Commentary

2nd May 1999

Oil factor in US policy

By Mervyn de Silva

The cold war is finally over. NATO is in the heavens and all is well on earth. True? I heard the same words before I climbed the Berlin Wall from the GDR (East Germany) to West Berlin-Willy Brandt's Berlin, a few months before the wall- the ugly symbol of the cold war, was pulled down.

One also the pundits play word games- multi-polar, diffusion of power, devolution of power, decentralisation, multi-polar etc., a terminology widely used in the debate and discourse on internal/domestic conflicts, especially for secessionist ethnic conflicts.

This discussion is of course inspired by the aggressive American intervention in Yugoslavia. NATO assumes the role of sheriff or more aggressively and pompously, Marshal. Already Uncle Sam had been prepared for the role, keeper of law and order, and peace, without even a courteous nod, to the United Nations, the agency that the founding-fathers of the post-war world had assigned for this task of conflict resolution, a widely used (over-used) term right now.

Taking a close look at the emerging global power-structure or architecture, from his firm Asian base.(Hongkong, now China-administered more or less) Philip Bowring recognises signs of a global decline in American influence.

Philip Bowring was editor of the Far Eastern Economic Review for several years.

He observed: "The high water mark of US global political and economic influence in the post-Soviet era had already been reached." It is now the limitations of being the only superpower in a multi-power world are ever more apparent".

Consider the disturbed vital areas.

In the critical Middle-east (oil) Washington is hamstrung by Israel, and unable to pursue a truly independent policy, by Jewish influence (lobby?) in Washington and across many states, and the New York-based pro-Israel Big Business.

Oil factor

It is not the Jewish lobby nor Israeli diplomacy that influence the White House, the State Dept., and the Congress. It is oil.

"The fundamental concern of the US government is NOT Israel and its immediate neighbours but rather control over the vast reserves of energy in the Middle-east. During World War II the United States established a firm hold over Saudi Arabian reserves - hardly a surprise since the Dept., noted at the time, these reserves constitute a stupendous source of strategic power, and one of the greatest material prizes in world history."

National security

US Foreign policy, including aggressive diplomacy, was aimed at so-called allies - Britain and later France. The outcome?

By the late 1940's, the US made oil an issue of national security. Thus, President Truman called for an exhaustive report on "oil policy". The State Dept., assisted by Defence and Interior, made it clear "oil" was a priority of both the State Dept., and the Defence Department. But what the oil firms could not achieve was a more balanced American policy on the Middle-east. Saudi Arabia and the ruling sheiks had the most intimate reconnecting.

And that explains Palestinian guerrilla attacks on buildings known to be occupied by top-level American military personnel. But the Washington Post has now sounded the alarm.

Three syndromes

"The Vietnam Syndrome and the Gulf War syndrome have been laid to rest", argues E.J. Dionne Jr. in the Washington Post.

The Vietnam syndrome taught America the limits of this superpower just as the Soviet Union (Stalin's imperial Russia) learnt the lessons of imperial over-reach after Gorbachev. The US was bogged down in Haiti, Iraq and in Bosnia. However President Bill Clinton believes American power in such causes as human rights and democracy. Opponents of Mr. Clinton, quite unfairly I believe, argue that Mr. Clinton uses foreign engagements as a diversion from what took the form of an impeachment threat.

Islamic challenge

An American perspective /semi-official does not sufficiently recognise the importance of the consequences of the Islamic revival. Yes, democracy has won the long war against the one-party state based on socialism, communism, fascism but the Middle-east has produced a more potent mobilising cause - the revolution inspired by the Ayatollah Khomeini. Even the Israelis who are rightly proud of their intelligence agencies took time recognising the rallying cry of Allahu-Akbar just as it failed to realise that religious battle-cries were increasingly attractive to a new generation. The young man who assassinated Prime Minister Rabin, was a member of a secret Zionist (Jewish) cell. He thought that Rabin, the most decorated war hero was a traitor.

Fundamentalism is the most attractive "ism" from Bosnia to Indonesia. Can NATO or Mossad, the Israeli CIA cope with the Islamic threat.

Hulftsdorp Hill

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