Wednesday, October 11, 2006

Naked Imperialism

The Big 4

Recent stories about James Baker's admission to the elite circle of imperial strategists illustrates the shallow analysis that is the corporate media.

Mr. Baker, we are told, believes America has a myriad of options on the spectrum between "cut and run" and "stay the course". Baker's "commission", which I can only assume includes no Iraqis, is considering dividing the nation into three regions under some rag-tag federal system.

The entire article rests on the assumption that James Baker has the right to decide how Iraq should be structured and governed. Unburdened by any challenge to this assumption, the author of the article directs the audience to a false debate whether there is a middle ground between the hollow cliches of "cut and run" or "stay the course". Such is the arrogance of naked imperialism.

The headline brought to mind the Versailles Treaty. On January 18, 1919, after the end of WWI, the leading statesmen of the United States, France, Britain, and Italy -- the so-called "big four" -- met in Paris to decide about the future of the defeated German and Ottoman Empires. In addition to unanimously agreeing to punish Germany for causing WWI, the Big Four divided up the vast Ottoman Empire among themselves. Britain created a "mandate" in Palestine, which is the precursor to the endless violence that has plagued its people since 1948. Jordan was created out of thin air, arbitrarily imprisoning the wandering Bedouin into an invisible cage. Iraq, another fictitious nation, and Jordan were gifted to the Hussein brothers, who had betrayed the Turks at the behest of the British.

The conflicts we witness today are the direct result of the invisible lines carved on the imperial map in 1919. Kurdistan, as a contiguous region of ethnic Kurds, ceased to exist. With the haughty wave of a pen thousands of miles away, Kurds instantly became citizens of Iraq, Turkey, Iran and Syria, needing passports to visit their families in a village one mile away. The Shia of Iraq, once freely allowed to travel to the religious shrines of Iran, were now restricted in their practice and pilgrimages and ruled by an illegitimate monarchy that used Sunni Islam to justify its control over the vast energy resources of the region.

Fast forward almost 100 years and history is once again repeating itself. In the hands of a nameless American bi-partisan commission lies the fate of the Iraqi people and the nation of Iraq. Perhaps the Americans will decide to keep Iraq unified or maybe, with the haughty wave of the pen, the nation will be divided into three regions. One can envision James Baker and his imperial cohorts sitting around a table with an army of erasers, undoing the lines drawn on that fateful day in Paris in 1919, substituting them with the better judgment of a new century.

While it is unclear what the outcome of the commission will be, one thing remains certain -- the people on the ground will once again be excluded from the decisions of the naked imperialists. History never fails to repeat itself.

26 Comments:

At 10:22 AM, October 11, 2006 , Blogger Intellectual Insurgent said...

Kurdistan wasn't a country, but it was a region, just like Waziristan is now a region of Pakistan. The suffix "stan" means "land of". Hence, Turkmenistan, Kurdistan, Waziristan, etc. Before 1919, however, there weren't nations in the modern sense of the word, so all these regions existed as contiguous areas that perhaps answered to a caliph in Baghdad or Istanbul. The Big 4 divided up the map with no regard to these contiguous regions.

 
At 3:27 PM, October 11, 2006 , Blogger J.C. said...

Baker is an interesting character. A ring leader in the Carlyle group.
He has decided to pull Bush`s strings now for a while.
He is in league with many power brokers of the Axis of Evil. America,Great Britain, and Israel.

This person is the ultimate insider of the idocracy faction of bible thumpers and price system flunkies.

 
At 10:33 AM, October 12, 2006 , Blogger Intellectual Insurgent said...

It is a European concept. It was a more efficient way to manage the recources of the colonies and, in addition, lends well to the divide and conquer tactic -- which is exactly what is at play in the division of Iraq. They will divide it and make sure the people willing to play ball are in control of the oil regions.

 
At 10:33 AM, October 12, 2006 , Blogger Intellectual Insurgent said...

It is a European concept. It was a more efficient way to manage the recources of the colonies and, in addition, lends well to the divide and conquer tactic -- which is exactly what is at play in the division of Iraq. They will divide it and make sure the people willing to play ball are in control of the oil regions.

 
At 12:20 PM, October 12, 2006 , Blogger J.C. said...

Divide and conquer is how people are controlled in a price system. Baffle them . Turn them against themselves.

 
At 12:52 PM, October 12, 2006 , Blogger Chris the Hippie said...

Part of the pain in the whole nation-state thing is... how do you un-teach it? I read a statement in a science fiction book once along the lines of "Once you give a child a rag doll and tell her it's all her's, she has a concept of individual ownership that no culture can overcome." I fear that may be true with lines on a map, too...

 
At 6:19 PM, October 12, 2006 , Blogger J.C. said...

There is nothing wrong with personal property, clothes , books , etc . Private property on the scale of owning land and destroying resources though should no longer be allowed.
A nation might have a boundary line as to its precincts. For a lot of reasons.
Most crime revolves around the concept of property. Eliminate property and money , and the beginnings of a decent society might emerge. Then politicians must go. Permanently.

 
At 7:30 AM, October 13, 2006 , Blogger Capt. Fogg said...

"Eliminate property and money , and the beginnings of a decent society might emerge."

Thanks Karl, but so far that scheme has resulted only in massive tyranny and squalor.

"Then politicians must go. Permanently."

To be replaced by completely altruistic autocrats of your choosing? and just when does the State wither away?

 
At 9:10 AM, October 13, 2006 , Blogger J.C. said...

Some time before or after your brain whithered away.

 
At 9:38 AM, October 13, 2006 , Blogger Intellectual Insurgent said...

Captain Fogg,

What about the Native Americans? Didn't they live without private property and money in relative harmony? Or is that a romativized version of their history?

 
At 9:53 AM, October 13, 2006 , Blogger Michael said...

Somewhat romanticized, II; there was a flourishing, continental economy before 1492. A good book is 1491, by Charles C. Mann.

 
At 4:41 PM, October 13, 2006 , Blogger J.C. said...

I do actually agree with you. It is perfectly normal to kill someone. It it were not you could not do it. Nature provides those limits.

Logic would dictate though if you do it , most likely revenge will be taken. Humans are like that.

Bush apparently has managed to get around 650.000 killed in one country recently. That's pretty amazing for a single person who doesn`t know much, and cares about less.

No doubt a democrat would have done the same thing, for the common master, the powers that be, the corporate fat cats. Sad how our system actually runs.

You seem a little ignorant of reality on that.?

I understand by your post here that you value lives in money.?
In other words you are another brain washed price system devotee`

I heard a news story today that reminds me of your post here.

It was the dubious science awards they give out every year.

Some professor got an award for doing a study about why woodpeckers don`t get headaches from all the wood pecking they do.

Somehow in my mind this woodpecker story reminds me now of you.

For some reason I am wondering if you are prone to headaches also with your type of peckering.

 
At 4:58 PM, October 13, 2006 , Blogger Michael said...

Skip writes: "No doubt a democrat would have done the same thing, for the common master, the powers that be, the corporate fat cats. "

Based on what evidence exactly?

One of my pet peeves is dealing with those leftos that keep on moaning about "they're all the same, man, they all work for the man, man". This is irksome because of the deep ignorance it reveals in the people making such claims. Said ignorance should be rooted out, not merely for the childish argumental structures it reveals, which are odious to adults and policy people alike, but to ensure the survival of the species.

In short, go pound sand. You know nothing. Change that.

 
At 8:54 PM, October 13, 2006 , Blogger J.C. said...

Stalin, Our country has been run by the corporations since 1948 or so.
Clinton and Bush are interchangeable almost. Its a fraud.

You are a believer. A price system flunkie. A politico. A pawn.
You are brain washed. Inculcated.
You my friend are not as smart as you think you are. Sorry.
That is my judgement.
You may want to take a peep at my book. It`s a free download. Paper copies cost money. www.technocracynow.org
before you in your charming ignorance draw conclusions that seem rather immature , and shallow. If you read some of it , I would suggest chapter 6, I think it is called , I am the Price System. It details how the religious , political ,and economic system work together to keep our class system going. OK Pal.? The book is , Beyond the Cloak of Deception.

The other blogger iranajoy, had a stroke a few years ago, he hasn`t been the same since. The doctors say that it is a kind of Turrets syndrome he suffers from now. Just ignore him. He can be stupidly funny at times. Most often, not.
This is just second hand info , but it seems accurate. Toilet humour.

 
At 6:50 AM, October 14, 2006 , Blogger Michael said...

You know what, Skippie, I don't need to read your book, because the claims you make, far from being original, have been hashed out ad nauseam by white elitists with nothing better to do for years. Two words: Noam Chomsky.

Over here in the real world, where less airy standards apply, and policy gets made, the differences between Democrats and the forces of evil are so glaring as to be stark.

From over here in the real world, the central problems of vulgar Marxism - which is the generic term for what you probably think you came up with all by your lonesome - are that, one, there is no popular support for it, and two, meanwhile, we need to make the system we have work. Democrats generally advocate for policies that create the greatest good for the greatest number - republicans tell you to go screw, unless you're a big-dollar donor.

Of course, that doesn't make a lot of difference to the likes of you, ensconced as you seem to be in admiration of your own enervated brilliance. But as noted, over here in the real world, where outcomes matter, the distinction is quite sharp. I'd throw the 'shallow' charge back at you, simply because that sums your claims up neatly.

So you were saying?

 
At 10:11 AM, October 14, 2006 , Blogger J.C. said...

Mr. Shark you prove my point as to your ignorance.
Noam Chomsky is an idiot. I have to conclude you also at present are one.
You apparently are deeply brainwashed.
You are exactly the problem . Not interested in learning
Technocracy is not Marxism. Fool.
So you are a Democrat.? I have news for you, you are a sucker.
So, Mr. Anti-Intellectual, learn something. Your post is empty.

 
At 10:16 AM, October 14, 2006 , Blogger J.C. said...

I also assume you are a rascist with the white elitist comment. How do they differ from black elitists pray tell.
Why frame things in nonexistant terms such as this.

 
At 10:26 AM, October 14, 2006 , Blogger Michael said...

You know so little, Skippie, yet say so much. That really is most unfortunate; and just for the record, "you're brainwashed" doesn't carry much weight as a persuasive argument.

QED.

 
At 3:54 PM, October 14, 2006 , Blogger J.C. said...

You have no idea what I know Shark. I have you pegged by your ignorant rhetoric here. Sorry.
Brain washed is a real word that means something.
You are a belief system flunky, a Democrat. That means you are just about like a Republican. You believe in the price system . You are unconscious as to the reality of our political system. Being ignorant is not terminal. Usually.

 
At 11:51 PM, October 14, 2006 , Blogger Michael said...

"You believe in the price system".

Say what?

No, Skippie, I believe in talking sense. Give it a try some time; and while it's debatable whether you'll like it, surely, the experience will be novel for you.

Feh.

 
At 5:19 PM, October 16, 2006 , Blogger J.C. said...

He may understand it in time Iranajoy, in the mean time glad to see your cracked sense of humour. Ha.

 
At 11:48 AM, October 17, 2006 , Blogger Michael said...

Leo and Skippie, happy together. Hehe.

 
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