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Cartoon by Gary O'Gara, CA

What Imperial Ambitions?

Craig B Hulet?

“Calls for State Department reform are really a veiled way of trying to make permanent changes that would leave a certain ideological strain that could be called ‘neo-imperial’ in control not just of the Pentagon but of other parts of the government as well.” --Charles Kupchan

American military officials spoke of maintaining perhaps four bases in Iraq that could be used in the future: one at the international airport just outside Baghdad; another at Tallil, near Nasiriya in the south; the third at an isolated airstrip called H-1 in the western desert, along the old oil pipeline that runs to Jordan; and the last at the Bashur air field in the Kurdish north. (NYT, Pentagon Expects Long-Term Access to Four Key Bases in Iraq, April 19,03)

This is reported as if it is just a mild consequence of the war and not part and parcel of the plan all along for occupying the entire region. Stated in the confines of Iraq, it seems innocent enough. One can hear Sean Hannity squealing “they have to stay for awhile to keep the peace until democracy is established.” Like in Afghanistan (where bin laden has returned?), like in Uzbekistan, Azerbaijan, Turkey, Pakistan, Kazakhstan, South Korea, Saudi Arabia, Qatar and Kuwait, and 100 other nations? Can anyone still remain in doubt that this is empire, with an imperial presidency? I have been in interviews trying to explain what kind of empire we are dealing with only to have the host begin yelling, ranting at me, that I am changing the definition of empire because America isn’t occupying territories, we aren’t sending in troops to decide the fate of other countries, we aren’t forcing our economy on them. Never mind the World Bank, IMF, WTO, XM Bank, etc., etc.? Never mind the future owners of Iraq: The future firm of, ExxonMobilConocoPhillipsCheveronTexacoHaliburtonBechtelBrown&RootDynCorp....
(When they have all merged of course)

Now, because the State Department wants a greater role in remaking the Middle East (note they want a different role, they are not questioning the US imperial ambitions) and that of some UN’s involvement. The neo-conservatives are having a fit. Recently in a speech, Newt Gingrich called for “bold dramatic change at the State Department.” A preview of the imperial ambitions of the neo-conservatives and their allies within the administration. Anyone that gets in their way can expect to be promptly fired.

Date: April 24, 2003