Monday, September 17, 2012

Is a War in the Middle East War Imminent?

Warmongers have thrown up all sorts of excuses to justify military actions in the Middle East. These includes the recent religious bullying (through manipulation of public opinion) that has prompted for a wave of anti-US protests. The US government has reportedly even allied with Al-Qaeda to foment war in Syria, an ally of Iran.

Now drumbeats of war seems to be getting louder.

From the Telegraph,

Battleships, aircraft carriers, minesweepers and submarines from 25 nations are converging on the strategically important Strait of Hormuz in an unprecedented show of force as Israel and Iran move towards the brink of war.

Western leaders are convinced that Iran will retaliate to any attack by attempting to mine or blockade the shipping lane through which passes around 18 million barrels of oil every day, approximately 35 per cent of the world’s petroleum traded by sea.

A blockade would have a catastrophic effect on the fragile economies of Britain, Europe the United States and Japan, all of which rely heavily on oil and gas supplies from the Gulf.

The Strait of Hormuz is one of the world’s most congested international waterways. It is only 21 miles wide at its narrowest point and is bordered by the Iranian coast to the north and the United Arab Emirates to the south.

In preparation for any pre-emptive or retaliatory action by Iran, warships from more than 25 countries, including the United States, Britain, France, Saudi Arabia and the UAE, will today begin an annual 12-day exercise.

As American musician and composer Frank Zappa said,

Government is the Entertainment division of the military-industrial complex

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