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afford even more Chinese imports), beneath the surface both are angling for a superior position as the final game begins. If the US merely stands by, its economy will be destroyed when China eventually sells off its dollar holdings, and America will land on the ash heap of failed empires. The latter's only hope of continued glory is to play its remaining strong card—its spectacularly lethal weapons of mass death—in an effort to maintain control of global resource flows. The US faces immense risks in an attack, as will be discussed below. However, given its stated priorities, it can hardly demur from tak- ing up those risks. afford even more Chinese imports), beneath the surface both are Meanwhile, George W. Bush has announced the appointment of angling for a superior position as the final game begins. If the US Elliott Abrams, previously in charge of Middle East affairs, to the merely stands by, its economy will be destroyed when China office of deputy national security adviser. Abrams, who pleaded eventually sells off its dollar holdings, and America will land on guilty in 1991 to withholding information from Congress (and the ash heap of failed empires. was pardoned by George H. W. Bush), will now be super The latter's only hope of continued glory is to play its remaining the current president's strategy for "advancing democracy", strong card—its spectacularly lethal weapons of mass death—in according to the Washington Post (February 3). Many regard an effort to maintain control of global resource flows. The US Abrams as one of the foremost proponents of the neoconservative faces immense risks in an attack, as will be discussed below. agenda in Washington; he authored the chapter on the Middle However, given its stated priorities, it can hardly demur from tak- East in the 2000 blueprint for US foreign policy by the Project on ing up those risks. the New American Century (PNAC). Many observers do not appreciate how different the neoconser- EVIDENCE THAT AN ATTACK IS BEING PLANNED vative mindset is from that of the previous foreign policy consen- In an article titled "The Coming Wars", posted on January 17 sus. For example, the neoconservatives view America's war and published in The New Yorker (January 24-31, 2005), veteran against the Vietnamese as a mistake only in that insufficient force investigative journalist Seymour Hersh reported that US was used: several neocons have opined that the US should have commando teams have been operating in Iran for employed whatever means were necessary, months, carrying out secret reconnaissance including nuclear weapons, to prevail in that missions to learn about nuclear, chemical and effort. missile sites in preparation for possible air PNAC literature bristles with complaints, strikes. Hersh also says that the administration's accusations and threats directed against aims could include not just the thwarting of Iran's Seymour Hersh Tehran. During the early months of the first nuclear ambitions, but regime change as well. term in the George W. Bush administration, Citing a former high-level intelligence official, reported that US neoconservatives were often quoted as Hersh claims that "Secretary of Defense Donald commando teams saying: "Everybody wants to go to Rumsfeld met with the Joint Chiefs of Staff . Baghdad; real men want to go to Tehran." shortly after the election and told them, in have been operating Weekly Standard editor William Kristol, essence, that the naysayers had been heard and in Iran for months, on a PNAC website (July 20, 2004, the American people did not accept their http://tinyurl.com/6exnl), after a litany of carrying out secret reconnaissance missions ... in preparation for possible air strikes. indictments of Iran, concludes: "We do need a coherent, serious policy toward Iran; one of containment, pres- sure, accountability and, ultimately, regime change." President Bush, in his State of the Union address on February 2, pointed- ly noted: "Today, Iran remains the world's primary state sponsor of terror, pursuing nuclear weapons while depriving its people of the freedom they seek and deserve." This past month, Senator Rick Santorum (R—Pennsylvania) was said to be at work on the "Iran Freedom and Support Act", a bill While Bush administration officials dispute Hersh's allegations, apparently designed to help prepare America psychologically for other reporters and news agencies are publishing corroborating an attack on Tehran. Santorum told Fox News: "By supporting information. An Al Jazeera article of February 6 ("U.S.-Israel the people of Iran, and through greater outreach to pro-democracy message": "This is a war against terrorism, and Iraq is just one campaign. The Bush Administration is looking at this as a huge war zone," the former high-level intelligence official told me. "Next, we're going to have the Iranian campaign. We've declared war and the bad guys, wherever they are, are the enemy. This is the last hurrah—we've got four years, and want to come out of this saying we won the war on terrorism." (Source: http://tinyurl.com/3nqvo) plan to strike Iran's nuclear sites finalized") claims: groups, we will hopefully foster a peaceful transition to Experts from the US Defense Department, the Pentagon and democracy in Iran. The bill also notes the futility of working with Israel have put final touches to a plan to launch a military the Iranian government." strike targeting Iran's nuclear facilities, experts at the Meanwhile, new US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice is European Commission based in Brussels revealed on Sunday. sending conflicting signals. On February 4, she claimed a US The experts added that the implementation of this plan attack on Iran "is simply not on the agenda", though she would rested on a number of factors including the US continuous not say whether the US supports regime change in the country. efforts to hamper the EU-Iranian negotiations to persuade Yet only five days later, she warned Iran of consequences if its Tran to suspend all activities related to uranium enrichment, nuclear program is not abandoned. One can hardly help but recall with the aim of justifying a military strike against the Islamic similar contradictory statements from officials in the year leading republic if it refused to bow to US pressures... up to the invasion of Iraq. On February 17, George W. Bush Yesterday, American news sources reported that US sena - pledged to support Israel if it bombs Iran in an effort to destroy tors have set up a review panel of the CIA's intelligence on the Islamic regime's capacity to make an atomic bomb. Asked Tran in order to try and avoid the pitfalls that marked the whether he would back Israel if it raided Tehran's nuclear lead-up to the invasion of Iraq. facilities, Bush said: "Clearly, if I was the leader of Israel and I'd (Source: http://tinyurl.com/47mkm) listened to some of the statements by the Iranian ayatollahs that Seymour Hersh reported that US in Iran for months, carrying out secret missions ... in preparation for possible air strikes. While Bush administration officials dispute Hersh's allegations, other reporters and news agencies are publishing corroborating information. An Al Jazeera article of February 6 ("U.S.-Israel plan to strike Iran's nuclear sites finalized") claims: Experts from the US Defense Department, the Pentagon and Israel have put final touches to a plan to launch a military strike targeting Iran's nuclear facilities, experts at the European Commission based in Brussels revealed on Sunday. The experts added that the implementation of this plan rested on a number of factors including the US continuous efforts to hamper the EU-Iranian negotiations to persuade Iran to suspend all activities related to uranium enrichment, with the aim of justifying a military strike against the Islamic republic if it refused to bow to US pressures... Yesterday, American news sources reported that US sena - tors have set up a review panel of the CIA's intelligence on Iran in order to try and avoid the pitfalls that marked the lead-up to the invasion of Iraq. (Source: http://tinyurl.com/47mkm) 14 = NEXUS APRIL —- MAY 2005 commando teams have been operating reconnaissance www.nexusmagazine.com