The New World Order, Forged in the Gulf - Iran and America's Imperial Playground, Part 2

by Andrew G. Marshall - Oct 15, 2007

This article is Part 2 of the author's essay: Imperial Playground: The Story of Iran in Recent History

Brzezinski’s Strategy for a New World Order

I will now briefly jump to discussing Zbigniew Brzezinski, remember him? He was the co-founder of the Trilateral Commission with David Rockefeller, as well as being Jimmy Carter’s National Security Adviser, and as a result, was a principal figure, to his own admission, to forming and fostering the group that we now today as Al-Qaeda, or what he referred to as a group of “stirred of Moslems”. Brzezinski also was the individual who was pivotal in introducing the “Arc of Crisis” strategy, of creating and fostering Islamic extremism and fundamentalism in an effort to destabilize the Middle East and Baltic regions. Zbigniew Brzezinski is often considered to be the Democratic Party’s answer to Henry Kissinger, and in fact, they both now sit on the board of trustees of a powerful American think tank, the Center for Strategic and International Studies, alongside other such notable figures as the Chairman and CEO of Coca-Cola, the Chairman and CEO of Merrill Lynch & Company, Co-founder and Managing Director of the Carlyle Group, (of which the Bush and Bin laden families were principal investors, not to mention James Baker, Bush Sr.’s Secretary of State during the Gulf War 1991 51), and the Chairman and CEO of Exxon Mobil Corporation.52 So, Brzezinski has, and still is, a prominent American geostrategist. In 1997, around the same time he worked as an adviser to BP in its Afghanistan pipeline negotiations, he wrote a book titled, The Grand Chessboard, in which he discussed the vital importance of Eurasia, being the largest landmass on earth, made up of Europe and Asia, focusing predominantly on the region in which these two continents meet, which Brzezinski refers to as the ‘global balkans’.

Brzezinski writes in his book, which is, much like the neo-cons’ PNAC document, ‘Rebuilding America’s Defenses’, in that it is essentially a blueprint for American hegemony, or imperialism on a global scale, that “For America, the chief geopolitical prize is Eurasia. For half a millennium, world affairs were dominated by Eurasian powers and peoples who fought with one another for regional domination and reached out for global power,” as well as that, “In that context, how America ‘manages’ Eurasia is critical. Eurasia is the globe’s largest continent and is geopolitically axial. A power that dominates Eurasia would control two of the world’s three most advanced and economically productive regions. A mere glance at the map also suggests that control over Eurasia would almost automatically entail African subordination.”53 Brzezinski continues, “But the pursuit of power is not a goal that commands popular passion, except in conditions of a sudden threat or challenge to the public’s sense of domestic well-being. The economic self-denial (that is, defense spending) and the human sacrifice (casualties even among professional soldiers) required in the effort are uncongenial to democratic instincts. Democracy is inimical to imperial mobilization,”54 [Emphasis added]. To clarify, Brzezinski sums up that exerting American power around the world is only possible through the public feeling unsafe, as a result of an external threat, and that, as Brzezinski clearly states, Democracy is unfavourable to imperialism, yet he is offering a blueprint for imperialism; so what does that say about his thoughts on Democracy?

Brzezinski continues on his imperialistic tirade, “Today, the geopolitical issue is no longer what geographic part of Eurasia is the point of departure for continental domination, nor whether land power is more significant than sea power. Geopolitics has moved from the regional to the global dimension, with preponderance over the entire Eurasian continent serving as the central basis for global primacy,”55 and in discussing Iran, he states, “Turkey and Iran are engaged in establishing some degree of influence in the Caspian Sea-Central Asia region, exploiting the retraction of Russian power. For that reason, they might be considered as geostrategic players.” As well as, “Both Turkey and Iran, however, are primarily important geopolitical pivots. Turkey stabilizes the Black Sea region, controls access from it to the Mediterranean Sea, balances Russia in the Caucasus, still offers an antidote to Muslim fundamentalism, and serves as the southern anchor for NATO [North Atlantic Treaty Organization].” Continuing, he states, “Iran, despite the ambiguity of its attitude toward Azerbaijan, similarly provides stabilizing support for the new political diversity of Central Asia. It dominates the eastern shoreline of the Persian Gulf, while its independence, irrespective of current Iranian hostility toward the United States, acts as a barrier to any long-term Russian threat to American interests in the Persian Gulf region.”56 In a very important statement, Brzezinski says, “The internal strains within Turkey and Iran are likely not only to get worse but to greatly reduce the stabilizing role these states are capable of playing within this volcanic region. Such developments will in turn make it more difficult to assimilate the new Central Asian states [emerging from the collapse of the Soviet Union] into the international community, while also adversely affecting the American-dominated security of the Persian Gulf region. In any case, both America and the international community may be faced here with a challenge that will dwarf the recent crisis in the former Yugoslavia,”57 [Emphasis added].

Further, in discussing emerging threats to American hegemony, Brzezinski states, “A geostrategic issue of crucial importance is posed by China’s emergence as a major power,” and that, “A ‘Greater China’ may be emerging, whatever the desires and calculations of its neighbors, and any effort to prevent that from happening could entail an intensifying conflict with China,” and he further states, “perhaps even resulting in the termination of the American presence in the Far East.” In discussing this potential problem for American hegemony, Brzezinski states, “Potentially, the most dangerous scenario would be a grand coalition of China, Russia, and perhaps Iran, an ‘antihegemonic’ coalition united not by ideology but by complementary grievances. It would be reminiscent in scale and scope of the challenge once posed by the Sino-Soviet bloc, though this time China would be the likely leader and Russia the follower. Averting this contingency, however remote it may be, will require a display of US geostrategic skill on the western, eastern, and southern perimeters of Eurasia simultaneously,” and that, “one could imagine a European-Russia accommodation to exclude America from the continent.”58 Later on in his book, Brzezinski returns to the concept of a Chinese-Russia coalition, saying, “Chinese aid to Iran and Pakistan is of more immediate regional and geopolitical significance to China, but that also does not provide the point of departure for a serious quest for global power status. An ‘antihegemonic’ coalition could become a last-resort option if China came to feel that its national or regional aspirations were being blocked by the United States.”59

On Iran, Brzezinski further states, “it is not in America’s interest to perpetuate American-Iranian hostility,” and that “A strong, even religiously motivated but not fanatically anti-Western Iran is in the US interest,” and “American long-range interests in Eurasia would be better served by abandoning existing US objections to closer Turkish-Iranian economic cooperation, especially in the construction of new pipelines, and also to the construction of other links between Iran, Azerbaijan, and Turkmenistan. Long-term American participation in the financing of such projects would in fact also be in the American interest,” [Emphasis added]. This is especially interesting to note such as Brzezinski was involved as an adviser to British Petroleum when they were involved in such a pipeline project. Further, he states, “any would-be Chinese-Russian-Iranian coalition against America is unlikely to jell beyond some occasional tactical posturing, it is important for the United States to deal with China in a fashion that does not drive Beijing in that direction. In any such ‘antihegemonic’ alliance, China would be the linchpin. It would be the strongest, the most dynamic, and thus the leading component.”60

Geo-Strategy and a Nuclear Iran

Brzezinski’s ‘Grand Chessboard’ is an incredibly important glimpse into geostrategic thought. However, it is also important to note that Brzezinski is a very vocal critic of the present George W. Bush administration, as he is of a different breed of imperialist than say, the neo-conservatives. As we have seen from the neo-con PNAC document, ‘Rebuilding America’s Defense’, a blueprint for empire, they identify much of the same region as Brzezinski as being troubled spots for American primacy and hegemony in the world, and both Brzezinski and the neo-cons advocate American empire. However, where they differ is in their methods. Brzezinski, keep in mind, was the geopolitical tactician behind the ‘Arc of Crisis’ strategy in the later 70s, which developed the Mujahideen in Afghanistan, bringing in the Soviets to deliver them ‘their Vietnam’, as well as promoting and spurring the revolution in Iran in 1979, to depose the Shah who was industrializing his country and slowly taking back control of the oil; a strategy of fostering radical Islamic movements to destabilize the region and deter any actual development of societies and nations in an effort to preserve the hegemony of Anglo-American oil geopolitics, either through direct control by oil corporations or through OPEC manipulation. Brzezinski, therefore, can be understood as being a much more strategic thinker than the neo-cons.

The neo-conservatives have no discipline in their strategy; they are rabid imperialists, but prefer a strategy of showing their might through brute military force. The neo-cons, however, cannot be considered to be ‘brilliant’ strategists by any means, but rather just outright, overt colonialists. If you compare tactics briefly, you will understand the difference better. Brzezinski’s tactics of preserving American hegemony in the Middle East and Central Asia, were done so covertly that it had no outright repercussions of the public perception of America. Afghanistan was seen as being at the fault of the Soviets, whereas, the Iranian Revolution, to this day, has been viewed as damaging to American hegemony, and in fact, America was largely seen as the victim in that event. But, it nonetheless managed to achieve the overall aims of the Anglo-American alliance, in preserving their hegemony in the region and preventing the USSR from gaining a foothold in the region, as Islamic, religious governments would not work with the Soviet Union, a secular, anti-religious communist state.

The neo-cons, on the other hand, prefer overt use of American military might to annihilate a country in front of the world, which has resulted in the absolute disintegration of America’s image in the world. So, while the neo-cons today openly advocate outright military force against Iran, even suggesting nuking the country, it is clear that Brzezinski would never take such a move, but would likely prefer internal manipulation of the country, perhaps spurting another revolution, or even covertly meddling in the surrounding countries in an effort to destabilize Iran, itself.

These differences, and divisions within the ruling class of the United States, and in fact, the Anglo-American alliance, now lead us to the present conflict with Iran that we are seeing today. As a background on the current conflict, it is publicly a battle between America’s view of Iran’s nuclear program. The neo-cons espouse the idea that Iran is pursuing nuclear technology in an effort to create a nuclear weapon. However, I stress this as an idea, because to this very day, there has been no actual proof to back these claims, except in the concept that Iran is pursuing nuclear technology. Nonetheless, often we hear in the media, and from the government, that Iran is trying to make a nuclear bomb. These arguments cannot help but remind those whose memory goes beyond last week to think of the lead-up to the war in Iraq, in which very similar claims were made, that Iraq was pursuing a nuclear weapon, which, in the aftermath of the destruction of the country, have been proven to be completely unfounded and false. As the Anglo-Americans and in fact, much of the West at large is applying pressure on Iran to give up their nuclear program, Iran steadfastly and continually refuses. Often we hear the argument that Iran has enormous amounts of oil, so why would they pursue nuclear technology for energy resources? The answer to this question is posed in the history of Iranian, and in fact, Middle Eastern geopolitics.

As I have covered the politics of OPEC briefly, whose primary and most powerful member is Saudi Arabia, which sets the production limits of oil, the Anglo-Americans, through Saudi Arabia, have the ability to manipulate and control OPEC, and through that, the oil market, which has enormous control over the global market. As Robert Dreyfuss pointed out in his book, Devil’s Game, “the British, masters of manipulating tribal, ethnic, and religious affiliations, expert at setting minorities at one another’s throats for the greater good of Her Majesty’s realm, were intrigued with the idea of fostering a spirit of Islamic revivalism – if it could serve their purposes,”61 and that “England’s ties to the Al Saud [family] began in the mid-nineteenth century, when a British colonel made contact with the House of Saud in Riyadh, the sleepy desert city that would eventually be the capital of Arabia. ‘The first contact was made in 1865, and British subsidies started to flow into the coffers of the Saudi family, in ever growing quantity as World War One grew closer’.”62 Further, after Ibn Saud, with the very close participation and help from the British, took over what we today know as Saudi Arabia, “[he] set out immediately to establish himself as the uncrowned king of Islam,”63 and an agreement was signed by the British and Ibn Saud in 1927, recognizing the Saud family as the Saudi Royalty. So, Saudi Arabia was established with the help of the British, and the Royal Family, the House of Saud; was also established by the British, and who, today, still rule the country. Ties are today now very close with the Americans and the Saudis, so, still, the Anglo-American alliance has great influence over the prime mover and shaker of the OPEC countries.

Iran’s move to nuclear energy, then, can be seen not just as a possible move towards creating a nuclear weapon, but perhaps more plausibly, is a move towards creating an autonomous, independent nation; industrializing itself. Iran, an OPEC member, is subject to the manipulations of Saudi Arabia, and, as we saw with Iraq in the lead up to the Gulf War, OPEC can be used to destroy the efforts of a member country to industrialize itself; in Iraq’s case by having Kuwait over-produce which dropped the price of oil. If Iran were to rely simply upon its oil for its industrialization, then it would be subject to OPEC’s control. For example, OPEC could again overproduce, thereby dropping the price of oil, preventing Iran from making any significant revenue through its oil production, and therefore deterring it from industrializing. Whereas if Iran were to pursue nuclear technology, it would be able to create its own energy: reliant upon its internal structure and not upon OPEC’s price controls. Given historical precedent in the region, this is a much greater threat to hegemonic powers, and especially the Anglo-American alliance than the pursuit of a nuclear bomb. After all, the enemy of the Anglo-Americans for half a century was the USSR, which had, at its disposal, thousands of nuclear weapons. But in the eyes of the public, a country building itself up and industrializing is not a problem; so the idea of changing the government of Iran must be stemmed from the line of ‘weapons of mass destruction’ and ‘nuclear bombs’, which are buzz words to scare the public.

As recently as August 5, “Iran has no intention of suspending its atomic work and has not slowed down its disputed nuclear activities.”64 On top of this, Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has said, “Tehran would never yield to international pressure to suspend its nuclear program,” and that “Iran will never abandon its peaceful (nuclear) work. Our nuclear work is legal and why should we stop it?”65 The article continued, “The United States and other Western powers suspect Iran has a secret program to build nuclear weapons. The oil-producing Islamic Republic says its nuclear program is only for generation of electricity for the benefit of its economy.” Recently as well, “Former Iranian President Ayatollah Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani has said that any US military attack on Iran will be an act of suicide.”66 A warning was recently also issued from Hezbollah, an Islamic militant group which was principal in defeating Israel during the Israeli-Lebanese war last summer [2006], “Executive Deputy Secretary General of Lebanese Hezbollah has warned any military attack against Iran would trigger devastating regional conflicts,”67 and he continued saying, “ ‘However the recent allegations by the US and Zionist [Israeli] officials who claim there is no military option on the table should not be taken seriously,’ he noted, arguing the US and Zionists would seize any opportunity to target Lebanon, Syria and Iran.”

Drawing on the previous imperial relations with Iran on the part of the Anglo-Americans and Russia in past centuries, Iran has developed very close ties with Russia, and “The Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman says the Russians have not changed their stance on the country's peaceful nuclear activities. Russia has stressed diplomatic measures and settling Iran's nuclear case through negotiations,” and that, “Russia is building Iran's first nuclear power plant in the south of the country, under a 1995 agreement.”68 On top of this, “Israel is looking into reports that Russia plans to sell 250 advanced long-range Sukhoi-30 fighter jets to Iran in an unprecedented billion-dollar deal. According to reports, in addition to the fighter jets, Teheran also plans to purchase a number of aerial fuel tankers that are compatible with the Sukhoi and capable of extending its range by thousands of kilometers. Defense officials said the Sukhoi sale would grant Iran long-range offensive capabilities. Government officials voiced concern over the reports. They said Russia could be trying to compete with the United States, which announced over the weekend a billion-dollar arms sale to Saudi Arabia and other Gulf states,” and that “Despite Israeli and US opposition, Russia recently supplied Iran with advanced antiaircraft systems used to protect Teheran's nuclear installations. At the time, Moscow said it reserved the right to sell Iran weapons, such as the antiaircraft system, that were of a defensive nature.”69

Further, Russian news reported that “The Bush administration's plans to sell modern weaponry and increase military assistance to its allies in the Middle East are aimed at exerting pressure on Iran and strengthening the Republicans' positions on the domestic front, Russian experts said Tuesday,” and that “The U.S. State Department announced Monday a new U.S. plan to sell some $20 billion in advanced weaponry to Saudi Arabia and other moderate Arab states over the next decade and to increase U.S. military aid to Israel by 25 percent, from an annual $2.4 billion at present to $3 billion a year, guaranteed for 10 years. The U.S. officials also said President George W. Bush would seek congressional approval for $13 billion in additional military aid to Egypt, which currently receives $1.3 billion annually.”70 The London Telegraph recently reported that, “The United States will reinforce the military capability of Israel and Saudi Arabia in a strategy intended to deter Iran. Ehud Olmert, the Israeli prime minister, confirmed yesterday that US military aid would rise by 25 per cent over the next decade, from £12 billion to £15 billion [$30 billion] a year. Meanwhile, US military sources reported that Saudi Arabia was on the verge of signing a deal to buy approximately £12 billion [$24 billion] of arms and support equipment.”71

A little while ago, Iran and the United States decided to sit down together and discuss the current situation in Iraq. On a daily basis in the Western media, we hear that Iran is arming insurgents and terrorists in Iraq, which is sewing the seeds of Civil War. This makes up one of the pivotal arguments made for military action against Iran, “Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and other U.S. officials said Iran had not scaled back what the United States claims is a concerted effort to arm militants and harm U.S. troops.”72 Condoleezza Rice, the former member of the board of Chevron before entering the Bush White House, has also stated, “that Iran poses the biggest threat to US Middle East interests,” while she was on a Middle East tour with Defense Secretary Robert Gates (who helped create Al-Qaeda as well as being involved in the Iran-Contra affair), and “The tour is aimed at uniting US allies against Iran, Syria and Hezbollah.”73 As the US delegation is acquiring closer security ties with certain Arab countries, namely Anglo-American puppet regimes, it appears to be in an effort to counter the influence of Iran in the region.

A pivotal thing to understand in Middle East politics are the divisions of the people there, as it is foreign empires and powers that have historically manipulated ethnic differences in order to achieve their broader aims. For example, the two dominant religious sects in the Middle East are Shias and Sunnis. We often hear these words tossed around but with little understanding of what’s behind them. These are different factions within the Muslim religion. The Sunni groups dominate the Arab countries, primarily Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and other countries in the Western Middle East, whereas Shia sects are dominant in Iran, or Persia, and Iraq is very much divided between these two sects, which is a principal factor in the manipulation of ethnic conflicts which has today led to the Civil War we see in Iraq. Shia sects are also dominant in the ruling class in Syria and with Hezbullah in Lebanon. Historically, these two sects have been mortal enemies, especially after hundreds of years of imperial meddling and manipulation. Iran and Saudi Arabia, as a result, have rarely, if ever, been on good terms. Today, however, Iran is an influential leader in Middle East politics. As the United States and its allies, primarily Israel, which is the strongest supporter and pusher of military action against Iran, claim that the only influence Iran has around the region is one of a destructive nature, from arming Shia insurgents in Iraq to helping reignite the resurgence of the Taliban in Afghanistan, the facts tell a very different story.

Back in June, while Robert Gates was on a visit to Afghanistan, it was reported by the Associated Press that, “Afghanistan's defense minister on Thursday dismissed claims by a top U.S. State Department official that there was "irrefutable evidence" that the Iranian government was providing arms to Taliban rebels,” and the official continued, stating, “Actually, throughout, we have had good relations with Iran and we believe that the security and stability of Afghanistan are also in the interests of Iran.”74 The International Herald Tribune reported in early August, while Afghan President Hamid Karzai was on an official visit to the United States to visit with US President Bush, “President George W. Bush and President Hamid Karzai of Afghanistan, close allies in fighting terrorism, found much to agree on as they completed a two-day meeting here on Monday, with one major exception: the role of Iran in Afghanistan,” and that “Karzai characterized Iran as ‘a helper’ in a CNN interview broadcast Sunday. But when the two men greeted reporters here on Monday, Bush pointedly disagreed, saying, ‘I would be very cautious about whether the Iranian influence in Afghanistan is a positive force’,” and the article further stated, “Iran has sent workers to Afghanistan to provide aid to villages, but American officials contend that Tehran is also funneling weapons into the country.”75 Keep in mind, this is the US puppet leader of the Afghani puppet regime disagreeing publicly with his puppet master: why? Because Karzai, as much of a US asset as he is, is also not an idiot; he knows that the idea that Iran would give aid to the Taliban is an absurdly insane concept, as the Taliban are a radical Sunni group, among the primary enemies of the Iranian regime. It is not in the interest of Iran to help prop up a Sunni extremist group into power in one of its key neighbor countries. It would be the equivalent of saying to someone from New Orleans that after Hurricane Katrina struck, the poor black people were the most well attended to and looked after by the US government; everyone, especially in the area, know that it is an absolute fiction. However, Bush knows that most Americans are unaware of the difference between Shia and Sunni groups, and can therefore go on to make such absurd statements.

As for arming Shia insurgents in Iraq, it would be in the interest of Iran to have a Shia government emerge in its neighboring Iraq, however, when it comes to arming actual insurgents, I would suggest that this is not in the interest of Iran, as they would not want to give the West, most especially the United States, an excuse to attack it. So it would seem more likely that Iran would give aid and assistance to Shia factions within Iraq, perhaps more political support than anything, but when it comes to arming, it would be an extremely dangerous move on the part of Iran, that would likely have more detrimental repercussions than beneficial. For example, Iran has “rejected U.S. accusations that the highest levels of Iranian leadership have armed Shiite militants in Iraq with armor-piercing roadside bombs, a day after U.S. military officials in Baghdad said they had traced the weapons to Tehran.”76 However, the Iranian leadership are not the only ones to deny such claims, as would be expected of them regardless of whether or not they were, but in fact, the United States has had a very high military official do such a thing as well. In fact, the day after the previously mentioned article was written, General Peter Pace, the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, the highest ranking military official in the United States, “said Tuesday there was no evidence the Iranian government was supplying Iraqi insurgents with highly lethal roadside bombs, apparently contradicting claims by other U.S. military and administration officials.”77 On top of this, it was reported that, “Saudi Arabia is also home to the largest number of so-called "foreign fighters" in Iraq, despite administration efforts -- aided by many in the media -- to paint Iran and Syria as the main outside culprits there,” and that “according to a senior U.S. military officer and Iraqi lawmakers, about 45% of all foreign militants ‘targeting U.S. troops and Iraqi civilians and security forces are from Saudi Arabia.’ Only 15% are from Syria and Lebanon; and 10% are from North Africa. This is based on official U.S. military figures made available to newspaper by the senior officer.”78 It was even reported that, “Fighters from Saudi Arabia are thought to have carried out more suicide bombings than those of any other nationality.”79

This is especially interesting to note considering the enormous increase in military aid that the US is giving to Saudi Arabia. So, the US increases military aid and funding to the country that is causing the most conflict within Iraq, while publicly blaming Iran for all the ails of the region. Back in May, Dick Cheney made a little visit to Saudi Arabia, “for talks with King Abdullah expected to discuss Iran's growing power,” and that “Cheney, who arrived in Saudi Arabia from the United Arab Emirates where he visited a U.S. aircraft carrier in the Gulf, has said Iran would top his talks with Arab leaders during his regional visit.”80 However, Saudi Arabia is not the only foreign power arming insurgents in Iraq. In June of this year, it was reported by the New York Times that, “With the four-month-old increase in American troops showing only modest success in curbing insurgent attacks, American commanders are turning to another strategy that they acknowledge is fraught with risk: arming Sunni Arab groups that have promised to fight militants linked with Al Qaeda who have been their allies in the past,” and that “the American commanders say, the Sunni groups are suspected of involvement in past attacks on American troops or of having links to such groups. Some of these groups, they say, have been provided, usually through Iraqi military units allied with the Americans, with arms, ammunition, cash, fuel and supplies.”81 So, not only is the United States arming Saudi Arabia, which is, in turn, arming Iraqi insurgents which are causing the sectarian conflict and Civil War, but now, the US itself is arming the insurgents which are causing the Civil War. However, this, even, is not the most nefarious involvement taking place on the part of the Anglo-Americans in Iraq. As the above-mentioned New York Times article pointed out that they are arming Sunni groups to fight Al-Qaeda, it is important to briefly cover some of the so-called Al-Qaeda-type terrorist incidents and attacks in Iraq.

Controlling the Crisis

As the London Telegraph reported back in May, “Deep inside the heart of the ‘Green Zone’, the heavily fortified administrative compound in Baghdad, lies one of the most carefully guarded secrets of the war in Iraq. It is a cell from a small and anonymous British Army unit that goes by the deliberately meaningless name of the Joint Support Group (JSG), and it has proved to be one of the Coalition's most effective and deadly weapons in the fight against terror,” and it continues, “Its members - servicemen and women of all ranks recruited from all three of the Armed Forces - are trained to turn hardened terrorists into coalition spies using methods developed on the mean streets of Ulster during the Troubles, when the Army managed to infiltrate the IRA at almost every level. Since war broke out in Iraq in 2003, they have been responsible for running dozens of Iraqi double agents.”82 This is an open admission of a secret British army/intelligence unit recruiting Iraqi terrorists as supposed “spies”. The article continues, “Working alongside the Special Air Service [SAS – Special Forces] and the American Delta Force [US Special Forces] as part of the Baghdad-based counter-terrorist unit known as Task Force Black,” and that “Their job is to recruit and run covert human intelligence sources or agents - we never use the term informer. The Americans are in awe of the unit because they have nothing like them within their military.” So, the publicly stated idea behind this unit is that they recruit terrorists who would act as spies/informants, so that in the lead-up to a terror attack, the spies would pass on information to the unit who would move in to stop it; seemingly, a good purpose, right? Well, the article continues, “During the Troubles, the JSG operated under the cover name of the Force Research Unit (FRU), which between the early 1980s and the late 1990s managed to penetrate the very heart of the IRA. By targeting and then "turning" members of the paramilitary organisation with a variety of "inducements" ranging from blackmail to bribes, the FRU operators developed agents at virtually every command level within the IRA.”

The IRA (Provisional Irish Republican Army) was responsible for terrorist attacks in acts of violent resistance against the British, with the aim of gaining Northern Ireland’s independence from the United Kingdom. The above-mentioned military unit, under the name of the Force Research Unit (FRU), was responsible for infiltrating almost every level of the IRA, with the exact same intention that they have in Iraq; recruit the terrorists as spies to inform about potential attacks and actions so that they could intervene and deter and stop the attacks from happening. However, as the London Guardian reported in 2006, “The controversy over claims that Britain allowed two IRA informers to organise 'human bomb' attacks intensified this weekend. A human rights watchdog has handed a report to the Police Service of Northern Ireland, which concludes that two British agents were central to the bombings of three army border installations in 1990,” and further, “Meanwhile the Police Ombudsman's Office in Belfast confirmed it is investigating allegations by the family of one victim that the bomb in Newry on 24 October 1990 could have been prevented,” and that “The 'human bomb' tactic involved forcing civilians to drive vehicles laden with explosives into army checkpoints and included deadly sorties near Newry and Coshquin outside Derry. Six British soldiers and a civilian worker at an army base died in the simultaneous blasts on either side of Northern Ireland.”83 On top of this, the London Sunday Times reported that “A former British Army mole in the IRA has claimed that MI5 [British intelligence] arranged a weapons-buying trip to America in which he obtained detonators, later used by terrorists to murder soldiers and police officers,” and that, “the spy, who uses the pseudonym Kevin Fulton, describes in detail how British intelligence co-operated with the FBI to ensure his trip to New York in the 1990s went ahead without incident,” and that “He claims the technology he obtained has been used in Northern Ireland and copied by terrorists in Iraq in roadside bombs that have killed British troops.”84 So, as opposed to Iran supplying the technology for the roadside bombs in Iraq, it would appear that it is, in actuality, the Anglo-Americans.

On top of this, it was reported by the Sunday Herald that, “Security forces didn't intercept the Real IRA's Omagh bombing team because one of the terrorists was a British double-agent whose cover would have been blown as an informer if the operation was uncovered. The security forces were forced to hope their agent would provide them with intelligence to ensure the bomb would go off without casualties. In the event, due to blundered telephone warnings, 29 people died on August 15 1998,” and that “The revelations follow claims by another British double-agent in the IRA, Kevin Fulton (not his real name), that he phoned a warning to his RUC [the Northern Ireland police force] handlers 48 hours before the Omagh bombing that the Real IRA was planning an attack and gave details of one of the bombing team and his car registration,” and that “other republican and intelligence sources say the RUC did not act on the information as one of the Omagh bombing team was a British informer. It is not known whether he was operating for the police, the army or MI5. There is speculation he may have also been working for the Garda - the Irish police.”85

The Sunday Herald later reported that, “He was one of the most feared men inside the Provisional IRA. To rank-and-file ‘volunteers’, a knock on the door from John Joe Magee was the equivalent of a visit from the Angel of Death. However, court documents leaked to the Sunday Herald show that Magee, head of the IRA's infamous ‘internal security unit’, was trained as a member of Britain's special forces. The IRA's ‘torturer- in-chief’ was in reality one of the UK's most elite soldiers,” and that, “the IRA has been embroiled in a catalogue of disclosures that some of its most respected members were working for British military intelligence. Magee led the IRA's internal security unit for more than a decade up to the mid-90s - most of those he investigated were usually executed.”86

But perhaps the most shocking article in the mainstream media reporting on this subject, was again reported by the Sunday Herald in 2002, stating that the subject was again in the headlines as “a BBC Panorama programme which aired allegations that British Military Intelligence colluded with terrorists in a campaign of assassination. The Panorama programme - which concludes tonight - was largely based on long-running investigations by the Sunday Herald and other newspapers,” and that “The allegations have deepened today with one former British agent claiming he was told by his military handlers that his collusion with paramilitaries was sanctioned by [British Prime Minister] Margaret Thatcher herself,” and that it was again the spy known as Kevin Fulton who reported this, saying that he was told Margaret Thatcher knows what he is personally doing, “This was 1980, and if Margaret Thatcher knew about the activities of military intelligence agents such as Fulton, then she was also aware her own military officers were planning to infiltrate British soldiers as "moles" into the IRA. These moles were ordered by their handlers to carry out terrorist crimes in order to keep their cover within the Provos so they could feed information on other leading republicans back to security forces,” and further, “For almost two years the Sunday Herald has been investigating the activities of the FRU - the Force Research Unit, an ultra-secret wing of British military intelligence. Fulton worked for the FRU for much of his career as an IRA mole. This unit, which has been under investigation by Scotland Yard commissioner Sir John Stevens for more than a decade, was involved in the murder of civilians in Northern Ireland.”

The article continued, “Nicholas Benwell, a detective sergeant formerly attached to the Stevens Inquiry, says the Scotland Yard team came to one conclusion: that military intelligence was colluding with terrorists to help them kill so-called ‘legitimate targets’ such as active republicans. FRU handlers passed documents and photographs to their agents operating within paramilitary groups detailing targets' movements and the whereabouts of their homes. Pictures were also handed over to help gunmen identify their victims. But there was a problem. The targeting was far from professional and many of the victims of these government- backed hit squads were innocent civilians.”87 Moreover, Fulton has stated, “If you ask me, 'Did I kill anyone?' then I will say 'no'. But if you ask me if the materials I handled killed anyone, then I will have to say that some of the things I helped develop did kill,”88 and that “In 1992, Fulton told his handlers - this time in both the FRU and MI5, that his IRA mentor Blair was planning to use a horizontally- fired mortar for an attack on the police. His handlers did nothing. Within days, Blair fired the device at an armoured RUC Land Rover in Newry, in the process killing policewoman Colleen McMurray. Another RUC officer lost both his legs.”89

So, as we see, the Force Research Unit (FRU) was not very effective in stopping attacks and killings, even though it clearly had the ability to do so. So the question arises, why wouldn’t it stop the attacks? Well, the answer to that is qui bono? (Who benefits?). When attacks were carried out and killings occurred, the IRA grew further from achieving its stated goals of gaining independence from the United Kingdom for Northern Ireland, as with every attack, the British military presence in Northern Ireland increased, essentially instilling a total police state of control over the Northern Irish. So, out of the attacks, the British ensured maintaining military control and oppression in Northern Ireland, whereas the Irish themselves suffered under oppressive rule. So, I leave the question to you, who benefits?

Today, we see that this Force Research Unit has now changed its name to the Joint Support Group (JSG), and has been operating in Iraq since the invasion in 2003, recruiting terrorists as spies, once again. Well, a simple question, since the invasion, has there been a decrease or an increase in terrorist attacks? Further, again, who benefits? When terrorist attacks occur in Iraq, the Iraqi people suffer, and it spurs other groups to respond with other attacks, fomenting the Civil War, and dividing the Iraqi people. For example, whenever a Shiite (Shia) Mosque is bombed, shortly thereafter, a Sunni Mosque is bombed. When 60 Shia’s are found murdered by death squads, masses of Sunnis then turn up dead. One attack precipitates another; the people separate and divide against one another, which allows for the occupation forces to submit them to harsh methods of control and oppression. It’s the age old imperial motto of “Divide and Conquer”, the theory that an imperial force will divide the people against one another, so that they won’t team up against the occupier, and also so that they have an excuse to oppress and control. So, is there reason to believe that this FRU/JSG unit in Iraq is doing much the same, if not worse, than what it did in Northern Ireland? I think it would take a great mass of ignorance to think it unlikely.

In fact, I will briefly cover one well-publicized incident, which took place in the British controlled city of Basra, in Southern Iraq, in 2005, of which the BBC reported, “The Iraqi government has launched an inquiry into the events that led the British Army to stage a dramatic rescue of two UK soldiers detained by police,” and it continued, “Both men were members of the SAS elite special forces,” and that “Basra governor Mohammed al-Waili said the men - possibly working undercover - were arrested for allegedly shooting dead a policeman and wounding another.” The article continued, “footage, purportedly of the equipment carried in the men's car, showed assault rifles, a light machine gun, an anti-tank weapon, radio gear and medical kit.”90 On top of this, the Scotsman reported that the two British SAS (Special Forces) soldiers were “dressed in Arab robes,” and that after their arrest, being held in an Iraqi jail, “British soldiers freed two comrades in a dramatic operation last night just hours after the men, believed to be with an undercover special forces unit, were arrested on charges of shooting two Iraqi policemen. Witnesses and Iraqi officials claimed British troops backed by up to ten tanks smashed down the walls of the central jail in the southern city of Basra and freed the two men,” and it continued, “Mohammed al-Waili, the governor of the province, described the British raid as ‘barbaric, savage and irresponsible’. ‘A British force of more than ten tanks backed by helicopters attacked the central jail and destroyed it. This is an irresponsible act,’ Mr al-Waili said, adding that the British force had spirited the prisoners away to an unknown location. The Ministry of Defence was last night insisting that the release of the two soldiers had been secured through negotiation and not by force, although reports suggested damage had been caused to the jail. An MoD [Ministry of Defence] official said a wall had been demolished ‘by accident’.”91

So, in a situation in which two British Special Forces soldiers were arrested, dressed as Arabs, with a large amount of weaponry in their car, not to mention that they were firing and killing Iraqi police, what is one to think? Is it possible that they were working as part of an undercover effort to incite sectarian conflict, resulting in Civil War; as the agents of the ‘Divide and Conquer’ mantra-in-action? Well, as the Asia Times reported, “Repeated cries in the mainstream media of an unfolding civil war fall on the deaf ears of many Iraqis who see the violence as a direct result of the US-led occupation,” and that, “In the days after the bombing of the Shi'ite shrine at Samarra on February 22, [2006] the Association of Muslim Scholars and representatives of Shi'ite [Shia] groups led by Muqtada al-Sadr and Sheikh al-Khalisi met at the Abu Hanifa Mosque in Adhamiya to negotiate a response,” and the article continued, “During their meeting, they made simple and well-publicized decisions to condemn the Samarra bombing, and all subsequent attacks against Sunni mosques, as well as condemning all terrorist operations.” Further, it stated, “The leaders agreed to find compensation for all people harmed by the sectarian violence in the aftermath of the Samarra bombing. The representatives who met at the Abu Hanifa mosque claimed that their people and organizations were not involved directly in the violence. ‘We charge the occupation forces and the Iraq sectarian government,’ said Sheikh Majid al-Sa'adi, a Shi'ite representing Khalisi. Many of Iraq's parties, particularly the Sunni groups, and the nationalist Sadr hold this view.”92 This is very significant, because one of the top Shi’ite leaders in Iraq has publicly denounced the bombing of a Sunni mosque, (which the US blamed on Al-Qaeda) which offset an enormous amount of sectarian conflict, exacerbating the conflict. As the Jerusalem Post reported, “[Iranian] President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad blamed the United States and Israel on Thursday for the blowing up of a Shi'ite shrine's golden dome in Iraq.”93

Notes

51 Global Research. “US arms group heads for Lisbon.” The Portugal News: April 6, 2003 http://www.globalresearch.ca/articles/NEW304A.html
52 CSIS. “Board of Trustees.” http://www.csis.org/about/trustees/
53 Brzezinski, Zbigniew. “The Grand Chessboard: American Primacy and its Geostrategic Imperatives”. Basic Books: 1997, Pages 30-31
54 Ibid. Page 36
55 Ibid. Page 39
56 Ibid. Page 47
57 Ibid. Page 53
58 Ibid. Pages 54-56
59 Ibid. Page 186
60 Ibid. Pages 204-206
61 Dreyfuss, Robert. “Devil’s Game: How the United States Helped Unleash Fundamentalist Islam.” Owl Books: 2005, Pages 19-20
62 Ibid. Page 38
63 Ibid. Page 45
64 Reuters. “Iran says atomic work has not slowed down.” Aug 5, 2007: http://www.reuters.com/article/worldNews/idUSHAF52636820070805
65 Hafezi, Parisa and Zahra Hosseinian. “Iran says it will never stop nuclear activities.” Reuters: July 25, 2007: http://www.reuters.com/article/worldNews/idUSHAF57118120070725?feedType=RSS&rpc=22&sp=true
66 Press TV. “US attack on Iran is suicide.” Aug 4, 2007: http://www.presstv.ir/detail.aspx?id=18443&sectionid=351020101
67 Press TV. “Hezbollah warns against attack on Iran.” July 11, 2007: http://www.presstv.ir/detail.aspx?id=16116&sectionid=351020101
68 Press TV. “Russian stance on Iran 'unchanged'.” July 8, 2007: http://www.presstv.ir/detail.aspx?id=15860&sectionid=351020104
69 Katz, Yaakov and Herb Keinon. “Reports: Iran to buy jets from Russia.” The Jerusalem Post: July 30, 2007: http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?cid=1185379034835&pagename=JPost/JPArticle/ShowFull
70 RIA Novosti. “U.S. military aid plans aimed against Iran - Russian experts.” July 31, 2007: http://en.rian.ru/world/20070731/70034986.html
71 Butcher, Tim. “US promises Israel much more military aid.” The Telegraph: July 31, 2007 http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml;jsessionid=GZVH%20H20RS30XTQFIQMGCFF4AVCBQUIV0?xml=/news/2007/07/30/wmeast130.xml
72 Gamel, Kim. “Iran, U.S. to Discuss Iraq This Week.” Associated Press: July 22, 2007 http://www.breitbart.com/article.php?id=D8QHVAE80&show_article=1
73 BBC News. “Iran 'biggest threat to Mid-East'.” July 31, 2007: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/middle_east/6923430.stm
74 AP. “Afghan Official Denies Iran Arming Taliban.” CBS News: June 14, 2007. http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2007/06/14/world/main2926790.shtml
75 Stolberg, Sheryl Gay. “Bush differs with Karzai on Iran.” IHT: August 7, 2007. http://www.iht.com/articles/2007/08/07/america/07prexy.php
76 Dareini, Ali Akbar. “Iran Denies Arming Iraqi Insurgents.” ABC News: February 12, 2007. http://abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory?id=2867993
77 AP. “U.S. general: No evidence Iran is arming Iraqi.” MSNBC: February 13, 2007, http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/17129144/
78 Mitchell, Greg. “Did Military and Media Mislead Us? Most Outside Insurgents in Iraq Come from Saudi Arabia.” Editor and Publisher: July 15, 2007. http://www.editorandpublisher.com/eandp/news/article_display.jsp?vnu_content_id=1003611786
79 AFP. “Most foreign insurgents in Iraq are Saudis: report.” The Raw Story: July 15, 2007. http://rawstory.com/news/afp/Most_foreign_insurgents_in_Iraq_are_07152007.html
80 AlertNet. “Cheney meets Saudi king, Iraq and Iran on agenda.” Reuters: May 12, 2007. http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/L12295561.htm
81 Burns, John F. “U.S. Arming Sunnis in Iraq to Battle Old Qaeda Allies.” The New York Times: June 11, 2007. http://www.nytimes.com/2007/06/11/world/middleeast/11iraq.html?ex=1339214400&en=7c69d70a25a4828e&ei=5088&partner=rssnyt&emc=rss
82 Rayment, Sean. “Top secret army cell breaks terrorists.” The Telegraph: May 2, 2007. http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml;jsessionid=IBEK4QSEC%203PEBQFIQMFCFGGAVCBQYIV0?xml=/news/2007/02/04/nspooks04.xml
83 McDonald, Henry. “UK agents 'did have role in IRA bomb atrocities'.” The Guardian: September 10, 2006. http://observer.guardian.co.uk/politics/story/0,,1869019,00.html
84 Leahy, Enda. “MI5 'helped IRA buy bomb parts in US'.” The Sunday Times: May 19, 2006. http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/uk/article742783.ece
85 Mackay, Neil. “British double-agent was in Real IRA's Omagh bomb team.” The Sunday Herald: August 19, 2001. http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_qn4156/is_20010819/ai_n13961517
86 Mackay, Neil. “IRA torturer was in the Royal Marines; Top republican terrorist.” The Sunday Herald: December 15, 2002. http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_qn4156/is_20021215/ai_n12579493
87 Home Affairs. “The army asked me to make bombs for the IRA, told me I had the Prime Minister’s blessing ... then tried to kill me.” The Sunday Herald: June 23, 2002. http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_qn4156/is_20020623/ai_n12576952
88 Ibid. http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_qn4156/is_20020623/ai_n12576952/pg_2
89 Ibid. http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_qn4156/is_20020623/ai_n12576952/pg_3
90 BBC News. “Iraq probe into soldier incident.” September 20, 2005: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/4264614.stm
91 Freeman, Colin. “British tanks in 'smash and grab raid'.” The Scotsman: September 20, 2005. http://news.scotsman.com/index.cfm?id=1964592005
92 Conley, Brian and Isam Rashid. “Iraqis fight talk of civil war.” Asia Times: March 10, 2006. http://www.atimes.com/atimes/Middle_East/HC10Ak03.html
93 Halpern, Orly. “Ahmadinejad: US, Israel attacked shrine.” The Jerusalem Post: February 22, 2006. http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?pagename=JPost%2FJPArticle%2FShowFull&cid=1139395464516