US ECONOMY and GLOBAL WAR INDUSTRY

Open Letter to Barack Hussein Obama, President-elect of the United States of America

11 Jan, 2009 Dr. Mahathir Mohamad

Dear Mr. President, I did not vote for you in the Presidential Election because I am Malaysian. But I consider myself one of your constituents because what you do or say will affect me and my country as well. I welcome your promise for change. Certainly your country, the United States of America needs a lot of changes. That is because America and Americans have become the most hated people in the world. Even Europeans dislike your arrogance. Yet you were once admired and liked because you freed a lot of countries from conquest and subjugation. It is the custom on New Year's day for people to make resolutions. You must have listed your good resolutions already. But may I politely suggest that you also resolve to do the following in pursuit of Change. 1) Stop killing people. The United States is too fond of killing people in order to achieve its objectives. You call it war, but today's wars are not about professional soldiers fighting and killing each other. It is about killing people, ordinary innocent people by the hundreds of thousands. Whole countries will be devastated. War is primitive, the cavemen's way of dealing with a problem. Stop your arms build up and your planning for future wars. 2) Stop indiscriminate support of Israeli killers with your money and your weapons. The planes and the bombs killing the people of Gaza are from you. 3) Stop applying sanctions against countries which cannot do the same against you. In Iraq your sanctions killed 500,000 children through depriving them of medicine and food. Others were born deformed. What have you achieved with this cruelty? Nothing except the hatred of the victims and right-thinking people. 4) Stop your scientists and researchers from inventing new and more diabolical weapons to kill more people more efficiently. 5) Stop your arms manufacturers from producing them. Stop your sales of arms to the world. It is blood money that you earn. It is un-Christian. 6) Stop trying to democratize all the countries of the world. Democracy may work for the United States but it does not always work for other countries. Don't kill people because they are not democratic. Your crusade to democratize countries has killed more people than the authoritarian Governments which you overthrew. And you have not succeeded anyway. 7) Stop the casinos which you call financial institutions. . Stop hedge funds, derivatives and currency trading. Stop banks from lending non-existent money by the billions. Regulate and supervise your banks. Jail the miscreants who made profits from abusing the system. 8) Sign the Kyoto Protocol and other international agreements. 9) Show respect for the United Nations. I have many other resolutions for change which I think you should consider and undertake. But I think you have enough on your plate for this 2009th year of the Christian Era. If you can do only a few of what I suggest, you will be remembered by the world as a great leader. Then the United States will again be the most admired nation. Your embassies will be able to take down the high fences and razor-wire coils that surround them. May I wish you a Happy New Year and a great Presidency. Yours Sincerely, Dr. Mahathir bin Mohamad (Former Prime Minister of Malaysia) ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ US ECONOMY and GLOBAL WAR INDUSTRY By FM Shah   US economy, banks and financial markets during last century have been designed and structured around cycles of wars, chaos and violence across the globe away from US mainland. Starting with WW I (initiated by Non-state actors), each US recession/depression alternate with some war in some other part of the world away from US main land. Before WW I, many US banks failed and financial system collapsed in the same way as today in 2008/09.  Similarly unemployment and inflation in US reached record heights during great depression of 1930s. Great depression was followed by World War II (in 1940s). As wars, violence and crisis across the globe act as agents for pulling US economy out of recession due to enhanced public spending, reconstruction work after war and preferential monopolies over trade/resource. Therefore in economic recession, US embarked wars and adventures away from main land. Following are the few reason due to which US actively promote, initiate wars, violence, conflicts and chaos across the globe, away from its main land. 1.                  Wars, conflicts and crisis create direct consumption for US defense/aerospace industry. USA during last century planned thoroughly and laid the necessary groundwork for the growth of the most powerful defense/aerospace industry worth trillion dollars. As a result if we sum up today technological might of US, Defense/Aerospace industry is the back bone of US technological superiority. In Defense/Aerospace industries US firms have monopoly and do not have ant parallel/equal competitor in whole world (including G8 countries). 2.                  Each war/crisis is followed by construction work which is mostly done by US firms/cartels. Examples are Europe (after WW II) and Iraq reconstruction recently.  Transparency international Bribe payers index 2002, ranks defence industry as the 2nd most corrupt business sector- just ahead of oil and gas sector but behind the public works and construction sectors. These all sectors are controlled and manipulated by USA. 3.                  Wars, crisis and violence enhance public spending. During 1930/40s General Motor was on verge of collapse in the same way as today in 2008/09. Then President Roosevelt gave special orders for making engine for military tanks and aircrafts instead of cars. Same tanks and aircraft were then utilized in WWW II. 4.                  Each war, conflict and map redrawing have created US dependant states. Examples are Isreal, Saudi Arabia (out of Ottoman Empire after WW I) and Pakistan (Out of British Indian Colony after WW II). Saudi Arabia is depended on USA for last seven decades for all external and internal threats. Israel act as counter balance for US strategic interest in middle east. Pakistan during its existence for last six decades is dependant on USA for military hardware and financial aid due to similar on going wars, crisis and breeding violence across its Western and Eastern borders.  Recent warming of relation and increasing closeness between India and US is direct result of the India and Pakistan escalation. As result both look toward Washington for favorable tap. 5.                  Wars, crisis and violence create favorable and monopolistic business/trade conditions for most of US firms and MNCs. Wars, crisis and violence create preferential monopolies over trade routes and natural resource. 6.                  Wars, violence and crisis also result capital flight from whole globe to US main land, which has remained safe from any war, violence and crisis during last century. Whereas US has been remained direct/indirect sponsor, initiator and actor in all such wars, violence and crisis. US has jumped in each war after some Flag post operation like Pearl Harbor (WW II) or 9/11 (War on Terror). 7.                  On domestic front, wars, violence and crisis across the globe are used by Washington for attention divertion from structural flaws in US economic and financial system. 8.                  Wars, violence and crisis across the globe also pulls down complete region and act as drag on US rival and competitor economies with which US economy is unable to remain competitive and correct its own structural gaps. Based on above stated factors we will try to understand the linking relationship between US economy and War on Terror. War on terror quite often appears to be an enigma wrapped in a riddle. The complex consequence of war on terror on societal mosaic and resultant state behaviour of USA and regional actors like Pakistan, Afghanistan and India thereof often denotes more confusion than clarity. Terrorism is the over growth and extension of efforts of CIA for last thirty years in whole region. Oil is traded in dollars and most of the Arab oil dollars are saved in US banks considered to be safe havens. WAR FOR TERROR resulted turmoil and chaos across Arab countries, Iraq, Afghanistan and Pakistan. This turmoil escalated oil and commodities prices exponentially during last eight years. Hence WAR FOR TERROR was crucial and essential non financial bailout package for US Banks and Financial Markets. As an example Pakistan oil import bill was US $ 2 Billion in 2000 whereas in 2007 Pakistan oil import bill went up to  US $ 12 Billion.  As result in a single year Pakistan paid additional US $ 10 Billion to various Arab countries. These oil dollars were naturally diverted to US Banks and financial markets. Saudi Arabia has more than 1 trillion $ US reserves (World GDP is around US $ 55 trillion). Over past eight years several trillions dollars have been diverted each year to  US banks and financial market across the globe from more than 150 countries on oil import due to escalating oil prices. It is generally assumed that Wars bills in Afghanistan and Iraq is affecting US economy. However the benefits of WAR FOR TERROR are tremendous if compared with cost of war as without War for terror US economy would have suffered following:- 1.                  Presently only four US banks have collapsed, however without WAR FOR TERROR and oil price escalation much larger number of US Banks and Financial Markets would have been collapsed. 2.                  Existing US financial systems collapse and banks failure would have occurred much earlier than 2008. 3.                  Required bailout package would have been much greater in volume than existing US $ 700 Billion. Recent decline in oil and commodities prices just after announcement of US banks bailout package indicates the direct relationship between oil and commodities prices and US banking/financial markets structural flaw. 4.                  At domestic front, without fear environment of WAR FOR TERROR, US Taxpayers would have never ever accepted and tolerated US $ 700 billion. WAR FOR TERROR regional turmoil had also resulted drag on US rival economies of China, Russia, India, Arab and Iran. These countries are more than half of the globe. As US economy was unable to remain competitive and correct its own structural gaps. Therefore WAR FOR TERROR was initiated for restricting and limiting US rival economies growth. Hence the basic motivation of WAR FOR TERROR is violence, chaos and anarchy in the whole globe through Islam and Muslim regions. However the question arise why muslim lands and Islam. Because Muslims and Islam are the most safest, vulnerable and easiest targets for US. Other various factors ranging from Al-Qaeada, Taliban, extremism, violence, denuclearization of Pakistan, map redrawing of Pakistan and civilization clash are not root causes of WAR FOR TERROR rather these are desired outcome/effects of the WAR FOR TERROR. Therefore these are secondary in nature and mostly misleading. Now many questions arise. Will US transform existing war for terror to another World War away from US main land? Will US invade or sponsor civil war in Pakistan for destabilizing whole region and rival regional powers like China, Russia and Iran. Is 26/11 Bombay blasts a drama similar to 9/11 and weapon of mass destruction for initiating another nuclear world war in subcontinent (1/5th of the world) Is India committing suicidal mistake like Pakistan (in September 2001) by joining WAR FOR TERROR for settling scores against Pakistan? Will India (with 14 separatist movement) be able to safe guard itself by sponsoring a civil war in Pakistan on behalf of US/UK, whereas India has 1800 KMs long border with Pakistan?  These are hard and tough question. It is not possible to precisely answers in white and black. However two possibilities emerge. Either US economy will fail with most deadly civil war of human history on US mainland due to economic and financial system. Or another world war has to be fought away from US main land, through which US will rescue its economy.   Disinformation/disorientation campaigns for local/international establishment agenda has increased exponentially during recent times. Such disinformation and disorientation campaigns are paid, sponsored and engineered by local/international establishment for creating justification for US presence and role in region. Pakistan and Indian press/electronic media considers/present themselves as CHAMPIONS OF TRUTH, DEMOCRASY, and JUSTICE. Various anchors pretend asking tough/hard questions and saving the region from terrorist. However media at best are manipulating and comprising the truth by showing half picture of crisis. Most of the time media avoid context and conceal motives of the ongoing crisis and chaos in the region. Media can never tip-toe out of the false perception minefield that they have allowed themselves to be lured into by the CIA, ruling establishment and architects of WAR FOR TERROR. TV Anchors and academics most of the times are bounded by policy, life threats, job fears, temptations, easy going attitude, incompetence and lack of quality research on social science. Any TV channel or think tanks prime motivation is money, revenue, coverage, ads and sponsors not truth. To stop the slide into lawlessness, extremism, anarchy, chaos, poverty and hunger, the restoration of genuine pro-masses policy on war on terror is a matter of life and death for whole region from Russia, Afghanistan, China, Iran, India, Iran and Pakistan. Perhaps one conclusion is that regional powers and states must follow a certain minimum standard of political morality, democratic responsibility and pluralism and social justice if the scourge of terrorism engineered by CIA is to be exorcised from the region. Regional powers like China, Russia, Iran and Saudi Arabia overall interests should provide the framework for rethinking about evolving philosophy and changing threat perception to the whole globe. Whereas US/UK officials and agencies FBI, MI 6 are escalating the tension between Pakistan and India, however regional powers like China, Russia, Iran and Saudi Arabia efforts are diffusing the situation and should conflict/war in sub-continent as a strategic priority for the whole region.   If you know the enemy and know your self, you need not fear the result of a hundred battles. If you know yourself but not the enemy, for every victory gained you will suffer a defeat. If you know neither the enemy nor yourself you will succumb in every battle.                                                                                                                          SUN TZU