We’ve lived so long under the spell of hierarchy—from god-kings to feudal lords to party bosses—that only recently have we awakened to see not only that “regular” citizens have the capacity for self-governance, but that without their engagement our huge global crises cannot be addressed. The changes needed for human society simply to survive, let alone thrive, are so profound that the only way we will move toward them is if we ourselves, regular citizens, feel meaningful ownership of solutions through direct engagement. Our problems are too big, interrelated, and pervasive to yield to directives from on high.
—Frances Moore Lappé, excerpt from Time for Progressives to Grow Up

Tuesday, July 23, 2013

War against Iran, Iraq AND Syria?

Click here to access article by Pepe Escobar from Asia Times Online

Given his long held thesis that a proposed pipeline running from Iran through Iraq and Syria is the fundamental issue driving the Empire's support of mercenaries in the Syrian war, he sees European elites as stupid because they not acting in their own interests. I disagree that the European leaders are stupid.

I think what he is missing in his analysis is the fact that European capitalists have been totally integrated into the Empire. This means that they look at the entire world as their playground for dominance and exploitation. This is the essence of neoliberalism whose main purpose is to remove borders that impede the movement of money and investments by these elites. This means that they, like their North American counterparts, are globalists which means that their own populations have no priority over any other population. Control over vital energy resources is a top priority for their control and exploitation of the entire world. Thus, they are acting intelligently for their interests.

Of course, Israel is also a major factor driving events in this Syrian war. They have their own Mid-East agenda: the creation of their own sub-Empire, and their main strategy is to keep Arabs constantly fighting and killing each other.