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

Author: (British) Vassilis Fouskas
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2006-06-01
Features: Dr. Vassilis Fouskas, an international relations scholar at the University of Stirling, 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 acting as a "neoimperialist" power in the world. The "neoimperialism" of the United States is manifested in three aspects: First, the United States has established the dominance of the dollar through its control of the international monetary system and the oil-dollar pricing mechanism. Second, it has established its position as the "center of the free world" through the "hub and spoke" relationship with its allies. Third, it justifies and militarizes its foreign policy by exaggerating the threats facing the world. 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 Now they are—long-term wars against communism have been replaced by a persistent "war on terror."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 dominated by the Pentagon. Meanwhile, 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, and the United States is not liberating Iraq and Afghanistan in the way it liberated Germany and Japan, nor is it rebuilding Iraq and the former Yugoslavia in the way the Marshall Plan rebuilt war-torn Western Europe. Due to the overextension of its military power and the burden of deficits, the United States cannot today adopt such measures. The authors argue that the United States is simply forcibly consuming the natural resources of developing countries and forcing other developed countries to rely on the United States for the management of the global economy. The authors assert that this situation cannot continue indefinitely, and the United States is entering a period of deep crisis. The neoimperialists of the United States must avoid the bad nightmare—a strategic and economic alliance formed by Europe, Russia, China, and OPEC—if they want to withdraw U.S. military forces in an orderly manner before causing major damage to humanity and environmental safety. 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 persistent "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 dominated by the Pentagon. Meanwhile, 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, and the United States is not liberating Iraq and Afghanistan in the way it liberated Germany and Japan, nor is it rebuilding Iraq and the former Yugoslavia in the way the Marshall Plan rebuilt war-torn Western Europe. Due to the overextension of its military power and the burden of deficits, the United States cannot today adopt such measures. The authors argue that the United States is simply forcibly consuming the natural resources of developing countries and forcing other developed countries to rely on the United States for the management of the global economy. The authors assert that this situation cannot continue indefinitely, and the United States is entering a period of deep crisis. The neoimperialists of the United States must avoid the bad nightmare—a strategic and economic alliance formed by Europe, Russia, China, and OPEC—if they want to withdraw U.S. military forces in an orderly manner before causing major damage to humanity and environmental safety.