Friends, reading Reuters News this morning revealed an interesting item. It was the announcement that the U.S. is imposing new petrochemical sanctions on Iran.
Reuters reports: “The United States blacklisted on Friday eight companies in Iran’s petrochemical industry, sending a warning to the Islamic Republic’s global customers as Washington strives to cut off funds to the country’s nuclear program."
"This was the first time Washington sanctioned the petrochemical industry, which an administration official said was the largest source of foreign earnings for Iran’s nuclear program after oil sales."
“Companies should end immediately their purchases of Iranian petrochemical products,” the official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said on a call with reporters.
He said U.S. officials over the last several months had been engaged in a “strong diplomatic campaign” with governments and companies around the world to make clear that sanctions could be imposed on purchases of Iran’s petrochemicals.” (See Link Below)
I thought it curious that the U.S. could unilaterally impose sanctions on Iran and wondered how one nation could have earned the right to go around imposing sanctions on other sovereign nations while encouraging other nations to do the same.
Then, of course, the question could be asked what has given the U.S. the right to invade and occupy other nations like, for example, Iraq and Afghanistan. And what gave America the right to use drones all over the world to eradicate people it doesn’t like or who impede its imperial interests?
I thought back over my time on this earth (which sometimes feels like forever) and tried to remember when the U.S. was elected the world’s policeman and who elected it. My memory seems to be failing.
I think it happened soon after WW2 finished and it seem to begin in Korea when an American invasion took place. But no name stands out, no global vote was held that I recall, no U.N. mandate. Suddenly there was a war!
The result of that invasion is that Korea is still split in two and South Korea has a very large military presence there as it does in the Philippines, Japan, Germany, well…the list goes on and on. Today the U.S. has more than 1,000 military bases encircling the world as well as armadas of battle fleets and it has use of air strips and harbors in many nations across the world.
How did it achieve this remarkable, some might say worrying feat? Is it the reason that the U.S. is bankrupt? Is it the reason that the U.S. is hated by so many people in the world?
But the important question, to me, is: Who Elected the U.S. As The World’s Policeman? Who gave it carte blanche to do whatever it wants, whenever it wants?
Then, who sanctioned the U.S. build-up of Israel’s military power which has led to a situation when Israel is issuing threats to Russia? Who sanctioned the hideous war against Vietnam that killed millions of civilians? Who approved its use of Agent Orange, and napalm, and depleted uranium and phosphorous munitions and torture and rendition and GITMO?
And, if it eventually gains world domination which is clearly its intent, a very important question is: what kind of world will it create?
I follow events in the U.S. very closely. I am not encouraged by what I see, not with homelessness and poverty rife, not with the crushing of political dissent by the police, not with the possible existence of FEMA camps, not with most of the wealth ending up in the hands of the ultra-rich. And not given the electronic surveillance of American citizens.
And if we take into account the power of the corporations and banks there combined with the failure of the MSM to properly inform plus the failure of American politicians to represent their constituents rather than the Big End of Town, etc, the potential picture is appalling.
The important question for the world is: if the U.S. gains control of the world, will the U.S. end up an arrogant, imperial, totalitarian rogue State, one that will put Russia to shame?
The answer to this question must surely begin with working out who or what gave America such power over the world since 1945?
If you have some cogent answers please fill me in!
http://www.reuters.com/...?