s energy needs. This boosts iran’s geostrategic value. "In short, Russia by itself will not solve Europe's gas thirst, especially because Russia also wants to export heavily to both China and Japan. So Europe will have to find the gas it needs somewhere else - North Africa and the Caribbean, for instance. But most of all it will need Iran." (Pepe Escobar ‘Iran impasse: Make gas, not bombs’ http://www.atimes.com/atimes/Middle_East/HE09Ak02.html May 9, 2006).

The Increase in Iran’s Geostrategic Value: India and Pakistan.
In the 1990s the jos developed a strategic alliance with india because of their mutual animosity towards pakistan. The jos and india have been collaborating to upgrade their nuclear weapons, and civil nuclear power, capabilities. In stark contrast, america’s geostrategic interests are to keep the nuclear rivalry between pakistan and india in balance to ensure nuclear war doesn’t break out between them. However, such is the power of the jos, and its political agents in america, that it has recently succeeded in fooling the bush administration into supporting a nuclear agreement with india which will considerably boost its nuclear threat to pakistan. "C Raja Mohan, strategic-affairs editor with the Indian Express, has described the US legislation removing restrictions of nuclear trade as India's "nuclear liberation". It "has not only freed India from three and a half decades of nuclear bondage, but also met two of India's very important strategic objectives - breaking the nuclear parity with Pakistan and establishing strategic equivalence with China"." (Sudha Ramachandran ‘India's 'nuclear liberation' http://www.atimes.com/atimes/South_Asia/HL12Df01.html December 12, 2006).

America is offering to legitimize india’s nuclear capabilities in order to deter india from supporting the construction of an oil pipeline from iran through pakistan to india. "Contrary to the assertions of Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, it is widely believed that during the nuclear bargaining, he did make three major concessions to Bush. Secondly, Singh conceded to terminate the $4 billion "Peace Pipeline" project, which was to have delivered natural gas from Iran, across Pakistan, to India which was slated to be operational by 2011. And Thirdly, Singh has demoted the main architect and proponent of the Peace Pipeline, his Union Petroleum Minister, Mani Shankar Aiyar to the post of Sports and Youth Affairs." (Ingmar Lee ‘Bush's Destabilizing Nuke Deal with India’ http://www.counterpunch.org/lee05082006.html May 8, 2006); "In the corridors of the conference, most of the oil and gas executives and scholars agreed that the way the game is played today in Pipelineistan, everything is politicized. "When Bush tells India, 'You don't need to import gas from Iran,' that's totally illogical," said a Georgian scholar based in Bologna. "The [alleged Iranian] bomb is a pretext," said an Iranian oil executive based in London. "The Americans don't want Iran to develop, and that's equally true of China and Venezuela. We need to talk about security through knowledge."" (Pepe Escobar ‘In the heart of Pipelineistan’ http://www.atimes.com/atimes/Middle_East/HC17Ak03.html March 17, 2006).

India, however, badly needs to acquire vast quantities of energy. It can do this by increasing civil nuclear power with american help or by importing fossil fuels from kazakhstan, iran, or russia. Given the chaotic situation in afghanistan, which discourages the construction of a fossil fuel pipeline from kazakhstan through afghanistan to india, india has had to look more seriously at iran’s fossil fuels. No matter how much bush believes his nuclear deal with india has deterred india from supporting the construction of an iranian oil pipeline, india is unwilling to miss out on this important supply of fossil fuels. "Indian PM Manmohan Singh called up Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and stressed the need to fast track the pipeline project, which had seemed dead earlier this summer. (Last spring the pro-Iranian minister of petroleum had been fired, and some assumed it had been in part as a result of American pressure). By deserting Afghanistan to run off to war in Iraq, Bush ensured that it would risk falling again into social turbulence, and thus helped seal the fate of the Turkmenistan pipeline through Herat (wouldn't the Taliban just blow it up?). In turn, that may have ensured that Iran would be able to sidestep US sanctions by dealing, not only with China, but also with India. And that may mean that Bush let the big fish get away by getting bogged down in Iraq, which is turning out not to be any prize for him, either." (Juan Cole ‘The Iraqization of Afghanistan’ http://www.juancole.com/2006_09_01_juanricole_archive.html September 08, 2006).

Putin has recently offered to finance and build the pipeline. "Whatever the West may have thought about it, Russian President Vladimir Putin has already spectacularly preempted this weekend's Group of Eight (G8) summit in St Petersburg with his own bit of Pipelineistan news. Putin announced in Shanghai on June 15 2006 that "Gazprom is ready to support the construction of a gas pipeline from Iran to Pakistan and India with financial resources and technology". He was referring to a fabled US$7 billion, 2,775-kilometer, 10-year old project - an Iranian idea - which should now be finished by 2009, developed by Gazexport, a Gazprom subsidiary. As a result, by 2015 both India and Pakistan should be receiving at least 70 million cubic meters of natural gas a year." (Pepe Escobar ‘Russia and Iran lead the new energy game’ http://www.atimes.com/atimes/Global_Economy/HG14Dj03.html Jul 14, 2006). What russia might lose by not piping its own fossil fuels to india, it can more than make up for by financing, building and owning, this new pipeline. "Another dimension that has gained salience is Russia's emerging position as an energy superpower as the world's largest gas producer and second-largest oil producer and therefore its importance to India's energy security. Russia's increasing influence in Central Asia and its dominant control of the pipeline routes implies that only a well-crafted energy partnership will enable India to access those oil and gas reserves." (Zorawar Daulet Singh ‘Reviving the India-Russia partnership’ http://www.atimes.com/atimes/South_Asia/HK14Df01.html November 14, 2006).

As the legislation for america’s nuclear deal with india goes through congress, india continues to struggle to ensure that america does not obligate it to ignore the peace pipeline. "The controversial demand that India dovetails its Iran policy to US concerns over its nuclear program has been made a non-binding clause in the legislation." (Sudha Ramachandran ‘India's 'nuclear liberation' http://www.atimes.com/atimes/South_Asia/HL12Df01.html December 12, 2006).

The construction of the peace pipeline would do much to ensure harmonious relations between india and pakistan deterring them from embarking on a nuclear war. America is abandoning its own national interests by opposing this pipeline in order to promote jewish hostilities towards iran and pakistan. Clearly iran has a high geostrategic value if it can help to avert nuclear war between india and pakistan.

The Increase in Iran’s Geostrategic Value: China.
China depends heavily on iranian fossil fuels which are currently shipped to china and are thus vulnerable to american interdiction. However, there are plans for a pipeline from iran through pakistan and india and then on to china which would avoid american military intervention. This would enhance iran’s geostrategic value.

The Increase in Iran’s Geostrategic Value: Russia.
The primary reason for the rise in iran’s geostrategic value is russia’s dramatic emergence as the world’s fossil fuel superpower. This can be appreciated at the most basic level in terms of the supply of fossil fuels to global oil markets. The more fossil fuel reserves that russia ties up in long term, state to state, contracts, the more important becomes iranian supplies of fossil fuels to the world’s oil markets – assuming that is that it chooses to place these resources on the global market rather than copying russia and tying them up in long term contracts.

Conclusion.
Iran’s geostrategic stature is much more substantial now than it was during phlavi’s reign. It could further boost its geostrategic value by forming an alliance either with russia, the world’s fossil fuel superpower, or with america, the world’s economic and military hyperpower. Both russia and america would benefit enormously from an alliance with iran. Iran’s geostrategic importance is such that it can decide whether it wants to boost the global power of either, or both, countries.

The Benefits of an American Alliance with Iran.

Although the bush regime expresses loathing towards iran’s government and refuses to talk directly to it about matters of mutual interest, there are reasons to believe america could benefit immensely from an alliance with iran. It would boost american influence in many areas around the world.

The Benefits of an American Alliance with Iran: Middle East.
As a result of america’s catastrophic foreign policies since the pentagon and new york (p*ny) bombings, iran has acquired significant common interests with america. Iran could endeavor to reduce these common interests by undermining the american military’s occupation of afghanistan and iraq or it could seek to enhance them by contributing to peace and stability in these two countries. Despite bush’s ingratitude towards iran over the help it has given america, iran has continued to aid america in iraq. "This is hardly surprising, given Khamenei's open admission that continuing instability in Iraq was "harmful to everyone in the region". From Iran's vantage point, it has played a constructive role toward the new Iraq, reflected in bilateral trade, energy and other agreements signed between Tehran and Baghdad, as well as in Iran's mediation role in intra-Shi'ite power struggles. Complaining that the West, and the US in particular, has gone unappreciative of Iran's constructive behavior, such as when Iran intervened in the US-Mehdi Army confrontation in 2004 by urging Muqtada to desist from further action, Iran's new, and considerably much tougher, approach is that it may have no choice but to play a rejectionist card with regard to foreign occupation." (Kaveh L Afrasiabi ‘Titans square up for clash in Iraq’ http://www.atimes.com/atimes/Middle_East/HL01Ak05.html December 01, 2006).

America’s traditional arab allies have been sunni states such as saudi arabia, egypt, and jordan. However, america’s rash interventions in afghanistan and iraq have inadvertently given birth to a new political phenomenon in the middle east. "In December 2004 King Abdullah of Jordan famously described this emerging alliance as a "Shia crescent", a synonym that outraged Tehran but spoke tellingly of Sunni Arab fears about the ambitions of Iran to become a regional superpower capable of facing up to Israel. Although the inclusion of the Sunni Hamas movement in the alliance weakens the notion of a Shia crescent, the idea is not entirely fanciful." (Nicholas Blandford ‘Shia Crescent Pierces Heart Of Arab World’ The Times July 17, 2006). In the short term at least, it is highly unlikely that the shia crescent is going to disappear particularly since its leaders ahmadinejad in iran, moktada al-sadr in iraq, and hasan nasrallah in lebanon, are far more popular in the sunni arab world than sunni heads of state. So either america accommodates itself to the shia crescent and exploits the assets it offers or america embarks with the help of sunni arab countries on an even more catastrophic regional war to abolish it.

The Benefits of an American Alliance with Iran: Central Asia.
Given that the cheapest route for the export of fossil fuels from central asia is across iran then the co-operation of american energy corporations with iran in building these pipelines could have two beneficial consequences for america. Firstly, it could significantly undercut russia’s political power resulting from its ownership of the eurasian pipeline network and, secondly, it could boost the amount of oil placed in global markets thereby countering the effects of russia’s refusal to use such markets because of its reliance on long term contracts.

If america chose iran as its primary geostrategic asset in the middle east and central asia there would be much less need for it to be concerned about kazakhstan, iraq, and afghanistan.

The Benefits of an American Alliance with Iran: India and Pakistan.
If america had an alliance with iran it could encourage the construction of a peace pipeline from iran to india and pakistan that would bind these two nuclear powers together and thereby lessen the chances of a nuclear war between them. This would considerably boost america’s geostrategic interests. There would then be no reason for it to break the nuclear proliferation treaty by legitimizing india’s nuclear industry.

The Benefits of an American Alliance with Iran: China.
If american energy companies had a close relationship with iran this would give america an even greater grip over china. "Controlling Iran leads to the containment of China (America’s greatest competitor), who depends heavily on Iranian oil to satisfy its growing hunger for energy." (Elias Akleh ‘War on Iran: Unleashing Armageddon in the Middle East’ http://www.countercurrents.org/iran-akleh091106.htm November 09, 2006).

Currently china is highly vulnerable to an oil blockade by the american navy. It has sought to diminish this vulnerability by constructing an oil pipeline from kazakhstan. It is seeking to further diminish this vulnerability by concluding an agreement with russia to build pipelines to china. It is also encouraging the construction of a pipeline from iran, through pakistan and india, to china. However, if american energy companies were operating in iran then america might regain some of its leverage over china by influencing the amount of fossil fuels that iran was pumping to china.

The Benefits of an American Alliance with Iran: Russia.
If the bush regime allowed american energy companies to exploit iran’s fossil fuels this would create huge economic advantages for both america and iran. However, the most critical benefit of such cooperation would be geostrategic - countering russia’s recent emergence as the world’s fossil fuel superpower. Iran has benefited considerably from russia’s rise as the world’s dominant fossil fuel broker. However, if america succeeded in developing an alliance with iran it could challenge russia’s fossil fuel domination.

Firstly, and most basically, if american energy companies were allowed to exploit iranian fossil fuels this would boost iranian fossil fuel production thereby countering the effects of putin’s long term, state to state, fossil fuel contracts.

Secondly, if america’s nuclear industry agreed to build nuclear power plants in iran this would reap huge economic benefits for these companies, and the american economy. It would also free up more fossil fuels for export rather than being consumed in the country. This would boost iran’s ability to counter russia’s fossil fuel domination.

Thirdly, if american energy companies were allowed to build fossil fuel pipelines from the caspian sea across iran then russia would lose much of the political leverage it has gained through its ownership of eurasia’s pipeline network. "As a result, if Washington ever lifted its trade embargo on Iran, its territory could be used as the most obvious transit route for the delivery of oil and natural gas from the Caspian countries to global markets, especially in Europe and Japan." (Michael T. Klare ‘Putting Iran in Great Power Context’ http://www.antiwar.com/engelhardt/?articleid=9150 June 16, 2006); "Gennady Yefstafiyev, a former general in Russia's Foreign Intelligence Service, said, "The US's long-term goals in Iran are obvious: to engineer the downfall of the current regime; to establish control over Iran's oil and gas; and to use its territory as the shortest route for the transportation of hydrocarbons under US control from the regions of Central Asia and the Caspian Sea, bypassing Russia and China. This is not to mention Iran's intrinsic military and strategic significance."" (F William Engdahl ‘The US's geopolitical nightmare’ http://www.atimes.com/atimes/China/HE09Ad01.html May 9, 2006).

If america had an alliance with iran it could seriously challenge russian power over the world’s fossil fuel resources thereby consolidating american global power. "The only discernible result of US sanctions on Iran has been to delay Iran's development of its energy resources. Iran's oil and natural-gas reserves equal those of Saudi Arabia. The US has obstructed the development of at least two known large oilfields in Iran (Azadegan and Yadavaran), which together could have proven reserves exceeding 35 billion barrels and produce more than a million barrels per day of crude at their expected peak; has hindered oil and gas development in the Caspian Sea by playing the countries of the region against one another; has vetoed the construction of a Caspian pipeline through Iran (even though it would cost only about half the price of alternative pipelines); and has opposed Iranian gas pipelines to Pakistan and India, even offering India nuclear deals in exchange for not buying Iranian gas." (Hossein Askari ‘Why sanctions on Iran will fail’ http://www.atimes.com/atimes/Middle_East/HI19Ak01.html September 19, 2006).

The Benefits of an American Alliance with Iran: Russia and Europe.
Over the last few years the bush regime has tried to foist two adverse policies upon european governments concerning their fossil fuel imports.

Firstly, it has been trying to persuade european countries to adopt a common policy over russia’s export of fossil fuels to europe. Obviously if european governments acted together as a single consumer this would give them much greater advantages when negotiating with russia over its energy exports than if they all individually strike bilateral deals with russia. But america has failed to persuade europe to act in concert and, as a consequence, russia is doing deals with each european country separately to its great financial and political benefit.

Putin has already concluded a major energy deal with germany, "Putin underlined the strategic significance of the Russian-German partnership by saying, "We are linked by the common goals of building a unified and prosperous Europe, dedication to the principles of building a just world order, and the aim of effectively countering international challenges and threats."" (M K Bhadrakumar ‘Russian energy: Europe's pride, US's envy’ http://www.atimes.com/atimes/Central_Asia/HJ14Ag01.html October 14, 2006). Putin got the deal he wanted because russian companies can now play a role in germany’s domestic energy markets. "And last Thursday, Russia's Gazprom and Germany's E.ON AG signed a framework agreement to swap assets in production, trade and sale of natural gas and relating to power industry. Gazprom will acquire the German company's stakes in gas companies in Hungary as well as in regional electricity and gas companies in return for Russia providing access to E.ON AG to Russia's Yuzhno-Russkoye deposits in the Tyumen region, which holds more than a trillion cubic meters of natural gas and will be the source for the US$10.5 billion North European Gas Pipeline project." (M K Bhadrakumar ‘The rise and rise of Russia’ http://www.atimes.com/atimes/Central_Asia/HG20Ag01.html July 20, 2006).

What made this deal even sweeter for putin is that it punishes poland for its slavish devotion to the bush regime. "Sikorski was voicing Warsaw's complaint that German Chancellor Angela Merkel ignored Polish pleas to scrap the US$10.5 billion trans-Baltic North European Pipeline project with Russia, which was negotiated by her predecessor Gerhard Schroeder - a project that would cement Berlin's energy ties to Moscow but bypass Poland and the Baltic states. Planned in the early 1990s after the collapse of the Soviet Union, the gas-pipeline project was intended to reduce Russia's dependence on having to transit through such countries as Belarus and Ukraine to export its gas to Europe. The 1,200-kilometer line would transport gas from Russia's Baltic Sea coast through international waters offshore Poland and the Baltic states to a landfall in Griefswald on Germany's coast." (M K Bhadrakumar ‘Germany, Russia redraw Europe's frontiers’ http://www.atimes.com/atimes/China/HE03Ad01.html May 3, 2006).

Hungary and italy have also concluded deals with russia. "Meanwhile, Russia is also going ahead with forging bilateral energy deals with European countries. An agreement was signed on June 22 with Hungary for the extension of Russia's Blue Stream gas pipeline to Central Europe. Italy has dealt an even more severe blow to Washington by concluding a significant energy deal bilaterally with Russia on the eve of the G8 summit." (M K Bhadrakumar ‘The G8 summit: A chronicle of wasted time’ http://www.atimes.com/atimes/Global_Economy/HG06Dj01.html July 6, 2006).

Even worse for europe is that if putin succeeds in buying up some of the oil pipelines that export iran’s fossil fuels to europe then russia will have even more leverage over europe’s fossil fuel imports. "Significantly, on January 23, the Russian daily Kommersant reported that Armenia, sandwiched between Iran and Georgia, had agreed to sell a 45% control of its Iran-Armenia gas pipeline to Russia's Gazprom. The Russian daily added, "If Russia takes over this [Iran-Armenia] pipeline, Russia will be able to control transit of Iranian gas to Georgia, Ukraine and Europe."" (F William Engdahl ‘A high-risk game of nuclear chicken’ http://www.atimes.com/atimes/Middle_East/HA31Ak02.html Jan 31, 2006). If russia acquires these pipelines then even if there is a future reconciliation between iran and america/europe, it might be too late to reverse the shift in the balance of power between america/europe and russia.

Worse still for europe is that russia’s negotiating position with the european continent is growing stronger since it started constructing oil pipelines to the pacific. It has made it obvious that if europe is not willing to buy russia’s fossil fuels on its terms then it will sell them to china, japan and other asian countries. "It has threatened Europe with accelerated diversification of its exports to the East if Europe fails to open its markets to rapidly advancing Russian investment and acquisition of downstream assets." (W Joseph Stroupe ‘Part 2: Corporate gigantism’ http://www.atimes.com/atimes/Central_Asia/HI26Ag01.html September 26, 2006).

The second policy america has pressured europe into adopting is reducing purchases of iranian fossil fuels. For european countries this policy has serious negative implications but it is even more self-destructive in combination with the first policy. America is demanding that europe limits its imports of fossil fuels from both russia and iran. It might be possible for europe to implement one of these policies but to implement both at the same time would be a nightmare.

If america had a strategic alliance with iran then the europeans could have used the supply of iranian fossil fuels as a counterweight to resist excessive russian demands resulting from its increasingly monopolistic position over energy supplies to europe. This has not been possible because of america’s hostility to iran. As a consequence, europe is undermining its own interests by failing to encourage imports of iranian fossil fuels. "Enno Harks, a senior fellow on energy and resources at the German Institute for International and Security Affairs, and Friedmann Muller, head of the research group Global Issues at the same institute, were both in Tehran recently for an energy conference. Their studies and conclusions are important to understanding what's at stake in the convoluted relationship between the European Union and Iran and how ostracizing and sanctioning Iran may turn out to be yet another case of the EU shooting itself in the foot." (Pepe Escobar ‘Iran impasse: Make gas, not bombs’ http://www.atimes.com/atimes/Middle_East/HE09Ak02.html May 9, 2006); "It's going to be an extremely tricky affair. The EU is actively trying to explore deals with Central Asia - with both Kazakhstan and Turkmenistan - and also with Iran, bypassing Russia via the South Caucasus and the Caspian Sea. The key project in this Pipelineistan node is the proposed trans-Caspian gasoduct - which would in effect break Russia's monopoly on transit of Central Asian gas." (Pepe Escobar ‘The Gazprom Nation’ http://www.atimes.com/atimes/Central_Asia/HE26Ag01.html May 26, 2006).

America is trying to deter european countries from exploiting iranian fossil fuels but all that this policy achieves is undermining europe’s negotiating position with russia. It is in effect driving european countries into an even closer embrace with the russians.

The Benefits of an American Alliance with Iran: Russia and China.
Iran could play an even more valuable role on america’s behalf in confronting the growing geostrategic significance of the asian continent i.e. the increasing political and military co-operation between russia and china. But america’s jewish induced hostility to iran is pushing iran even further into collaboration with these countries at america’s expense. Russia and china seem to appreciate iran’s geostrategic assets far more than america which is blinded by jewish anti-american propaganda. America could use iran as a vital counterweight to both russia and china but, since it has chosen to throw away this asset, china and russia are using iran to boost their power at america’s expense. Not only has america forsaken iranian help in boosting its global interests, its hostility towards iran is driving the country into a closer relationship with russia and china which will enable these three countries to increase their global power at the expense of america and europe. America’s treatment of iran is self destructive – driving the country into the camp of its biggest rivals – both of whom america is also antagonizing! It is bizarre, and rather revealing, that the only country in the world which america is not going out of its way to antagonize is the jos. America’s hostility towards virtually every country around the world is in stark contrast to its groveling subservience to the jos.

Iran - the Pivot of Geopolitics. Part Three

The Greater Iran’s Strategic Value the more that America treats it with Contempt.
Iran’s geostrategic stature has soared as putin has transformed russia into a fossil fuel superpower. And yet america’s hostility towards both russia and iran has increased dramatically.

America is still faced by the same choice with which it was confronted after the 1979 islamic revolution. It can either try to woo iran because of its geostrategic importance or it can continue its belligerent policies in order to bring about regime change. Klare mentions some of the temptations of the latter approach – and in doing so highlights iran’s strategic importance. "For Washington, the replacement of the clerical government in Tehran with a U.S.-friendly regime would represent a colossal, threefold accomplishment: It would eliminate a major threat to America's continued dominance of the Persian Gulf, open up the world's number two oil-and-gas supplier to American energy firms, and greatly diminish Chinese and Russian influence in the greater Gulf region." (Michael T. Klare ‘Putting Iran in Great Power Context’ http://www.antiwar.com/engelhardt/?articleid=9150 June 16, 2006). However, america’s regime change tactic is self defeating since the more propaganda pressure america applies to iran, the more it alienates the iranian people, thereby reducing the likely success of regime change. Iranians still remember that in 1953 america destroyed their democratic system and imposed phlavi’s brutal regime upon them. It is true that many iranians born after the islamic revolution held america in great respect and admiration but since america’s utterly barbaric occupation of afghanistan and iraq they’ve lost all respect for it. "While most Iranians welcomed the elimination of Saddam, the horrors inflicted and unleashed by US military forces next door have left many of the old rich in Tehran with the realization that the dream of American intervention may turn into a nightmare. My trip convinced me that support for US intervention does not exist to any significant degree but rather resides solely in the minds of those in the West who have had their impressions of Iran shaped by pro-Shah expatriates who have been absent from the country for more than a quarter-century." (Scott Ritter ‘The Case for Engagement’ http://www.thenation.com/doc/20061120/ritter November 03, 2006). The overwhelming majority of iranians bitterly resent america telling them that they cannot develop civil nuclear power. They even find it unreasonable to be told they can’t have nuclear weapons - like their neighbours. "The country is not only ringed by atomic states (India, Pakistan, China, Russia, Israel), it also faces a string of American bases with potential or actual nuclear stockpiles in Qatar, Iraq, Turkey, Uzbekistan and Afghanistan. Nuclear-armed US aircraft carriers and submarines patrol the waters off its southern coast." (Tariq Ali ‘High-Octane Rocket-Rattling Against Tehran Won't Work’ http://www.counterpunch.org/tariq05112006.html May 11, 2006).

During phlavi’s reign iran had a substantially greater geostrategic value than the jos. American politicians appreciated that their national interests were best served by an alliance with iran rather than with the jos. However, since 1967 an american alliance with the jos became more popular and after 1979 america’s alliance with the jos became one of its most important in the region. American jews thus have a vested interest in denouncing iran to protect america’s alliance with the jos. Overwhelmed by jewish propaganda and by jewish bribes, america’s wasp politicians have been manipulated into ignoring their country’s national interests by aligning their foreign policies with the jos rather than iran.

Today, the superiority of iran’s geostrategic value over that of the jos’s is even greater than it was during phlavi’s time and yet jewish anti-iranian propaganda has so poisoned americans against iran that virtually no mainstream politician advocates talking with iran let alone forming an alliance with it. Americans are so blinded by the jewish parasites who infect them, they no longer see their own national interests and make no attempt to woo iran. The only way that america could reap the vast geostrategic benefits of an alliance with iran is by ridding itself of the jos’s parasitic influence. America’s jewish elite continues to churn out an endless stream of scandalous accusations against iran. It must at all costs prevent americans from realizing their national interests because this would lead them to dumping the jos for a far more fruitful relationship with iran. Odom outlines the bare minimum of a new american alliance with iran .. "the U.S. must informally cooperate with Iran in areas of shared interests. Nothing else could so improve our position in the Middle East. The price for success will include dropping U.S. resistance to Iran's nuclear weapons program. This will be as distasteful for U.S. leaders as cutting and running, but it is no less essential. That's because we do share vital common interests with Iran. We both want to defeat Al Qaeda and the Taliban (Iran hates both). We both want stability in Iraq (Iran will have influence over the Shiite Iraqi south regardless of what we do, but neither Washington nor Tehran want chaos). And we can help each other when it comes to oil: Iran needs our technology to produce more oil, and we simply need more oil." (William E. Odom ‘How to cut and run’ http://fairuse.100webcustomers.com/fairenough/latimes527.html October 31, 2006). Bush’s new secretary of defence robert gates once noted iran’s value to america, "In a 100-page report for the Council on Foreign Relations, entitled Iran: Time for a New Approach, written in 2004, he argued that isolating Teheran was "manifestly harmful to Washington's interests"." (Kay Biouki and Harry De Quetteville ‘Iran offers to arm enemies of Israel with rocket arsenal’ http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml;jsessionid=3XP1NWCXIANTHQFIQMGCFFOAVCBQUIV0?xml=/news/2006/11/12/wiran12.xml November 12, 2006); "(Robert Gates) has publicly urged for more than a year that the U.S. begin direct talks with Iran." (Seymour M. Hersh ‘The Next Act: Is a damaged Administration less likely to attack Iran, or more?’ http://www.newyorker.com/printables/fact/061127fa_fact November 20, 2006).

Objectively, if the world was a rational place, it would make much more sense for america to threaten war against the jos until it abolishes its nuclear weapons rather than continuing with its current catastrophic foreign policies which are leading inexorably towards a war against iran.

The apparent focus of America’s Foreign Policies on Oil is a Cover for the pursuit of Global Jewish Interests.
Most liberal and left wing political commentators argue that america’s foreign policies are almost wholly determined by the economic interests of the country’s multinational energy corporations. They believe america invaded afghanistan and iraq to get access to their fossil fuels. Liberal realists proclaim such policies as legitimate whilst left wingers denounce them. This article has highlighted the importance of fossil fuels in global politics. It has assumed that if american politicians were implementing foreign policies based on america’s short term national interests then the promotion of the country’s multinational energy corporations would be near the top of its agenda. But it has been concluded that the fossil fuel hypothesis simply does not explain america’s current foreign policies. These policies diverge fundamentally from those it would be following if it intended to maximize the interests of the country’s multinational energy corporations.

Firstly, america believes in the free market. It shouldn’t matter to america who owns fossil fuels as long as they are placed on the global markets and prices are kept low. If american energy companies can get involved in the exploration and production of fossil fuels around the world this is an additional economic benefit. But clearly, america’s foreign policies go far beyond protecting the free market. It has been concerned to ensure that the vast wealth accumulated by arab countries is not used to buy weapons to defend themselves from attack by america’s cuckoo strategic ally.

Secondly, in 1995 america banned its gigantic multi-national energy companies from investing in iran’s fossil fuel industry. This policy runs counter to america’s economic and national interests. Indeed, from america’s perspective this policy makes no sense at all. It was imposed because of iran’s alleged terrorist activities. But such a rationale is absurd. Firstly, america was punishing its own energy companies for the alleged terrorist activities of another country. Secondly, because these allegations have never been substantiated. Thirdly, because of the negligible scale of the alleged terrorism. And, finally, because the punishment on american energy companies was completely disproportionate to the crimes alleged to have been committed. Here was the world’s greatest economic power banning its gigantic fossil fuel multi-national corporations from investing in iran, thereby throwing away tens of billions of dollars in profits, just because of unsubstantiated allegations of iran’s involvement in minor acts of terrorism. Whilst this policy blatantly runs counter to the interests of america’s wasps, it makes perfect sense from the perspective of america’s ruling jewish elite which wanted to ensure that america did not develop a close relationship with iran which would undermine its relationship with the jos. It is not surprising then that it was america’s jewish ruling elite which was solely responsible for hyping up the allegations against iran.

In the 1970s and the 1980s, the jewish neocons made scandalous, unsubstantiated allegations that russia was developing highly sophisticated, technologically advanced, weapons of mass destruction against which america had no defences and that it was also involved in spreading terrorism around the world to promote its interests. After the collapse of the soviet empire, these jewish extremists simply transferred these allegations to saddam hussein and iraq. They alleged that saddam had wmds and was funding al quaeda to carry out acts of terrorism against american interests around the world. After the invasion of iraq and the overthrow of saddam hussein, these lunatics once again transposed these accusations to another country i.e. iran. The belligerent, paranoid, jewish fundamentalists who promoted wild, unsubstantiated, accusations of russian wmd and who denounced russia’s conspiracy to promote global terrorism, are the same people who in the 1990s made exactly the same type of allegations against iraq and who today are repeating these same types of allegation against iran. Before he became a jew-ish neocon, dick cheney spoke for the interests of the country’s energy industry when he denounced clinton’s ban imposed under pressure from the jewish lobby.

Thirdly, after the collapse of the soviet empire, russia was taken over by jewish oligarchs who gained control over the majority of russia’s largest industries and proceeded to ransack the country’s natural resources. During this time virtually no american jews, whether in the jewish lobby, the media, or politics, made any criticism of these events. However, since putin routed the worst of russia’s jewish oligarchs, american jews embarked on a massive media campaign to denounce putin’s democratic credentials in the hope of bringing about regime change thereby restoring the jewish oligarchs to power. The consequence of this torrent of jewish abuse towards putin has been that putin has refused to allow america’s multi-national energy corporations to exploit russia’s fossil fuel resources. "Plainly speaking, Gazprom's decision on Shtokman implies that as of today there are no major plans on the anvil in the Russian energy sector aimed at the US market. This is a dismal legacy for the Bush administration, which is supposed to be tied to the US oil industry by the umbilical cord." (M K Bhadrakumar ‘Russian energy: Europe's pride, US's envy’ http://www.atimes.com/atimes/Central_Asia/HJ14Ag01.html October 14, 2006). Yet again, america’s jewish fundamentalists have pushed america into acting against its own interests for the benefit of a jewish elite which believes it is entitled to rule russia.

The parallels between america’s attitude toward iran and its attitudes towards russia are stark. America has shown little but belligerence towards both countries even though it is in america’s interests to treat them as allies in order to allow its multi-national fossil fuel companies to exploit their fossil fuels. In both cases america’s belligerence has resulted in america’s energy companies being unable to exploit these country’s fossil fuels. In both cases, america’s jewish elite in conjunction with the jewish dominated media and the jewish lobby, have made scandalous accusations against both country’s for being involved in acquiring wmds and in global conspiracies to promote global terrorism when there has been not the slightest evidence for such allegations. In both cases, these allegations have resulted in america’s energy companies losing out on highly lucrative energy deals – simply because of jewish propaganda.

Fourthly, the belief that it is possible to carry out a large scale invasion of a country speckled with fossil fuel facilities in order to steal these resources is absurd. Even the most avaricious politicians, as long as they are sane and rational, cannot fail to appreciate that sending Bulls to guard china shops is self-defeating. ".. the failure in Iraq where, as Anthony Cordesman, the US strategist and supporter of the war, recently observed: "we essentially used a bull to liberate a china shop"." (David Gardner ‘Misplaying the Islamic power game’ http://www.ft.com/cms/s/ee3f892c-289e-11db-a2c1-0000779e2340.html August 10 2006). Fighting wars in the middle of a country with a large number of fossil fuel facilities and an extensive network of gas and oil pipelines is not merely irrational but insane.

In what must be one of the most predicable outcomes in modern history, america’s invasion of iraq has resulted in less oil being exported from iraq than during saddam’s time. What is more, the amount of oil that america has expended in invading and occupying iraq is probably not that much different from the amount of oil that america was hoping to steal from iraq. The cost of invading iraq is far in excess of how much would have been spent buying oil from iraq if it had not invaded the country.

America’s energy companies were not in favour of the invasion of iraq. It is quite true that some have profited considerably from the rise in fossil fuel prices as a result of the chaos brought about by america’s two invasions but if they had had a motive for invading it would have been to keep down the price of fossil fuels. Fossil fuel producing countries/companies do not like high oil prices. High prices may provide a short term bonanza, a profits’ windfall, but over the long term they are against the interests of the fossil fuel industry since they speed up the switch to alternative energy. Over the last few decades saudi arabia has deliberately kept global fossil fuel prices as low as was necessary to make it uneconomical for industrialists to invest in alternative forms of energy. The higher the price of fossil fuels, the greater the incentive there is for environmentalists to usher in alternative forms of energy.

It is true that, as a result of these invasions, american oil companies are now in the best position to gain control of these countries’ fossil fuel industries. "This is the point of the US invasion - a return on investment on the hundreds of billions of dollars of US taxpayers' money spent. It's not war as politics by other means; it's war as free-market opening by other means - full US access to the epicenter of the energy wars and the perfect geostrategic location for "taming", in the near future, both Russia and China. US Energy Secretary Samuel Bodman duly landed in Baghdad this past summer, insisting that Iraqis must "pass a hydrocarbon law under which foreign companies can invest". Iraqi Oil Minister Hussein al-Shahristani was convinced, and said the law would be passed by the end of 2006, as promised to the IMF." (Pepe Escobar 'Stability First': Newspeak for rape of Iraq’ http://www.atimes.com/atimes/Middle_East/HJ27Ak03.html October 27, 2006). But in reality being in the best position to expropriate these countries’ resources means nothing. Iraqis/afghanis are now closer to removing the american military from their countries, than america’s fossil fuel companies are to gaining control over these resources. The basic conditions which multi-national fossil fuel corporations need in order to maximize their interests are peace and stability not war and chaos.

Fifthly, if the bush regime had invaded afghanistan for oil it would not have neglected the country to such an extent as to allow the taliban to reassert itself making it impossible to carry out any further work on oil exploration and distribution. "The Trans-Afghan Pipeline (TAP) has disappeared from view - obliterated by the Taliban resurgence - but the project remains in the cards, although the realistic prospects are grim, according to Seyed Shah Bukhari of the Institute of Strategic Studies in Islamabad." (Pepe Escobar ‘In the heart of Pipelineistan’ http://www.atimes.com/atimes/Middle_East/HC17Ak03.html March 17, 2006); "Afghanistan is especially important to Washington because it is the only plausible way to bring natural gas down from Turkmenistan to Pakistan and India. The Turkmenistan alternative is being used to push Delhi away from any flirtation with an Iranian pipeline. As Afghanistan falls again into substantial chaos, India is being forced to reconsider, and to seek to draw on Iran's Yadavan fields, with a pipeline coming down through Pakistani Baluchistan and over to the Indian border. The turn for the worst in Afghanistan may explain the sudden warming of relations between Delhi and Tehran." (Juan Cole ‘The Iraqization of Afghanistan’ http://www.juancole.com/2006_09_01_juanricole_archive.html September 08, 2006); "By deserting Afghanistan to run off to war in Iraq, Bush ensured that it would risk falling again into social turbulence, and thus helped seal the fate of the Turkmenistan pipeline through Herat (wouldn't the Taliban just blow it up?). In turn, that may have ensured that Iran would be able to sidestep US sanctions by dealing, not only with China, but also with India. And that may mean that Bush let the big fish get away by getting bogged down in Iraq, which is turning out not to be any prize for him, either." (Juan Cole ‘The Iraqization of Afghanistan’ http://www.juancole.com/2006_09_01_juanricole_archive.html September 08, 2006). If america was so concerned about promoting the interests of its energy companies it would have consolidated its position in afghanistan rather than risking everything on a military adventure in iraq. The only reason america followed the latter course is because jewish pressure overpowered the interests of america’s energy companies.

Sixthly, many left wing commentators regard cheney as the real president rather than the imbecilic bush. They deduce that since cheney had been heavily involved in america’s energy industry then he must be promoting foreign policies to boost its interests. For example. "The "Cheney presidency", which is what historians will no doubt dub the George W Bush years, has been based on a clear strategy. It has often been misunderstood by critics who had overly focussed on its most visible component, namely, Iraq, the Middle East and the strident war-hawks around the vice president and his old crony, Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld. The "Cheney strategy" has been a US foreign policy based on securing direct global energy control, control by the Big Four US or US-tied private oil giants - ChevronTexaco or ExxonMobil, BP or Royal Dutch Shell." (F William Engdahl ‘The Emerging Russian Giant, Part 1: Moscow plays its cards strategically’ http://www.atimes.com/atimes/Central_Asia/HJ25Ag01.html October 25, 2006).

Engdahl explanation as to why cheney supported the invasion of iraq is as follows. "At that time, Iraq, with the second-largest oil reserves after Saudi Arabia in the Middle East, was under the rule of Saddam Hussein. Iran, which has the world's second-largest reserves of natural gas, in addition to its huge oil reserves, was ruled by a nationalist theocracy which was not open to US private company oil tenders. The Caspian Sea oil reserves were a subject of bitter geopolitical battle between Washington and Russia. Cheney's remark that "Oil remains fundamentally a government business", and not private, takes on a new significance when we do a fast forward to September 2000, in the heat of the Bush-Gore election campaign. That month Cheney, along with Rumsfeld and many others who went on to join the new Bush administration, issued a policy report titled, "Rebuilding America's Defenses". The paper was issued by an entity named Project for the New American Century (PNAC). Cheney's PNAC group called on the new US president-to-be to find a suitable pretext to declare war on Iraq, in order to occupy it and take direct control over the second-largest oil reserves in the Middle East." (F William Engdahl ‘The Emerging Russian Giant, Part 1: Moscow plays its cards strategically’ http://www.atimes.com/atimes/Central_Asia/HJ25Ag01.html October 25, 2006).

But cheney is no more of a determinant of america’s foreign policies than bush. After his defeat in 1995 at the hands of the jewish lobby over the fossil fuel industry’s investments in iran, cheney knew he would never advance his political career merely by promoting the latter’s interests. He could succeed only by becoming a neocon which is why he signed up to pnac and became one of their leading political advocates promoting jewish foreign policies. Pnac’s sole interest was boosting the jos’s military supremacy in the middle east. Cheney’s hope was that america’s fossil fuel industry could take advantage of any opportunities opened up by what fundamentally would be the bush administration’s jewish foreign policies. Cheney went along with jewish neocons’ plan because he did not have the power to stop them and simply hoped that, like a vulture, america’s energy industry could make as much profit as they could from whatever ensued during the transformation of the middle east. If cheney had been concerned primarily about the interests of america’s fossil fuel industry he would have ensured the invasion of afghanistan was benefiting america’s energy companies before supporting an invasion of iraq.

Seventhly, if america’s foreign policies were primarily concerned with boosting the country’s fossil fuel industry then, given a choice about which oil-rich, middle eastern country to invade, it would have chosen iran rather than iraq. This is because it possessed far more energy reserves and had a far greater geostrategic value than iraq. And yet the jewish dominated bush administration went after iraq first because it posed a much bigger military threat to the jos than iran.

Finally, and most critically, if america was concerned with pursuing its national interests, maximizing the country’s fossil fuel industry, then by far and away its most important policy would have been the establishment of an alliance with iran rather than the jos or saudi arabia. This is because iran possesses vast fossil fuel, and considerable uranium, reserves; it occupies a critical geographical position for the export of fossil fuels from the caspian sea area; it could challenge russian domination of fossil fuel supplies to europe; it could challenge increasing russian dominance over the world’s fossil fuel resources; and, finally, it could undermine the growing power of the russian-chinese military and political alliance. If america was intent on securing its oil supplies, dominating the world’s fossil fuel industry, and using fossil fuel politics to promote its global power then it would have looked to iran as its primary ally in the middle east. It needs to be re-emphasized that although saudi arabia may export more fossil fuels than iran, iran is far more geostrategically important than saudi arabia. America’s failure to develop an alliance with iran is proof that its foreign policies have been hijacked by the country’s ruling jewish elite which is concerned solely with boosting the regional supremacy of the jos even if this takes place at the expense of america’s national interests.

It is paradoxical that it is the oil hypothesis itself which exposes the fact that america’s foreign policies are concerned about enhancing the jos’s regional supremacism not maximizing america’s oil interests. If america was following an oil based foreign policy its main focus would have been an alliance with iran rather than with saudi arabia or the jos.

It has been noted that it is liberal and left wing political commentators who, despite all the evidence to the contrary, continually pump out the propaganda that america’s foreign policies are concerned with the interests of its energy corporations. This fantasy is also promoted by the jos’s political agents throughout the western world who seek to provide a smokescreen for the power of america’s jewish elite which implements foreign policies boosting the interests of the jos rather than america. In addition, it is not just a coincidence that liberal and left wing commentators promote this fantasy since so many are jewish. The belief that america is pursuing an oil based foreign policy is an illusion conjured up by neo-liberals and neo-lefties who refuse to confront the reality of jewish power in america and around the world. "Pressure from Israel and the Lobby was not the only factor behind the U.S. decision to attack Iraq in March 2003, but it was a critical element. Some Americans believe that this was a "war for oil," but there is hardly any direct evidence to support this claim. Instead, the war was motivated in good part by a desire to make Israel more secure." (John J. Mearsheimer and Stephen M. Walt ‘The Israel Lobby and U.S. Foreign Policy’ rwp_06_011_walt.pdf March 2006 p.30).

The Rise of Iran in Global Politics.
Russia’s newly-acquired status as a fossil fuel superpower would be enhanced considerably by an alliance with iran just as, conversely, it would be undermined by an iranian alliance with america. In the realm of global politics, iran is gradually emerging as the pivot which will determine who comes out on top of the power struggle between america and the asian bloc of russia/china and their allies. If iran joins america then america could consolidate its position as leader of the new world order but, if it joins the russian/chinese bloc, then they will emerge as the new global leaders. If america wants to remain the world’s hyperpower it must forge an alliance with iran. But to do this it must sacrifice its support for the jos.

The jos is responsible for inflicting a succession of increasingly catastrophic economic and military disasters upon america which is undermining america’s position as the world’s hyperpower. The longer the jos and america’s ruling jewish elite continue to manipulate america into demonizing iran, the more they will undermine america’s global dominance. "By incessant strategic blunders, the US has isolated itself internationally and fanned the fires of global anti-Americanism, which increasingly engulf the very regions where its own resources-based strategic interests lie." (W Joseph Stroupe ‘Russia spins global energy spider's web’ http://www.atimes.com/atimes/Global_Economy/HH25Dj01.html Aug 25, 2006).

America did not become a hyperpower because the jos was america’s strategic asset in the middle east. On the contrary, it became a hyperpower in spite of its alliance with the jos not because of it. The jos has been ruining american interests in the region on an increasingly catastrophic scale. This sabotaging of american interests cannot last. The jos’s manipulation of america into demonizing iran will provoke a regional war that will be so catastrophic as to bring about the collapse of america’s hyperpower status. The jos, and its jewish fifth columnists in america, will have inflicted their last catastrophe upon america for it to survive as the world’s number one power.

America’s ruling jewish elite have forced america to turn its back on its own national interests i.e. an alliance with iran to benefit from the country’s immense geostrategic value, for the sake of supporting the jos which has no oil and a negligible strategic value. But america’s alliance with the jos is even more bizarre considering that the jos has inflicted on america a series of increasingly devastating military and economic disasters. America has suffered one jewish-lobbied disaster after another and yet such is the power of the jewish dominated media that they’ve managed to persuade the american public that these have not been disasters, that they have not been the fault of the jewish lobby, and that the jos is america’s most unwaveringly loyal ally despite having done nothing for america. It seems as if america’s jewish elite can promote as many anti-american policies as their heart desires and still have enough political power to manipulate members of congress into supporting them and enough media power to continually deceive americans into believing that these policies are in their interests.

Jewish interests have come to predominate in american politics to the detriment of america’s national i.e. oil, interests and, as a consequence, american is being trounced by russia in the world’s oil wars. If americans want to remain a hyperpower they must dump the hysterical, paranoid, psychotically belligerent, jews who are solely concerned with triggering off endless wars in the middle east and beyond solely for the benefit of jewish supremacism.

America’s threatened invasion of iran runs counter to america’s national interests and, if it proceeds, will have a catastrophic impact on these interests. It will also have a catastrophic impact on europe’s national interests. And yet neither america nor europe are powerful enough to dismiss the twaddle of jewish propaganda and insist that their interests would be better served by an alliance with iran rather than with the jos. Jewish elites around the world must have some colossal global power if they can force america and europe to undermine their own national interests for the greater good of the jos and the global jewish empire.