The US must maintain its dominance in the oil trade or the dollar will plummet and the over-leveraged American empire will disappear in an ocean of red ink.
After Putin signaled that he would abandon the dollar, it was clear that Washington would retaliate to defend its interests.
Some readers will remember that 2 months ago Henry Kissinger paid an unexpected visit to Putin in Moscow. At that time the public was unaware that Kissinger secretly advising Bush and Cheney on a regular basis. Kissinger most likely warned Putin about the potential dangers of converting to the ruble. He may have pointed out how Saddam was attacked just 6 months after he switched to the euro. Hugo Chavez and Ahmadinejad have been threatened as well. Maintaining the Petrodollar Empire is as critical to US supremacy as is controlling the last dwindling supplies of oil.
Two months after Kissinger's visit, Saakashvili swung into action and arrested the 4 Russian officers. There's little doubt that Washington was behind the incident.
In order to grasp the growing tension between the Kremlin and White House, we have to understand how Russia fits into the neocon cosmology of dependent states. The National Security Strategy (NSS) gives us a idea of where Bush and co. place Russia in the imperial order.
It says: (Russia must) "understand that Cold War approaches do not serve their national interests and that Russian and American strategic interests overlap in many areas...We are facilitating Russia's entry into the World Trade Organization to promote beneficial trade and investment relations. We have created the NATO-Russian Council with the goal of deepening security cooperation among Russia, our European allies and ourselves. We will continue to bolster the independence and stability of the states of the former Soviet Union in the belief that a prosperous and stable neighborhood will reinforce Russia's growing commitment to integration into the Euro-Atlantic community...Russia's uneven commitment to the basic values of free market democracy and dubious record in combating the proliferation of WMD remain matters of great concern".
Since the NSS was written, Russia has been blocked (by the US) from joining the WTO and reproached for trying to maintain its authority within its traditional sphere of influence. (Ukraine, Georgia, Belarus etc) The NSS clearly outlines what it takes to stay in Bush's "good graces"; to allow NATO to militarize the states surrounding Russia, to submissively comply with the edicts from Washington, and to integrate the Russian economy with the American-dominated global economic system.
The fiercely nationalistic Putin has chosen to preserve Russia's sovereignty and independence which has put him on a collision course with the Bush administration.
The powerful Council on Foreign Relations (CFR) recently released a report that urges Bush to "stop regarding Russia as a strategic partner." It further states that "Russia has become increasingly authoritarian state with a foreign policy that is sometimes at odds with the interests of the United States and its allies." (The report was co-authored by former Senator John Edwards and ex-politician Jack Kemp)
The battle lines have been drawn and Russia has been placed on the ever-expanding list of "axis of evil" states whose defiance make them the logical targets of US intervention. We can expect that a variety of strategies will be used to destabilize Russia and, ultimately, affect regime change in Moscow. The Bush administration's long-range objectives are already clear. They aim to privatize the Russian oil industry, convert the ruble to the dollar, remove Putin from office, and prevent Russia from controlling the huge oil reserves in the Caspian Basin. America's success in the region depends on its ability to weaken, disrupt, or dissolve the Russian state. Traditionally, these goals are achieved by covert operations, inciting ethnic tensions, providing military assistance to rebels (in Chechnya or wherever) and grooming dissident groups to foment political turmoil. We expect to see these same tactics employed here.
The Bush administration has big plans for Central Asia. It is a critical part of the ongoing global resource war. The arrest of Russian officers is just one small skirmish in what will undoubtedly be a much larger and more lethal war.
After Putin signaled that he would abandon the dollar, it was clear that Washington would retaliate to defend its interests.
Some readers will remember that 2 months ago Henry Kissinger paid an unexpected visit to Putin in Moscow. At that time the public was unaware that Kissinger secretly advising Bush and Cheney on a regular basis. Kissinger most likely warned Putin about the potential dangers of converting to the ruble. He may have pointed out how Saddam was attacked just 6 months after he switched to the euro. Hugo Chavez and Ahmadinejad have been threatened as well. Maintaining the Petrodollar Empire is as critical to US supremacy as is controlling the last dwindling supplies of oil.
Two months after Kissinger's visit, Saakashvili swung into action and arrested the 4 Russian officers. There's little doubt that Washington was behind the incident.
It says: (Russia must) "understand that Cold War approaches do not serve their national interests and that Russian and American strategic interests overlap in many areas...We are facilitating Russia's entry into the World Trade Organization to promote beneficial trade and investment relations. We have created the NATO-Russian Council with the goal of deepening security cooperation among Russia, our European allies and ourselves. We will continue to bolster the independence and stability of the states of the former Soviet Union in the belief that a prosperous and stable neighborhood will reinforce Russia's growing commitment to integration into the Euro-Atlantic community...Russia's uneven commitment to the basic values of free market democracy and dubious record in combating the proliferation of WMD remain matters of great concern".
Since the NSS was written, Russia has been blocked (by the US) from joining the WTO and reproached for trying to maintain its authority within its traditional sphere of influence. (Ukraine, Georgia, Belarus etc) The NSS clearly outlines what it takes to stay in Bush's "good graces"; to allow NATO to militarize the states surrounding Russia, to submissively comply with the edicts from Washington, and to integrate the Russian economy with the American-dominated global economic system.
The fiercely nationalistic Putin has chosen to preserve Russia's sovereignty and independence which has put him on a collision course with the Bush administration.
The powerful Council on Foreign Relations (CFR) recently released a report that urges Bush to "stop regarding Russia as a strategic partner." It further states that "Russia has become increasingly authoritarian state with a foreign policy that is sometimes at odds with the interests of the United States and its allies." (The report was co-authored by former Senator John Edwards and ex-politician Jack Kemp)
The battle lines have been drawn and Russia has been placed on the ever-expanding list of "axis of evil" states whose defiance make them the logical targets of US intervention. We can expect that a variety of strategies will be used to destabilize Russia and, ultimately, affect regime change in Moscow. The Bush administration's long-range objectives are already clear. They aim to privatize the Russian oil industry, convert the ruble to the dollar, remove Putin from office, and prevent Russia from controlling the huge oil reserves in the Caspian Basin. America's success in the region depends on its ability to weaken, disrupt, or dissolve the Russian state. Traditionally, these goals are achieved by covert operations, inciting ethnic tensions, providing military assistance to rebels (in Chechnya or wherever) and grooming dissident groups to foment political turmoil. We expect to see these same tactics employed here.
The Bush administration has big plans for Central Asia. It is a critical part of the ongoing global resource war. The arrest of Russian officers is just one small skirmish in what will undoubtedly be a much larger and more lethal war.
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