some updates on the global power structures

Some more headlines:

When you can no longer make profits off of cheap fast food in the U.S., it's time to get young people in "emerging markets" addicted. Combination Pizza Hut and Taco Bell, India-style.

A newer form of class struggle from below (as identified by Midnight Notes)? Take the credit while you can, live big, then peace out when you can no longer afford it.

The mechanization of warfare, or, one step closer to the end of humanity. U.S. unmanned drones are well-known to be killing dozens of Pakistani citizens weekly. Men in Langley Virgina (CIA or Blackwater, what's the difference?) use joysticks and live video feeds to bomb targets/homes in Pakistan and then leave their cubicle to go have dinner with their family. W.T.F? These drones are also being used to police the U.S.-Mexico border. The DoD has plans to purchase 700 more next year. And then for $26 some people in Iraq have bought software and figured out how to hack into them.

The U.S. is seriously hating on Iran--can't fully figure out why. Yes they may or may not be involved in long term plan to develop nuclear weapons. And I they did test-fire a long range missile that could reach Israel and (gasp) U.S. bases in the region! How dare they get that close to us! Double standards anyone? They must have oil or something (which is why it's ironic that the U.S. sanctions involved limiting fuel supply to Iran. What? It turns out that Iran has to import 40% of their fuel because they lack refining capacity. What? Why don't they get some?)

Oh yeah, brief history on Iran relations with the U.S/U.K: BP (British Petroleum) became a corporation after owning all of Iran's oil from 1913-1951, which is when the Iranian government decided to nationalize their oil. Two years later, the CIA and MI5, led a coup and installed a government that privatized the oil (in a public-private deal I believe). In 1979, the Islamic Revolution overthrew the U.S.-backed government and nationalized the oil again. The West, specifically the U.S., has hated them ever since--imposing sanctions since from 1979 til the present day and funding Saddam Hussein's invasion and war of attrition against Iran throughout all of the 80's (while also funding Iran a little bit in the Iran-contra scandal). But then it was at the beginning of the 90's, of course, when the U.S. decided to take the EXACT OPPOSITE approach by going against Saddam Hussein when he invaded Kuwait in the First Gulf War. This led to a change in US geopolitical strategy: sanctions and intermittent bombings on Iraq throughout ALL of the 90's and a Clinton endorsed Congressional resolution calling for regime change in Iraq. This was part of a larger neocon plan, according to a certain professor of mine, to put the Shia'a majority in control in Iraq (rather than the Sunni minority) and hope that friendly relations with a Shia-controlled Iraq would lead to friendly relations with Iran (which is dominantly Shia). This logic supposedly worked because Ayatollah Sistani of Iraq is a higher-ranking Shia clerk than Ayatollah Khomeni of Iran. Well, you can see what happened in Iraq (also see below) and why the U.S. is still uppin' the heat on Iran.

Here's some much needed clear headed understanding of the the U.S-AfPak disaster. 1) Tariq Ali's hour long lecture at Hampshire College. 2) Phyllis Bennis of IPS discussing the geopolitics of the situation and the need for regional diplomatic solutions on the RealNewsNetwork.

Also, the "troop surge" in Afghanistan is going to include even more contractors than soldiers. And Obama's people ever been all over the media, backing away from the 2011 withdrawal from Afghanistan---"It SUPER dependent on conditions on the ground," they say.

And aid, if it is ever helpful, certainly does NOT work in a militarized environment.

Pakistan is in a very precarious situation right now. In the India-Pakistan proxy wars in Afghanistan (Northern Alliance vs. Taliban), the U.S. has shown itself to a staunch ally of India (Bennis), even through Pakistan President Zaradari is still acting as a U.S. tool, which is why he barely has any public support. He recently gave up his control over the nuclear weapons to the Prime Minister. The Supreme Court just abolished the amnesty protections for Zaradari and other corrupt government officials, weakening his already tenuous position as Pakistan's President. It's likely he won't last much longer. The public of Pakistan are showing HUGE RESENTMENT to the U.S. presence in the region: the U.S. war against the tribal Pashtun area of Afghanistan is essentially also a war against the tribal Pashtun area of Pakistan (they are separated only by the Durand Line, a vestige of Britain's South Asian colony). The U.S. is bombing Pakistan with drones weekly. The U.S. is pouring billions of dollars and diplomatic encouragement (only because Pak won't allow U.S. soliders) into Pakistan's highly destructive military offensives WITHIN it's own borders against so-called "militant groups" and "terrorists." As Tariq Ali has said, more and more Pakistani soldiers are questioning their orders in being told to fight and kill other Muslims. And indeed the U.S. diplomat establishment in Pakistan, which has traditionally been giving a fair amount of orders to the Pak government (Ali), is being given some serious harassment, as reported in the NY Times.

50,000 people are evacuated in the Philippines because a of potential volcanic explosion.

The people and nation of Fiji refocus all of their energy into dealing with rampant flooding. COP15 people, are you listening? As the pleas of Tuvalu, the Malidives, and Solomon Islands have made clear: No, the rich countries are not even close to giving up their political-military-economy machines of power. Even if it means knowingly submerging entire nations.

The Co-operation Council of Arab Gulf States---something to keep up on since they have 45% of the world's proven oil reserves--are organized! Bahrain, Kuwait, Qatar and Saudi Arabia have agreed on plans to form a central bank and common currency. The two other nations of the group have not signed on though: United Arab Emirates, the top investor in Iraq right now, objects to the bank being in the Saudi capital and Oman can't "meet the pre-reqs."

Iraq is on it's way to being a major global oil producer again. For the past years it's oil production has been so low that it has not been subject to OPEC quotas, which all other OPEC countries are in order to regulate global oil prices. OPEC has yet to directly address the situation, but it's due to cause some tension in the near future.

The recent Iraqi oil auction gave 20-year production licenses to a handful of oil companies, and notably neither the U.S. or Russia dominated. They're getting paid about a buck to a buck-fifty a barrel, which is nothing in terms of profit margins, while the Iraq government reaps the rest of the profits (oil nationalization tends to be the way to go, you know?). Low profits aside, in a world of approaching (or past?) peak oil, strategic presence is going to make all the difference.

And as the peacenik prez obama prepares to "withdraw" from Iraq this coming summer, lets not forget about what you can either call a "humanitarian crisis" or the U.S.'s total fucking destruction of human dignity and cohesion of the people of Iraq. As you can find on Wikipedia: five million orphans, nearly half the country's children. Health levels that have deteriorated from being on the "forefront" to "sub-saharan African levels" (however problematic that analogy is). Malnutrition rates at almost a third of the population. Over two-thirds of Iraqi children (or all?) suffering from psychological trauma. Over two-thirds of Iraqis with no safe drinking water, and subsequent cholera and other water-borne disease outbreaks. ETC.

Obama and Kim Jong-il have become pen-pals in talking about possible nuclear negotiations. This is after a secret meeting between U.S. envoy and North Korean officials.

There is a huge movement in Vietnam against mining projects for aluminum ore.

And the South Pacific island nation Nauru (which I'd never heard of, only has 10,000 residents, and is a member of the U.N.) has formerly recognized Abkhazia's declaration of independence from Georgia...while asking for $50 billion from Russia for playing Cold War politics on their side. Nice move.

Also, the whole climate negotiations thing by nearly ALL THE COUNTRIES OF THE WORLD are thoroughly effing depressing. Not to mention the health-care debates in the U.S. Here we have two forums for serious, positive change on the domestic and international levels. But again...nothing. Only the powerful staying powerful, and the movements from below left languishing. Time to step it up.