Opinion Editorials, October 2007
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Arab Gulf Region And The Giant Powers, Part II: Deceit And Exploitation
By Ali Al-Hail
ccun.org, October 7, 2007
I. Summary of Part I:
In Part I, I analyzed cultural, economic, military and industrial factors that, force Arab Gulf States to find a balance in their political relationships between Iran and the U.S.A. Their aim is to keep their prosperity, due to oil and gas revenues stabilized. A feature of this balance is conceivably, based upon placating the regional giant, Iran and dissociating themselves from the invading bigger giant, the U.S.A. and (subsequently, Israel), the other Mideast giant, whose aim to dominate the largest oil producing region in the World long had been known. In part II, the question; 'why do Arab Gulf States have to finance and fund a war might not happened between the giants?' Will be analyzed and discussed. Another question; 'have the US and its Western allies, including Israel fabricated an atmosphere of war to sell more weapons to the Arab Gulf States, especially, as their credit crisis appear to deteriorate, which might lad to a recession in the US, according to the latest IMF report?' will also, be focused upon.
"We remain committed to deter threats in the Gulf and to maintain freedom of navigation to ensure unimpeded access to the region’s oil resources and the stability and security of friendly countries in the area. We plan to maintain a naval presence for the foreseeable future"
(David Mack, the US assistant-secretary of state for Near-Eastern affairs, On 28 February 1990.)
II. Oil vs. Stability:
As much as Arab Gulf states are obsessed with stability, the US and its allies are obsessed with the Oil from the Arab Gulf region. Long before the undergoing dispute between Iran and the US-led West over Iran's nuclear activities, for the sake of oil, the US isolated the Oil-rich Arab Gulf region from the two giants, Iraq-Saddam and Iran as they began the first Gulf war in September 1980 by allegedly, forcing them to form the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) (Al-Alkim, 2000).
For the sake of oil, too, the US and its allies don't want to see an Iranian nuclear advance. As a result, the Bush administration and some of their allies began threatening with "all options are open", including a potential war. However, many argue that, since the US got involved in the region in he 1880's, it has observably, performed a destabilizing rather than a stabilizing role in the Arab Gulf region.
III. Cashing On An Assumed War:
Undoubtedly, the US and its allies particularly, Britain have so far, made a good business out of this crisis. The US announced recently, the sale of $20 billion weapons to the GCC Arab Gulf states. Britain had already signed Al-Yamama most controversial arm deal with Saudi Arabia worth of an estimated amount of $75 billion.
Ironically, Israel didn't object to the deals, which is a precedence. It's only skepticism is that, the arms might fall in the hands of 'extremists. There have been speculations and rumors that, the arms will not be used against Israel.
Fears ignited by the US war propaganda started to gather momentum. The Arab Gulf States' preparations for the war have already, entered a critical phase.
Bahrain has lately, decided to install a missile shield which would possibly, be followed by other states in the region. This development boosts speculations about the US-led-West's capitalizing on the seemingly, volatile situation, in order to retail their missile shields and other war equipment technology to the oil and gas rich region.
It's perhaps, not groundless to assume, as do many analysts that, sustaining a level of war tension in the region falls within an Iranian-US-led-West scenario to exhaust Arab Gulf states' oil and gas-G.D.P. (Gross National Product) generated. In an attempt to balance their relations with both giants, the Saudi Foreign Minister, Saud Al-Faisal's proposition lately, to form a nuclear consortium between Iran and Arab Gulf States to obtain nuclear technology know how, which was welcomed by Iran and received with perplexity by the US-led West, was observed to be within this context.
Has to be noted here that, Iran's president called during a visit to Saudi Arabia, to put his country's nuclear technology 'know how' at the service of Arab Gulf states as perceivably, a good gesture to calm down their anxieties over the issue. The proposition was understood as an Arab Gulf state's need to acquire peaceful nuclear energy, in the same way Iran does.
It seems that on the one hand, the Arab Gulf states wanted to wire a message to the US-led-West that, Iran's nuclear is peaceful and they would desire to follow Iran's steps as regard. While on the other,…well, Israel has it purportedly, with more than 200 nuclear heads so, why shouldn't Iran obtain the nuclear technology 'know how' for peaceful means? (The Author in via-satellite discussion with the US ambassador A Geneva, at the US Embassy in Doha, April, 2006.)
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Professor, Dr. Ali Al-Hail, Professor of Mass Communication, Twice Fulbright
Award Winner, Fulbright Visiting Scholar and Board Member of AUSACE, ASC, IABD, NEBAA, BEA, IMDA and EAJMC American Associations.
Can be cotacted via alhailali@yahoo.com
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