Page 14 - Colonization and Decolonization: A Manual for Indigenous Liberation in the 21st Century

War for Oil &Global Domination
The US/UN siege ofIraq continued until 2003, when the US again invaded. The invasion ofIraq is part ofa larger
US strategy to take direct control of Mid-East oil, part of its plans for global domination. One official described it as a "stupendous source ofstrategic power and one ofthe greatest prizes in world history."
US involvement in.the Mid-East increased after WW2, following the retreat of primarily British and French forces during the period of 'decoIonization'. Corporations such as Exxon, Gulf Oil, Standard, and Texaco moved in. Israel (established in 1948 through Zionist war & terror) is a vital part ofoverall US control, serving as a US fortress and a source o f instability in the region. Other Arab countries, such as Saudi Arabia, Jordan, and Egypt, are the largest recipients o f US military & economic aid in the world.
Planning and preparation for direct US invasion ofthe Mid-East began in 1973, during the 'Oil Crisis' when Mid- East Arab nations cut oil supplies in protest of US-Israeli military aggression in the region. Following this, US military forces began extensive training & preparation for desert warfare.
In 1979, an Islamic Revolution in Iran overthrew the US-backed dictator (the Shah) and cut off a valuable source of cheap oil to the US. Demonstrators stormed the US embassy and took over 50 Americans hostage. The hostage ordeal was a humiliating and frustrating event for the US, which appeared impotent and helpless. In 1980, an attempted hostage- rescue. ended in disaster when US special forces crashed in the Iranian desert (the hostages were released in 1981).
In 1980, as Saddam Hussein gained power, the US used Iraq to attack Iran: The war lasted until 1988, with two million Iraq & Iranian dead. Western nations, such as the US, Britain and France, supplied arms to both sides, despite widespread atrocities and the use of chemical weapons during the conflict. As the war ended, the US Navy 'accidentally' shot down a civilian Iranian jet, killing nearly 300 passengers.
The Iranian Revolution was a great concern to the US, and it quickly moved to expand its control. In 1980, the US established a Rapid Deployment Force, prepared for short-notice invasion of the Middle-East. From 1980-83, new bases were built in Saudi Arabia & Oman. In 1981, Bright Star annual training exercises began in the Mid-East. .
In 1982, nearly 250 US Marines were killed in a truck bombing in Beirut, Lebanon. The marines were part of a UN 'peacekeeping' mission to maintain control of Lebanon. After the withdrawal of Soviet forces from Afghanistan in 1989, the US became an increasing target for Islamic militant groups. It is now common knowledge that these groups had initially been trained, funded, and armed by the CIA during the Soviet war in Afghanistan (including al-Qaeda)..
As a result ofthe September 11, 2001 attacks against the Twin Towers and the Pentagon, the US declared its 'War on Terror', beginning with the military invasion and (ongoing) occupation of Afghanistan. In 2003, the US invaded Iraq, using the pretext of weapons of mass destruction (none were found). Three years later (2006) the US occupation of Afghanistan & Iraq continues (with Iran in between, part ofthe 'axis ofevil' targeted by Bush, including Syria & N. Korea).
In Iraq, the lJS faces an organized and expanding insurgency, while in the US itself a growing number of people are becoming increasingly disillusioned with the war altogether. From its origins in ancient Mesopotamia, the Western imperial system has now gone full circle, invading and destroying Iraq, the homeland ofBabylon itself
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