We have already pointed out several clues so that, finally, at this stage of our reflection, we can dismiss the possibility of a « humanitarian war » and say that it was not an impulsive response to the recent events either.
If Washington and Paris deliberately denied any attempts to negotiate, if they have « worked on » Libyan opinion for a good while and worked out detailed scenarios for the intervention, if aircraft carriers have been ready to intervene for a long time (as it was confirmed by U.S.
Navy admiral Gary Roughead, the Chief of the U.S. Navy : « Our forces had already taken up their position against Libya », Washington, March 23), it certainly does not mean that the war was decided at the last minute in reaction to unexpected events, but that it was planned. Because it pursues major goal that go well beyond the person of Gaddafi. Which are they ?
In this war against Libya, Washington is pursuing several objectives at the same time :
1. Taking control of oil.
2. Ensuring the safety of Israel.
3. Preventing the liberation of the Arab world.
4. Hindering the African unity.
5. Setting up N.A.T.O. as the watchdog of Africa.It does involve many objectives. This was also the case for the wars in Iraq, Yugoslavia, and in Afghanistan. Indeed, such a war costs a lot and entails major risks for the image of the United States, especially when it does not win. If Obama triggers a war of this kind, it means he expects major advantages from it.
First goal : taking control of all oil reserves
Some say that this time, the war is not for oil, because apparently, the quantities of Libyan oil are minor in the global oil production and that anyway, Gaddafi was already selling his oil to Europeans. Yet they do not understand what the « world oil war » consists of.
With the worsening of the general crisis of capitalism, the world’s leading economic powers engage in fiercer and fiercer competition. The seats are precious in this musical chairs game. To secure a chair for their multinationals, each superpower must fight on all fronts : capturing markets and profitable labor force areas, getting big public and private contracts, securing commercial monopolies, controlling the states which will grant it favors. And first and foremost ensuring domination over coveted raw materials. Particularly, oil.
In 2000, as we analyzed the wars to come in our book entitled Monopoly, we wrote : « He who wants to rule the world, must take control of oil. All of it. Wherever it may be. » If you are a superpower, securing your own oil supplies is not enough. You yearn for more oil, you want mileage out of it. Not only for the huge profits, but particularly as you ensure yourself a monopoly, you will be able to deprive your too inconvenient rivals of it, or subject them to your own conditions. You will hold the perfect weapon. Blackmail ? Yes indeed.
Since 1945, the United States has done anything to secure this monopoly on oil. For instance, a rival country such as Japan was dependent upon the U.S.A. for 95% of its supplying with energy. Enough to guarantee its obedience.
However, balances of power in international relations change, the world is turning multipolar and the United States faces the rise of China, Russia’s recovery, and the emergence of Brazil and of other southern countries. It becomes more and more difficult to the maintain the monopoly position.
Libya’s oil represents only about 1% or 2% of the global oil production. Fair enough ! But it is of higher quality, easier to extract, it is thus a very profitable business. And above all, it is situated near Italy, France and Germany. It would be more expensive to import oil from the Middle-East, Black Africa, or Latin America. There is definitely a battle for Libya’s black gold. Especially for a country such as France, which embarked on a nuclear program that has become very hazardous.
In this context, we need to recall two facts. 1. Gaddafi wanted to increase Libya’s contribution to oil supply from 30% to 51%. 2. Last March, 2, Gaddafi had complained that Libya’s oil production was at its lowest. He had threatened to replace the western firms which had left the country with Chinese, Russian, and Indian ones. Is it a coincidence ? Every time an African country becomes interested in China, it gets itself into trouble.
Here is another clue : Ali Zeidan, the man who put out the figure of « six thousand civilian casualties » - who were supposedly the victims of Gaddafi’s bombings - is also the spokesman for N.T.C. (National Transitional Council), that opposition government which is recognized by France. Well, as such, Zeidan has declared that Libya will « honor the contracts that had been signed with oil companies », however the future government « will be grateful to the nations that helped us » ! Therefore, this is definitely another war for oil. Yet, Libya is not the sole target.
What are these rivalries between U.S.A, France and Germany for ?
If the war against Libya is just a humanitarian one, we do not understand why those who fight it argue with each other. Why Sarkozy rushed to be the first to bomb the country ? Why was he vexed when N.A.T.O. offered to take command of all the operations in Libya ? He argued : « N.A.T.O. is unpopular in the Arab countries. » This does not make sense. As if he was so popular there after providing Israel and Ben Ali with such protection !
Why were Germany and Italy so doubtful about the war ? Why did Italian secretary Frattini first declare that « Libya’s sovereignty and territorial integrity have to be protected » and that « Europe should not export democracy in Libya. » (1) Are they just mere diverging viewpoints regarding humanitarian effectiveness ? I guess not, it is all about economic interests. As Europe is confronted with the crisis, rivalries are consequently growing stronger and stronger. Just a few months ago, European leaders came one after the other in Tripoli, embracing Gaddafi and pocketing big Libyan contracts. Those who had got them, would do very well not to overthrow him. Those who had not, would better do so. Which country was Libya’s top oil customer ? Italy. Which was the second one ? Germany. Now let us have a look at European superpowers’ investments and exportations. Which country got the most contracts in Libya ? Italy. Which was the second one ? Germany.
It was the German firm BASF which had become the main oil producing company in Libya, with its two billion euros of investment. It was the German firm DEA, a subsidiary company of water giant RWE, which got more than forty one thousand square kilometers of oil and gas fields. It was the German firm Siemens which was instrumental in the huge investments in the gigantic project entitled « Great Man Made River » : the biggest irrigation project in the world, a network of pipelines which draw water from the Nubian aquifers to the Sahara desert. More than 1,300 oil wells, which are often more than five hundred meters deep, and once all alterations have been completed, will supply 6.5 millions cubic meters of water everyday in Tripoli, Benghazi, Sirte and other cities. (2) 25 billion dollars that attracted the covetousness of some countries ! Besides, with these petrodollars, Gaddafi had embarked on a very ambitious program to renew infrastructure, build schools and hospitals and industrialize the country.
Taking advantage of its economic strength, Germany formed special economic partnerships with Libya, Saudi Arabia and countries of the Arabian Gulf. It thus does not want to spoil its image in the Arab world. As far as Italy is concerned, we have to remember that it colonized Libya with incredible roughness, playing on divisions between western and eastern tribes. Today, with Berlusconi, Italian companies got some nice contracts. They have thus a lot at stake. On the other hand, France and Great Britain, which did not get the tastiest pieces of the cake, go on the offensive in order to revise the sharing of the cake. And the war in Libya is just an extension of the economic struggle by other means. The capitalist world is not so nice. Economic rivalry is transposed to the military field. In a period when Europe is in crisis and dominated by an ultra successful Germany (particularly thanks to its policy of low salaries), France breaks off its alliances and now turns towards Great Britain in order to restore the balance. Paris and London are greater military powers than Berlin, and try to play this card in order to make up for their weakness on the economic level.
Second goal : Ensuring the safety of Israel.
In the Middle-East, everything links up. As Noam Chomsky explained to us in an interview (3) : « From 1967 onwards, the government of the United States has considered Israel as a key investment. It was one of the community police stations in charge of the protection of the oil producing Arab dictatorships. » Israel is the cop of the Middle-East.
However, Washington faces a new problem : because of the many crimes Israel committed (Lebanon, Gaza, the humanitarian flotilla), the latter becomes more and more isolated. Arab peoples demand the end of this colonialism. As a result, now the cop needs protection. Israel cannot survive without being surrounded by Arab dictatorships which could not care less about their peoples’ will to support the Palestinians. That is why Washington protected Mubarak and Ben Ali, and will do the same for the other dictators.
The United States is worried about « losing » Tunisia and Egypt in the years to come. It would indeed change the balance of power in the region. After the war against Iraq in 2003 - which also served as a warning and a means of intimidation directed at all the other Arab leaders - Gaddafi had felt the threat. As a consequence, he had multiplied concessions - which were sometimes excessive ones - to the Western powers and their neoliberalism. It had weakened him at the internal level of social revolts
When you give in to the I.M.F., you do harm to your people. But if tomorrow Tunisia and Egypt become leftists, Gaddafi will undoubtedly be able to reconsider these concessions.
A resistance axis between Cairo-Tripoli-Tunis, standing up to the United States and determined to make Israel give in would be a nightmare forWashington. Overthrowing Gaddafi is thus prevention.
Third goal : preventing the liberation of the Arab world.
Nowadays, who rules over the whole Arab world, over its economy, its resources, and its oil ? We know it is not the Arab peoples. It is not the dictators in power either. They certainly are in the forefront but the true rulers are behind the scenes.
American and European multinational companies are the ones which decide what those countries will produce or not, determine salary scales, whom will make the most of oil revenues and which ruler will be imposed there. Those multinationals are the ones which make their shareholders grow richer at the Arab peoples’ expense.
Imposing tyrants in the whole Arab world leads to serious consequences : only multinational companies benefit from oil and other natural resources, they are not used to diversify the local economy and create jobs. Moreover, multinational companies impose low salaries on the tourist industry, on the small industries and on the subcontracting services.
As a result, these economies remain dependent, unbalanced and do not fulfill peoples’ needs. In the years to come, unemployment will increase, for 35% of the Arabs are under the age of 15. Dictators are multinationals’ employees, in charge of securing their profits and crushing protest movements. Their role is to hinder social Justice.
Three hundred million Arabs spread over twenty countries, yet rightly seeing themselves as a single nation, face a decisive choice : either accepting the maintenance of colonialism or becoming independent by taking a new path ? All around, the world is changing fast : China, Brazil and other countries are liberating themselves politically, so much so that their economy is making progress. Will the Arab world remain behind ? Will the subordination to the United States and Europe remain, a weapon that is used against the other nations in this great global economic and political battle ? Or will the hour of liberation eventually strike ?
This possibility terrorizes strategists in Washington. If the Arab world and oil slip out of their hands, that is the end of their domination over the world. Because the United States, a superpower which is in economic and political decline, is more and more questioned : by Germany, Russia, Latin America, and China. Moreover, a lot of southern countries long to develop South-South relations, which are more profitable than the subordination to the United States.
The latter is finding it more and more difficult to maintain itself as the greatest global power, capable of plundering whole nations and waging war wherever it pleases.
Let’s say it again : If tomorrow the Arab world unites and frees itself, if the United States loses the oil weapon, it will simply become a second-rate power within a multipolar world.
However, it will be a big step forward for humanity : international relations will usher in a new course and peoples of the South will eventually be able to decide their own fate and be done with poverty.
Para volver a la pagina inicial de Generacion F pulse AQUI
No comments:
Post a Comment