Sunil et. al.<br><br>Thank you.<br><br>I should add that I read through Juan Cole's"Top Ten Myths About Iraq" and found this a well reasoned and factually based piece.<br><br>I would love for everyone subscribed to Vision2020 to read "Rebuilding America's Defenses" from the PNAC site, a serious work of academic military planning, completed before the 9/11 attacks, to understand that dramatic increases in US military forces in the Middle East was in the works before 9/11.
<br><br>The billions being spent on the Iraq war, and the death and suffering inflicted, is worth it, to some of the cynical realists who control foreign policy, given this simple equation:<br><br>112 billion barrels of oil (Iraq's minimum estimated reserves) X $60 a barrel equals 6,720,000,000,000 dollars, enough to pay for at least 13 Afghanistan/Iraq wars given the costs so far, though of course this estimate of revenue generated from this oil is not all profit.
<br><br>Assuming oil goes over 100 dollars a barrel, which many experts assume is only a matter of time, and do the math again.<br><br>And of course our military presence in Iraq can help to secure far more than just Iraq's oil reserves, but Saudi Arabia's as well. We can do the math again with the figure of Saudi Arabia's estimates of 260 billion barrels of oil reserves...enough to pay for at least another 30 Afghanistan/Iraq wars, at $60 a barrel
<br><br>When considering the financial stake in protecting oil resources, the Iraq war is a bargain.<br><br>Ted Moffett<br><br><br><div><span class="gmail_quote">On 12/27/06, <b class="gmail_sendername">Sunil Ramalingam</b>
<<a href="mailto:sunilramalingam@hotmail.com">sunilramalingam@hotmail.com</a>> wrote:</span><blockquote class="gmail_quote" style="border-left: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); margin: 0pt 0pt 0pt 0.8ex; padding-left: 1ex;">
Ted,<br><br>I certainly think your post spells out the real reason for the Iraq War, and<br>the reason we are building permanent bases. The ISG did not disagree with<br>this long-term goal in its report.<br><br>Sunil<br>
<br><br>>From: "Ted Moffett" <<a href="mailto:starbliss@gmail.com">starbliss@gmail.com</a>><br>>To: "Sunil Ramalingam" <<a href="mailto:sunilramalingam@hotmail.com">sunilramalingam@hotmail.com
</a>><br>>CC: <a href="mailto:vision2020@moscow.com">vision2020@moscow.com</a><br>>Subject: PNAC: Rebuilding America's Defenses<br>>Date: Wed, 27 Dec 2006 11:58:17 -0800<br>><br>>Sunil et. al.<br>>
<br>>Consider this escalation of the Iraq war (I'm not going to use the<br>>euphemism<br>>"surge") in the broader context of the Pentagon's goals to increase the<br>>size<br>>of the US military for a variety of global operations, a goal that once
<br>>achieved may become the semi-permanent size of US forces, Iraq war or not.<br>>A good justification is to "win" the war in Iraq via committing more<br>>troops.<br>><br>>But one way or the other, I believe our military bases will remain in Iraq
<br>>for decades. Iraq has the third largest reserves of petroleum, behind<br>>Saudi<br>>Arabia and Canada, and the Middle East overall has the most oil of any<br>>area. The US cannot take the long term risk of Middle East oil under the
<br>>control of regimes unfriendly to the US, and regime change in Iran, the<br>>dominant threat from a potential anti-US/anti-Israeli Islamic super<br>>power, has been the main goal of US Middle East policy, with Iraq a mere
<br>>stepping stone, as the Project For A New American Century spelled out in<br>>the<br>>late 1990s, in the academic study "Rebuilding America's Defenses" presented<br>>on the PNAC web site:<br>
><br>><a href="http://www.newamericancentury.org/RebuildingAmericasDefenses.pdf">http://www.newamericancentury.org/RebuildingAmericasDefenses.pdf</a><br>><br>>-------------<br>>The national security and economy of the US in fifty years, or whenever
<br>>petroleum depletion signals the fossil fuel golden age is ending, will<br>>demand that we can guarantee access to those resources. Whoever has access<br>>to the remaining fossil fuel reserves, by force if necessary, when not
<br>>enough remains to distribute these resources as though all nations on Earth<br>>have a right to access, will be in control of the global economy. Unless,<br>>of course, there are alternative energy sources available to most all major
<br>>nations on Earth, that are practical and affordable, that can replace<br>>fossil<br>>fuels on the grand scale of energy consumption we now take for granted from<br>>fossil fuels.<br>><br>>Ted Moffett
<br>><br>><br>><br>>On 12/27/06, Sunil Ramalingam <<a href="mailto:sunilramalingam@hotmail.com">sunilramalingam@hotmail.com</a>> wrote:<br>>><br>>><a href="http://www.juancole.com/2006/12/top-ten-myths-about-iraq-2006-1.html">
http://www.juancole.com/2006/12/top-ten-myths-about-iraq-2006-1.html</a><br>>><br>>><br>>>It appears that the decision for a 'troop surge' has been made, and now a<br>>>rationale has to be created to justify that decision. To what end?
<br>>><br>>>Sunil<br>>><br>>><br>>>=======================================================<br>>>List services made available by First Step Internet,<br>>>serving the communities of the Palouse since 1994.
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