New American Imperialism Bush's War on Terror and Blood for Oil

Author: (British) Vassilis Fouskas, (British) Georgios Katsikas, translated by Xue Ying
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2006-07-01
Features: Dr. Vassilis Fouskas, an international relations scholar at the University of Stirling in the UK, and his co-authors wrote a book titled Neoimperialism: Bush's War on Terror and Blood for Oil, arguing that the United States is playing the role of "neoimperialism" in the world. The "neoimperialism" of the United States is manifested in three aspects: First, the United States established the dominance of the U.S. dollar by leading the international monetary system and the oil-dollar pricing mechanism. Second, it established its position as the "center of the free world" through the "hub and spoke" relationship with its allies. Third, it justified and militarized its foreign policy by exaggerating the threats the world faces. After the dissolution of the Soviet Union in 1991, the Cold War gradually gave way to a new world order, with the United States becoming the sole superpower. However, before the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, the organizational principles of the early 21st-century world order were not clear. Now they are—long-term wars against communism have been replaced by a sustained "war on terror." Regardless of how long U.S. troops will stay in Iraq or what military actions will follow, George W. Bush will continue to serve as a "wartime president," with his foreign policy guided by the Pentagon. At the same time, the authors argue that this new imperialist phase, which focuses on the oil of Eurasia, is a new development of the ideas and actions of figures like Dean Acheson and Paul Nitze after World War II. But 2005 is not 1945. The United States is not, as Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld and Vice President Dick Cheney claimed, liberating Iraq and Afghanistan in the same way it liberated Germany and Japan; nor is it, like the Marshall Plan, rebuilding war-torn Western Europe or the former Yugoslavia. Due to overextended military power and fiscal deficits, the United States can no longer adopt such measures today. The authors argue that the United States is simply forcibly consuming the natural resources of developing countries and forcing other developed nations to rely on the United States for the management of the global economy. The authors assert that this situation cannot last, and the United States is entering a period of deep crisis. American neo-imperialists must avoid the bad nightmare—a strategic and economic alliance forming between Europe, Russia, China, and OPEC—before it causes major damage to humanity and environmental safety. Otherwise, they should withdraw U.S. military forces in an orderly manner. After the dissolution of the Soviet Union in 1991, the Cold War gradually gave way to a new world order, with the United States becoming the sole superpower. However, before the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, the organizational principles of the early 21st-century world order were not clear. Now they are—long-term wars against communism have been replaced by a sustained "war on terror." Regardless of how long U.S. troops will stay in Iraq or what military actions will follow, George W. Bush will continue to serve as a "wartime president," with his foreign policy guided by the Pentagon. At the same time, the authors argue that this new imperialist phase, which focuses on the oil of Eurasia, is a new development of the ideas and actions of figures like Dean Acheson and Paul Nitze after World War II. But 2005 is not 1945. The United States is not, as Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld and Vice President Dick Cheney claimed, liberating Iraq and Afghanistan in the same way it liberated Germany and Japan; nor is it, like the Marshall Plan, rebuilding war-torn Western Europe or the former Yugoslavia. Due to overextended military power and fiscal deficits, the United States can no longer adopt such measures today. The authors argue that the United States is simply forcibly consuming the natural resources of developing countries and forcing other developed nations to rely on the United States for the management of the global economy. The authors assert that this situation cannot last, and the United States is entering a period of deep crisis. American neo-imperialists must avoid the bad nightmare—a strategic and economic alliance forming between Europe, Russia, China, and OPEC—before it causes major damage to humanity and environmental safety. Otherwise, they should withdraw U.S. military forces in an orderly manner.