If I was a conspiracy theorist, then looking back over the last five years, I would see all the events since the coup in Pakistan, as a plot; a plot orchestrated by America’s powerful military-industrial complex, to enable it to guarantee for its exclusive use, the lion’s share of precious natural resources such as oil and gas. It would also enable it to secure markets for American goods and services around the globe. American governments have been influenced so subtly by a strong military, which, combined with powerful industrialists, has shifted US foreign policy thinking over the last decade, transforming it internationally from near isolationism, to active protectionism, through the projection of military force and economic muscle.

    Why do I begin with the coup in Pakistan, as a starting point for my hypothetical conspiracy theory?  Well, the overthrow of the democratically elected government by the military and the setting up of a dictatorship by General Musharraf, has enabled America to gain bases in Pakistan, from which to pursue its ‘war against terrorism’ in Afghanistan.

    In the light of subsequent events, it also seems likely that General Musharraf had the silent blessing of the Americans for his overthrow of the elected government. If I were indeed a dyed-in-the-wool skeptic, I would see America’s close ties to Pakistan’s military and secret agencies, established in the late 70’s (to support Afghan guerillas in their struggle against the Russians), as a factor in easing the path for General Musharraf to grab power, with little or no international fuss. Don’t forget, it was through the ISI and other Pakistani military units, that the CIA smuggled weapons, money, and advisors into Afghanistan.

    From this point onwards, my hypothetical conspiracy theory plot thickens. Almost immediately after General Musharraf takes power, he invites Shaukat Aziz, the head of global private banking with Citicorp, one of America’s largest banking groups, to become his Minister of Finance.  Again, almost immediately, on acceptance of the job, he is able to free up the 1.5 billion dollar loan programme, promised by the IMF that had been frozen because of the coup.

    Now, lets move to January 2001. George W. Bush is sworn in as President of the United States in a cloud of doubt about his election, with many Americans believing he stole it from his democratic opponent, Al Gore, by biasing the ballot count in Florida with the help of his brother Jeb Bush.  It is again interesting that even before his election, George Bush had a blue print for US global dominance. This document was drawn up by Donald Rumsfeld, Dick Cheney, Paul Wolfowitz, and Lewis Libby, among others, and is titled “Rebuilding America’s Defences: Strategies, Forces and Resources for a New Century” and was written in September 2000.  The American Sunday Herald  newspaper revealed this fact.  It is interesting to note that all the above named now hold senior posts in President Bush’s administration.

    The report describes American armed forces abroad as the cavalry on the new American frontier.  It also says that the United States must discourage other advanced industrial countries from challenging America’s leadership, or even aspiring to a larger regional or global role. It sees the primary objective of American dominance as the controlling force of all resources and opening of worldwide markets for American products and services.

    It is worth noting that in the first few months of the new presidency, President Bush refused to sign the Kyoto agreement on global warming, arguing instead for the exploitation of the Alaskan wilderness by US oil and mining corporations.  He also scrapped the nuclear arms treaty with Russia and revived Reagan’s ‘Star Wars’ defence system. He has also radically cut the taxes of America’s wealthiest, which immensely benefits the military and the huge American multi-national corporations.

    Then, just as ordinary American citizens were beginning to become disenchanted with the Bush presidency and his advocacy of the rich and powerful, along came September the 11^th, and the destruction of the World Trade Center, by terrorist’s flying two hijacked airplanes into them.  This shameful attack on American civilians united the American people behind the President, and washed away all doubt with regard to George Bush’s ability to govern.

     It now transpires that warnings of an impending terrorist strike on the American mainland were ignored by several of the country’s federal agencies. Even the Whitehouse discounted a warning given to it (in May 2002, a Whitehouse spokesman admitted that President Bush’s daily intelligence briefings in the weeks leading up to the attack, included a warning that Osama bin Ladin’s Al Qaeda network would attempt to hijack a US based airliner).

    Osama bin Ladin, a Saudi Arabian citizen, blamed for the attacks was, along with the Taliban, funded, trained, and equipped by America to fight the Russians in Afghanistan.  Interestingly, in light of the close ties between American intelligence agencies and their Pakistani counterpart, it was reported in the Times of India  that Lieutenant General Mahmud Ahmad, the head of Pakistan’s intelligence services, wired over $100,000 dollars to the leader of the WTC hijackers, Mohammed Atta.

    Since the attack of 9/11, we have seen Afghanistan invaded, and the Taliban regime overthrown - for giving shelter to Osama bin Laden - as part of America’s war against terrorism. However, for all the effort expended to capture / kill Bin Ladin, his name has disappeared from the American administration’s radar screen, and we hardly hear a mention of him, unless it is to associate him with another state or regime that America does not like anymore. It is almost as if, having served his purpose by allowing America to install a new government in Afghanistan, he is being allowed to roam free. This seems to be a ploy to enable America to blame him every time they wish to act against particular ‘black sheep’ states, or wishes to acquire natural resources by force.  Look at the justifications that America is using to invade Iraq! The main reason being that Iraq has been named as part of an “Axis of Evil’, along with North Korea and Iran. Sure, it has close ties to Al Qaeda, but is it really likely to give them nuclear and chemical weapons to use against American and its Allies? None of these claims by the Bush administration have so far been supported by any solid evidence.

     As we know, oil is a finite natural resource that will be exhausted in approximately 150 years. As it reaches exhaustion point, the amount available will steadily decrease. This fact has seen the world’s governments scramble to secure adequate supplies.  To ensure the safety of their economies, governments must also have a safe and secure means of delivery for its oil. It is this fact, I believe, that is driving American foreign policy now. The evidence to support this claim is that in May last year the new leaders of Afghanistan signed an ‘understanding’ with Pakistan and Turkmenistan to construct a $2billion pipeline from Central Asia to the sub-continent, which is likely to be funded and constructed by an American consortium. This will enable the US to have easy access to Central Asia’s oil and gas, without having to ship it out of the Arabian Sea through the straits of Hormuz. It also gives them a backup resource, should oil supplies from the Gulf be threatened.

    After a successful invasion of Iraq and the overthrow of Saddam Hussein, it is likely that any new government would give preference to American requests on the allocation of Iraq’s oil, and press it to open its markets up to American companies.

    Any self-respecting conspiracy theorists will have no trouble in seeing a hidden agenda behind all these events. Thy would say that the fortuitous attacks on America have allowed President Bush to implement his unstated policy of using the military to maintain economic superiority, and to open up new markets to American big business.

    Already, the main beneficiaries of the new Bush doctrine are the big oil and defence companies. They have prospered enormously since September 2001, as the military budget was increased by 32.6 billion dollars to nearly 400 billion dollars! This is likely to increase significantly, when America invades Iraq.

    It may seem that I am, by my observations, being anti-American; I am not. Let me say that I like and respect America and its people for its democratic freedoms, its just and equitable legal system, its protection of the rights of the individual, and the economic openness that places few obstacles in the way of anyone who has the ability to succeed.

    But I feel that we, in the rest of the world, certainly have the right to ask legitimate questions about some of the events that have led us to another war, particularly as it may be one that does not stop global terrorism, but consolidates America’s imperial power.

KHALAF AL HABTOOR