The 14 Characteristics of Fascism
by Lawrence Britt
Free Inquiry Magazine, Spring 2003
www.globalresearch.ca 7 November 2004
The URL of this article is: http://globalresearch.ca/articles/BRI411A.html
Political scientist Dr. Lawrence Britt recently wrote an article about fascism ("Fascism Anyone?," Free Inquiry, Spring 2003, page 20).
Studying the fascist regimes of Hitler (Germany), Mussolini (Italy), Franco (Spain), Suharto (Indonesia), and Pinochet (Chile), Dr. Britt found they all had 14 elements in common. He calls these the identifying characteristics of fascism. The excerpt is in accordance with the magazine's policy.
The 14 characteristics are:
Powerful and Continuing Nationalism
Fascist regimes tend to make constant use of patriotic mottoes, slogans, symbols, songs, and other paraphernalia. Flags are seen everywhere, as are flag symbols on clothing and in public displays.
Disdain for the Recognition of Human Rights
Because of fear of enemies and the need for security, the people in fascist regimes are persuaded that human rights can be ignored in certain cases because of "need." The people tend to look the other way or even approve of torture, summary executions, assassinations, long incarcerations of prisoners, etc.
Identification of Enemies/Scapegoats as a Unifying Cause
The people are rallied into a unifying patriotic frenzy over the need to eliminate a perceived common threat or foe: racial , ethnic or religious minorities; liberals; communists; socialists, terrorists, etc.
Supremacy of the Military
Even when there are widespread domestic problems, the military is given a disproportionate amount of government funding, and the domestic agenda is neglected. Soldiers and military service are glamorized.
Rampant Sexism
The governments of fascist nations tend to be almost exclusively male-dominated. Under fascist regimes, traditional gender roles are made more rigid. Opposition to abortion is high, as is homophobia and anti-gay legislation and national policy.
Controlled Mass Media
Sometimes the media is directly controlled by the government, but in other cases, the media is indirectly controlled by government regulation, or sympathetic media spokespeople and executives. Censorship, especially in war time, is very common.
Obsession with National Security
Fear is used as a motivational tool by the government over the masses.
Religion and Government are Intertwined
Governments in fascist nations tend to use the most common religion in the nation as a tool to manipulate public opinion. Religious rhetoric and terminology is common from government leaders, even when the major tenets of the religion are diametrically opposed to the government's policies or actions.
Corporate Power is Protected
The industrial and business aristocracy of a fascist nation often are the ones who put the government leaders into power, creating a mutually beneficial business/government relationship and power elite.
Labor Power is Suppressed
Because the organizing power of labor is the only real threat to a fascist government, labor unions are either eliminated entirely, or are severely suppressed .
Disdain for Intellectuals and the Arts
Fascist nations tend to promote and tolerate open hostility to higher education, and academia. It is not uncommon for professors and other academics to be censored or even arrested. Free expression in the arts is openly attacked, and governments often refuse to fund the arts.
Obsession with Crime and Punishment
Under fascist regimes, the police are given almost limitless power to enforce laws. The people are often willing to overlook police abuses and even forego civil liberties in the name of patriotism. There is often a national police force with virtually unlimited power in fascist nations.
Rampant Cronyism and Corruption
Fascist regimes almost always are governed by groups of friends and associates who appoint each other to government positions and use governmental power and authority to protect their friends from accountability. It is not uncommon in fascist regimes for national resources and even treasures to be appropriated or even outright stolen by government leaders.
Fraudulent Elections
Sometimes elections in fascist nations are a complete sham. Other times elections are manipulated by smear campaigns against or even assassination of opposition candidates, use of legislation to control voting numbers or political district boundaries, and manipulation of the media. Fascist nations also typically use their judiciaries to manipulate or control elections.
Tuesday, February 21, 2006
Wednesday, February 08, 2006
Iran, the C.I.A, the pretext for war and the engame for oil.
War is not good. Not for most life on the planet.
Only a few human being it seems.
We seem to be waiting idly by as a pretext is built for a war with Iran.
This is a blog about the state of the planet as I see it.
Over a year and a half ago, my house mate/colleague made a print design for hoodies.
On the front it read 'Don't attack Iran!'
on the back it read '... or Syria, Cuba, Venezuela'......and all the other countries listen in the 'axis of evil'.
This was just after the invasion of Iraq.
Most people I speak to regarding the Iraq occupation have no doubts as to why British and U.S forces are in that country.
Oil.
Securing and defending oil reserves.
Now, I'm not going to talk about media pretext for war with Iraq here.
Iraq did not have weapons of mass destruction.
Saddam was a jackal.
He worked as an assassin for the CIA.
Their attempted plot against President Quasim failed, so new measures were put in place.
Saddam was a CIA poster boy for a long time, aiding the U.S interest in ousting Iraq's communist leadership in a series of coups, and then assuming power.
http://www.atimes.com/atimes/Middle_East/FI15Ak01.html
Why would they do this?
Why would they go through so much effort.
Of course, it is common knowledge now that such measures were often used to 'oust communists' from positions of power globally.
Of course it is the oil; but there's more.
Geo political interest.
Afghanistan, Al Queda, Taliban, funded by the CIA as Mujhadin to fight the Soviets.
In April 1978, the People's Democratic Party of Afghanistan (PDPA) seized power in Afghanistan in reaction to a crackdown against the party by that country's repressive government.
The PDPA was committed to a radical land reform that favored the peasants, trade union rights, an expansion of education and social services, equality for women and the separation of church and state. The PDPA also supported strengthening Afghanistan's relationship with the Soviet Union.
Washington, fearing the spread of Soviet influence (and worse the new government's radical example) to its allies in Pakistan, Iran and the Gulf states, immediately offered support to the Afghan Mujhadin, as the "contra" force was known.
Between 1978 and 1992, the US government poured at least US$6 billion (some estimates range as high as $20 billion) worth of arms, training and funds to prop up the Mujhadin factions.
Mr Bin Laden and family, funded millions too. Al Queda (The Base), was an organization set up and run by Osama, with CIA help, to build 'training camps' for resistance fighters.
http://www.friendsofliberty.com/modules.php?name=News&file=article&sid=2278
Why else was Afghanistan so important?
Opium.
Drugs are mainly run through the CIA at great profit.
This is the trade that pays for secret ops like these all over the world.
http://www.ciadrugs.com/
The CIA's own website admits that since the fall of the Taliban, 'Expanding poppy cultivation and a growing opium trade may account for one-third of GDP and looms as one of Kabul's most serious policy challenges.'
http://cia.gov/cia/publications/factbook/geos/af.html
Weird no?
Ok.
Moving on swiftly.
So, you might have noticed a lot more 'hype' about climate change recently.
This is trite to say the least.
Most people haven't even heard of The Millennium Ecosystem Assessment (MA).
The overview says it 'is an international work program designed to meet the needs of decision makers and the public for scientific information concerning the consequences of ecosystem change for human well-being and options for responding to those changes. The MA was launched by U.N. Secretary- General Kofi Annan in June 2001 and was completed in March 2005.'
http://www.millenniumassessment.org//en/index.aspx
I would suggest EVERYONE familiarize themselves with the findings.
Consider global warming, from all the research I have looked over, it seems we are facing what could be nearly a 2 degree (c) rise of global temperature over the next 50 years.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:Global_Warming_Predictions.png
Consider that this could mean a 30% loss of land mass in the UK, due to rise in sea level, in 50 years time.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Global_warming
So why invade oil rich countries?
Well, war is always profitable.
Not for nations, but for a corporate, financial elite and the military industrial complex in general.
If you see where the majority of U.S military installations are around the world, you know where the oil is.
http://www.newint.org/issue376/pics/facts-NI-376-big.gif
Why oil when we are being advised by the worlds top scientists to STOP using it?
The military machine runs on oil.
The military machine is needed to secure the last great mineral resource.
FRESH WATER.
The basis of all life ladies and gents.
Eustatic sea level rises threaten to contaminate groundwater, affecting drinking water and agriculture in coastal zones. Increased evaporation will reduce the effectiveness of reservoirs. Increased extreme weather means more water falls on hardened ground unable to absorb it - leading to flash floods instead of a replenishment of soil moisture or groundwater levels. In some areas, shrinking glaciers threaten the water supply.http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Effects_of_global_warming#Water_scarcity
According to a study carried out at Colorado University, which surveyed river basins all over the planet to identify those under most pressure, within 25 years, half the world's population could have trouble finding enough fresh water for drinking and irrigation.
Two-fifths of the world's people already face serious shortages, and water-borne diseases fill half its hospital beds.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/sci/tech/2943946.stm
Over the past century our water consumption increased tenfold. According to the World Health Organization, 1.1 billion people have no access to clean drinking water, while some 2.4 billion lack proper sanitary provision. http://www.newint.org/issue354/facts.htm
Obviously, the worlds population continues to increase. Access to fresh water is the main agenda.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/sci/tech/2943946.stm
The CIA have predicted that by 2015, the world resource wars will be about access to fresh water.
So how can they ensure only the elite have access to it?
How will this come into play?
Well... .we need a kind of order. A NEW world order to bring peace to the planet.
i.e.. ..destroy all opposition.
Sorry . . Does this seem a little bit like a 'conspiracy theory'?
I can assure you I am only paraphrasing a speech archived on the CIA's website.
http://www.cia.gov/cia/public_affairs/speeches/2000/dci_speech_020200smithson.html
Oh, by the way, the speech was titled 'The CIA in the New World Order:
Intelligence Challenges Through 2015 '
Consider the Nuclear Non-proliferation treaty for example.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nuclear_proliferation
After the collapse of the Soviet Union. The Russian economy was in free fall, they needed to secure the economy pretty damn fast. Where moguls like Roman Abramovich bought (%) of Russian oil stocks for $. The majority of the people in Russia have faired very badly.
After the Cold war was over, the U.S put a significant amount of pressure on Russia to 'disarm' their nuclear arsenal. They encouraged them by promising to buy the enriched uranium from the war heads, so they could convert it into nuclear fuel for the U.S. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Russia
This made a whole lot of sense at the time.
The U.S would buy the uranium off Russia to ensure no 'bad guys' got it instead.
This was all well and good while this was a U.S public service.
Joseph Stiglitz, has an impressive resume. He was professor of economics at Columbia University, was formerly chairman of the Council of Economic Advisers to former US president Bill Clinton and chief economist and senior vice president of the World Bank.
The following is a section of an article written by Stiglitz for the Taipei Times on (Friday, Oct 12, 2001)
' actions, taken in secret or with almost no public discussion, remain equally troubling. In 1997, the US privatized the US Enrichment Corporation (USEC). Only a few know what lies behind that innocent sounding name: USEC enriches uranium, to make both the core ingredients for atomic bombs and for nuclear power plants. It also had responsibility for bringing out of Russia nuclear material from old Soviet warheads, and to convert that material into low enriched uranium for power plants, a true "swords to ploughshares" initiative.
Once privatization occurred, however, USEC had every incentive to keep the material out of US markets, for the Russian material would depress its prices and profits. As Chairman of the Council of Economic advisers, I saw the risk in keeping the material in Russia as enormous, posing perhaps the most serious threat of nuclear proliferation. This was a matter not only of national interest, but of global interest. But the temptation of private firms to put profits above collective interests is almost irresistible.'
http://www.taipeitimes.com/News/editorials/archives/2001/10/12/106799/print
realizing that they could save a HUGE amount of money, those clever capitalists decided it would be a much better idea to import cheaper uranium from other nations.
I'm sure you can guess what happened next?
As I said, the Russian economy was in a bad way. It needed alternative buyers and FAST!
Below is an excerpt from an article by the Nuclear Policy Research Institute Apr 29, 2005
http://www.nuclearpolicy.org/index.cfm?Page=Article&ID=2305
The Russian nuclear fuel trader TVEL will start fuel shipments for a Moscow-built nuclear reactor in Iran six months before the plant becomes operational in early 2006, a top company official said.
"The construction of the Bushehr plant is progressing and as part of the technology process, half a year before launching the unit, the fuel should be supplied," said Anton Badenkov, vice president of TVEL.
Russia is building the Bushehr nuclear reactor in Iran, despite fierce opposition from the United States, which claims that Tehran is secretly developing an atomic weapons program.
Iran, OPEC's second largest oil producer, has long denied the U.S. allegations and has received strong backing from Moscow, which sees cooperation with the Islamic republic as a way to strengthen its role in the Middle East.
Deals were issued with both Iran and N.Korea.
Both countries are now considered 'axis of evil' but the Republican administration.
Does anyone see a pattern emerging here?
Bill Hick put it best.
""I'm so sick of arming the world, then sending troops over to destroy the fucking arms, you know what I mean? We keep arming these little countries, then we go and blow the shit out of them. We're like the bullies of the world, y'know. We're like Jack Palance in the movie Shane, throwing the pistol at the sheepherder's feet.
"Pick it up."
"I don't wanna pick it up, Mister, you'll shoot me."
"Pick up the gun."
"Mister, I don't want no trouble. I just came downtown here to get some hard rock candy for my kids, some gingham for my wife. I don't even know what gingham is, but she goes through about ten rolls a week of that stuff. I ain't looking for no trouble, Mister."
"Pick up the gun."
(He picks it up. Three shots ring out.)
"You all saw him - he had a gun."
Now lets consider that Iran. The president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad
has a pretty interesting past.It appears Iranian President as one of the radicals who seized the American embassy in 1979. CIA operatives were apparently taken hostage, and the U.S eventually got all the hostages back between 1985 and 1992 in exchange for a massive arsenal of weapons. This was exposed and is known as the 'Iran Kontra affair', which got a lot of high ranking people like Oliver North into trouble. ( http://www.u-s-history.com/pages/h1889.html ).
It was ok though, when Bush was elected he issued presidential pardons to all indicted in the scandal.
Naughty naughty boys illegally supplying Iran with weapons.... tut tut!
The CIA are proud of their first successful overthrow of a foreign government.
.It was in Iran in 1953, under the name of Operation Ajax.http://www.iranchamber.com/history/coup53/coup53p1.php
The coup was a turning point in modern Iranian history and remains a persistent irritant in Tehran-Washington relations. It consolidated the power of the shah, who ruled with an iron hand for 26 more years in close contact with the United States. He was toppled by Iranian Revolution of 1979. Later that year, "Students of Imam Line" went to the American Embassy, took diplomats hostage and declared that they had unmasked a "nest of spies" who had been manipulating Iran for decades.
As I said, the now president of Iran mahmood Ahmadinejad was one of those 'radical students'.
Former US Secretary of State Madeleine K. Albright, in an address, acknowledged the coup's pivotal role in the troubled relationship and came closer to apologizing than any American official ever has before.
"The Eisenhower administration believed its actions were justified for strategic reasons," she said. "But the coup was clearly a setback for Iran's political development. And it is easy to see now why many Iranians continue to resent this intervention by America in their internal affairs."
It was the British government that initially plotted the coup in 1952.The coup had its roots in a British showdown with Iran, restive under decades of near-colonial British domination.
The prize was Iran's oil fields. Britain occupied Iran in World War II to protect a supply route to its ally, the Soviet Union, and to prevent the oil from falling into the hands of the Nazis - ousting the shah's father, whom it regarded as unmanageable. It retained control over Iran's oil after the war through the Anglo-Iranian Oil Company.
I am trying to point out three main things here. Firstly, yes, the CIA does admit to staging this coup and having numerous spies in the country in 1979 who were trying , yet again to destabilize the government.
Secondly, as Ms Albright said, the Iranians are still pretty pissed off about all this, and rightly so.
They seem to be sick of the U.S meddling in their affairs.
How DARE the U.S government point ANY fingers at the Iranians!
Finally, there has ALWAYS been geo political interest in Iran's oil. The British government only started to plan the coup in 1952 after the Iranian government attempted to re-nationalize its oil stocks, ending Anglo-Iranian oil deals. The British imposed economic sanctions on Iran as soon as the idea came out!
How dare these Iranians deny us oil!?
Does any of this sound familiar?
I'm not even going to touch on how hypocritical it is for the only country in the history of humankind to USE atomic weapons against civilians, to talk about nuclear proliferation.
I shall not say anymore about how Iran ended up with a willing uranium supplier in the 1st place.
Ok, so its pretty obvious that Iran has oil.
As the amount of oil left is an estimate, not a known amount, there are many differing estimates for the amount of oil remaining in different regions. Here I will list a the countries, with significant oil reserves in billions of barrels (highest estimate):
1 Saudi Arabia 261.9
2 Canada 178.8
3 Iran 125.8
4 Iraq 115.0
5 Kuwait 101.5
6 United Arab Emirates 97.8
7 Venezuela 77.2
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oil_reserves#Oil_reserves_by_country
I hope you are getting the picture.
Saudi Arabia (home of the Bin Laden family of oil barrels) is 'friendly' to western interest. The Bush and Bin Laden family go way back.
You can't really rely on the Canadian estimate, as it is purely speculative. The lowest estimate is 4 billion barrels, where as the estimate for Iran is its lowest.
There are massive wilderness, mountainous areas of Canada, and I don't think even Rupert Murdoch's propaganda machine could spin a pretext for war with Canada.
Kuwait was OWNED after the 'liberation' during the first gulf war by U.S corporations.
The U.A.E is fairly western friendly, where as Venezuela still on the 'axis of evil' list.
Don't listen to the ridiculous pretext in the corporate press for war with Iran.
This is the pretext.
It is all about geo political interest to gain oil.
Just type 'Caspian Sea Oil' into a search engine and you will find the end game there.
Securing the last great oil reserves in order to power the military machine which will secure, via use of force, the last great mineral resource on the planet.
Fresh water.
Upcoming blogs will be on Global fascism and WHAT YOU CAN DO ABOUT ALL THIS MADNESS!
Only a few human being it seems.
We seem to be waiting idly by as a pretext is built for a war with Iran.
This is a blog about the state of the planet as I see it.
Over a year and a half ago, my house mate/colleague made a print design for hoodies.
On the front it read 'Don't attack Iran!'
on the back it read '... or Syria, Cuba, Venezuela'......and all the other countries listen in the 'axis of evil'.
This was just after the invasion of Iraq.
Most people I speak to regarding the Iraq occupation have no doubts as to why British and U.S forces are in that country.
Oil.
Securing and defending oil reserves.
Now, I'm not going to talk about media pretext for war with Iraq here.
Iraq did not have weapons of mass destruction.
Saddam was a jackal.
He worked as an assassin for the CIA.
Their attempted plot against President Quasim failed, so new measures were put in place.
Saddam was a CIA poster boy for a long time, aiding the U.S interest in ousting Iraq's communist leadership in a series of coups, and then assuming power.
http://www.atimes.com/atimes/Middle_East/FI15Ak01.html
Why would they do this?
Why would they go through so much effort.
Of course, it is common knowledge now that such measures were often used to 'oust communists' from positions of power globally.
Of course it is the oil; but there's more.
Geo political interest.
Afghanistan, Al Queda, Taliban, funded by the CIA as Mujhadin to fight the Soviets.
In April 1978, the People's Democratic Party of Afghanistan (PDPA) seized power in Afghanistan in reaction to a crackdown against the party by that country's repressive government.
The PDPA was committed to a radical land reform that favored the peasants, trade union rights, an expansion of education and social services, equality for women and the separation of church and state. The PDPA also supported strengthening Afghanistan's relationship with the Soviet Union.
Washington, fearing the spread of Soviet influence (and worse the new government's radical example) to its allies in Pakistan, Iran and the Gulf states, immediately offered support to the Afghan Mujhadin, as the "contra" force was known.
Between 1978 and 1992, the US government poured at least US$6 billion (some estimates range as high as $20 billion) worth of arms, training and funds to prop up the Mujhadin factions.
Mr Bin Laden and family, funded millions too. Al Queda (The Base), was an organization set up and run by Osama, with CIA help, to build 'training camps' for resistance fighters.
http://www.friendsofliberty.com/modules.php?name=News&file=article&sid=2278
Why else was Afghanistan so important?
Opium.
Drugs are mainly run through the CIA at great profit.
This is the trade that pays for secret ops like these all over the world.
http://www.ciadrugs.com/
The CIA's own website admits that since the fall of the Taliban, 'Expanding poppy cultivation and a growing opium trade may account for one-third of GDP and looms as one of Kabul's most serious policy challenges.'
http://cia.gov/cia/publications/factbook/geos/af.html
Weird no?
Ok.
Moving on swiftly.
So, you might have noticed a lot more 'hype' about climate change recently.
This is trite to say the least.
Most people haven't even heard of The Millennium Ecosystem Assessment (MA).
The overview says it 'is an international work program designed to meet the needs of decision makers and the public for scientific information concerning the consequences of ecosystem change for human well-being and options for responding to those changes. The MA was launched by U.N. Secretary- General Kofi Annan in June 2001 and was completed in March 2005.'
http://www.millenniumassessment.org//en/index.aspx
I would suggest EVERYONE familiarize themselves with the findings.
Consider global warming, from all the research I have looked over, it seems we are facing what could be nearly a 2 degree (c) rise of global temperature over the next 50 years.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:Global_Warming_Predictions.png
Consider that this could mean a 30% loss of land mass in the UK, due to rise in sea level, in 50 years time.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Global_warming
So why invade oil rich countries?
Well, war is always profitable.
Not for nations, but for a corporate, financial elite and the military industrial complex in general.
If you see where the majority of U.S military installations are around the world, you know where the oil is.
http://www.newint.org/issue376/pics/facts-NI-376-big.gif
Why oil when we are being advised by the worlds top scientists to STOP using it?
The military machine runs on oil.
The military machine is needed to secure the last great mineral resource.
FRESH WATER.
The basis of all life ladies and gents.
Eustatic sea level rises threaten to contaminate groundwater, affecting drinking water and agriculture in coastal zones. Increased evaporation will reduce the effectiveness of reservoirs. Increased extreme weather means more water falls on hardened ground unable to absorb it - leading to flash floods instead of a replenishment of soil moisture or groundwater levels. In some areas, shrinking glaciers threaten the water supply.http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Effects_of_global_warming#Water_scarcity
According to a study carried out at Colorado University, which surveyed river basins all over the planet to identify those under most pressure, within 25 years, half the world's population could have trouble finding enough fresh water for drinking and irrigation.
Two-fifths of the world's people already face serious shortages, and water-borne diseases fill half its hospital beds.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/sci/tech/2943946.stm
Over the past century our water consumption increased tenfold. According to the World Health Organization, 1.1 billion people have no access to clean drinking water, while some 2.4 billion lack proper sanitary provision. http://www.newint.org/issue354/facts.htm
Obviously, the worlds population continues to increase. Access to fresh water is the main agenda.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/sci/tech/2943946.stm
The CIA have predicted that by 2015, the world resource wars will be about access to fresh water.
So how can they ensure only the elite have access to it?
How will this come into play?
Well... .we need a kind of order. A NEW world order to bring peace to the planet.
i.e.. ..destroy all opposition.
Sorry . . Does this seem a little bit like a 'conspiracy theory'?
I can assure you I am only paraphrasing a speech archived on the CIA's website.
http://www.cia.gov/cia/public_affairs/speeches/2000/dci_speech_020200smithson.html
Oh, by the way, the speech was titled 'The CIA in the New World Order:
Intelligence Challenges Through 2015 '
Consider the Nuclear Non-proliferation treaty for example.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nuclear_proliferation
After the collapse of the Soviet Union. The Russian economy was in free fall, they needed to secure the economy pretty damn fast. Where moguls like Roman Abramovich bought (%) of Russian oil stocks for $. The majority of the people in Russia have faired very badly.
After the Cold war was over, the U.S put a significant amount of pressure on Russia to 'disarm' their nuclear arsenal. They encouraged them by promising to buy the enriched uranium from the war heads, so they could convert it into nuclear fuel for the U.S. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Russia
This made a whole lot of sense at the time.
The U.S would buy the uranium off Russia to ensure no 'bad guys' got it instead.
This was all well and good while this was a U.S public service.
Joseph Stiglitz, has an impressive resume. He was professor of economics at Columbia University, was formerly chairman of the Council of Economic Advisers to former US president Bill Clinton and chief economist and senior vice president of the World Bank.
The following is a section of an article written by Stiglitz for the Taipei Times on (Friday, Oct 12, 2001)
' actions, taken in secret or with almost no public discussion, remain equally troubling. In 1997, the US privatized the US Enrichment Corporation (USEC). Only a few know what lies behind that innocent sounding name: USEC enriches uranium, to make both the core ingredients for atomic bombs and for nuclear power plants. It also had responsibility for bringing out of Russia nuclear material from old Soviet warheads, and to convert that material into low enriched uranium for power plants, a true "swords to ploughshares" initiative.
Once privatization occurred, however, USEC had every incentive to keep the material out of US markets, for the Russian material would depress its prices and profits. As Chairman of the Council of Economic advisers, I saw the risk in keeping the material in Russia as enormous, posing perhaps the most serious threat of nuclear proliferation. This was a matter not only of national interest, but of global interest. But the temptation of private firms to put profits above collective interests is almost irresistible.'
http://www.taipeitimes.com/News/editorials/archives/2001/10/12/106799/print
realizing that they could save a HUGE amount of money, those clever capitalists decided it would be a much better idea to import cheaper uranium from other nations.
I'm sure you can guess what happened next?
As I said, the Russian economy was in a bad way. It needed alternative buyers and FAST!
Below is an excerpt from an article by the Nuclear Policy Research Institute Apr 29, 2005
http://www.nuclearpolicy.org/index.cfm?Page=Article&ID=2305
The Russian nuclear fuel trader TVEL will start fuel shipments for a Moscow-built nuclear reactor in Iran six months before the plant becomes operational in early 2006, a top company official said.
"The construction of the Bushehr plant is progressing and as part of the technology process, half a year before launching the unit, the fuel should be supplied," said Anton Badenkov, vice president of TVEL.
Russia is building the Bushehr nuclear reactor in Iran, despite fierce opposition from the United States, which claims that Tehran is secretly developing an atomic weapons program.
Iran, OPEC's second largest oil producer, has long denied the U.S. allegations and has received strong backing from Moscow, which sees cooperation with the Islamic republic as a way to strengthen its role in the Middle East.
Deals were issued with both Iran and N.Korea.
Both countries are now considered 'axis of evil' but the Republican administration.
Does anyone see a pattern emerging here?
Bill Hick put it best.
""I'm so sick of arming the world, then sending troops over to destroy the fucking arms, you know what I mean? We keep arming these little countries, then we go and blow the shit out of them. We're like the bullies of the world, y'know. We're like Jack Palance in the movie Shane, throwing the pistol at the sheepherder's feet.
"Pick it up."
"I don't wanna pick it up, Mister, you'll shoot me."
"Pick up the gun."
"Mister, I don't want no trouble. I just came downtown here to get some hard rock candy for my kids, some gingham for my wife. I don't even know what gingham is, but she goes through about ten rolls a week of that stuff. I ain't looking for no trouble, Mister."
"Pick up the gun."
(He picks it up. Three shots ring out.)
"You all saw him - he had a gun."
Now lets consider that Iran. The president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad
has a pretty interesting past.It appears Iranian President as one of the radicals who seized the American embassy in 1979. CIA operatives were apparently taken hostage, and the U.S eventually got all the hostages back between 1985 and 1992 in exchange for a massive arsenal of weapons. This was exposed and is known as the 'Iran Kontra affair', which got a lot of high ranking people like Oliver North into trouble. ( http://www.u-s-history.com/pages/h1889.html ).
It was ok though, when Bush was elected he issued presidential pardons to all indicted in the scandal.
Naughty naughty boys illegally supplying Iran with weapons.... tut tut!
The CIA are proud of their first successful overthrow of a foreign government.
.It was in Iran in 1953, under the name of Operation Ajax.http://www.iranchamber.com/history/coup53/coup53p1.php
The coup was a turning point in modern Iranian history and remains a persistent irritant in Tehran-Washington relations. It consolidated the power of the shah, who ruled with an iron hand for 26 more years in close contact with the United States. He was toppled by Iranian Revolution of 1979. Later that year, "Students of Imam Line" went to the American Embassy, took diplomats hostage and declared that they had unmasked a "nest of spies" who had been manipulating Iran for decades.
As I said, the now president of Iran mahmood Ahmadinejad was one of those 'radical students'.
Former US Secretary of State Madeleine K. Albright, in an address, acknowledged the coup's pivotal role in the troubled relationship and came closer to apologizing than any American official ever has before.
"The Eisenhower administration believed its actions were justified for strategic reasons," she said. "But the coup was clearly a setback for Iran's political development. And it is easy to see now why many Iranians continue to resent this intervention by America in their internal affairs."
It was the British government that initially plotted the coup in 1952.The coup had its roots in a British showdown with Iran, restive under decades of near-colonial British domination.
The prize was Iran's oil fields. Britain occupied Iran in World War II to protect a supply route to its ally, the Soviet Union, and to prevent the oil from falling into the hands of the Nazis - ousting the shah's father, whom it regarded as unmanageable. It retained control over Iran's oil after the war through the Anglo-Iranian Oil Company.
I am trying to point out three main things here. Firstly, yes, the CIA does admit to staging this coup and having numerous spies in the country in 1979 who were trying , yet again to destabilize the government.
Secondly, as Ms Albright said, the Iranians are still pretty pissed off about all this, and rightly so.
They seem to be sick of the U.S meddling in their affairs.
How DARE the U.S government point ANY fingers at the Iranians!
Finally, there has ALWAYS been geo political interest in Iran's oil. The British government only started to plan the coup in 1952 after the Iranian government attempted to re-nationalize its oil stocks, ending Anglo-Iranian oil deals. The British imposed economic sanctions on Iran as soon as the idea came out!
How dare these Iranians deny us oil!?
Does any of this sound familiar?
I'm not even going to touch on how hypocritical it is for the only country in the history of humankind to USE atomic weapons against civilians, to talk about nuclear proliferation.
I shall not say anymore about how Iran ended up with a willing uranium supplier in the 1st place.
Ok, so its pretty obvious that Iran has oil.
As the amount of oil left is an estimate, not a known amount, there are many differing estimates for the amount of oil remaining in different regions. Here I will list a the countries, with significant oil reserves in billions of barrels (highest estimate):
1 Saudi Arabia 261.9
2 Canada 178.8
3 Iran 125.8
4 Iraq 115.0
5 Kuwait 101.5
6 United Arab Emirates 97.8
7 Venezuela 77.2
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oil_reserves#Oil_reserves_by_country
I hope you are getting the picture.
Saudi Arabia (home of the Bin Laden family of oil barrels) is 'friendly' to western interest. The Bush and Bin Laden family go way back.
You can't really rely on the Canadian estimate, as it is purely speculative. The lowest estimate is 4 billion barrels, where as the estimate for Iran is its lowest.
There are massive wilderness, mountainous areas of Canada, and I don't think even Rupert Murdoch's propaganda machine could spin a pretext for war with Canada.
Kuwait was OWNED after the 'liberation' during the first gulf war by U.S corporations.
The U.A.E is fairly western friendly, where as Venezuela still on the 'axis of evil' list.
Don't listen to the ridiculous pretext in the corporate press for war with Iran.
This is the pretext.
It is all about geo political interest to gain oil.
Just type 'Caspian Sea Oil' into a search engine and you will find the end game there.
Securing the last great oil reserves in order to power the military machine which will secure, via use of force, the last great mineral resource on the planet.
Fresh water.
Upcoming blogs will be on Global fascism and WHAT YOU CAN DO ABOUT ALL THIS MADNESS!
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