Some Treats – Moon of Alabama

March 30, 2007

Some Treats

Prof. Cutler has more musing on the House of Saud: Trouble with Abdullah. The Cheneys and Likudniks must hate the recent steps taken by the Saudi king and Abdullah has some internal opposition. Such has solved before:

In the 1970s, there was a previous Saudi King from the “Faisal” branch. In 1975, he was assassinated, under murky circumstances, by a nephew recently returned from the United States.

Imagine the mess …

Another mess will happen says Stephen Roach. He smells protectionism coming with The Ghost of Reed Smoot. Some protectionist Congress acts are being prepared right now. If you think inflation is already too high, just wait until the China bashers put tariffs on Chinese goods. Prices would go up, China would put less money into U.S. securities and rates would therefore go up too. If you think U.S. housing market is in bad shape now, imagine it with basic rates north of 15%. The protectionist Smoot-Hawley Act of 1930 is credited for launching the great depression. Do we really need to go there again?

I haven’t seen the movie "300" and don’t plan to. But as I read it depicts some Spartan warriors as heroes while they are losing a battle against a Persian army. It can be interpreted in various parallels to current history. But as a German I see a different story. Sparta was a true fascist state and therefore often used by the Nazi’s in Germany as an example. This was especially visible in the all involving ideological / military training of the youth (including the homoerotic parts.) Goebbels later compared the defeat at Stalingrad to the noble defeats of the Spartans. If such a film lauding the Spartan fight for freedom gets big numbers, I am getting worried about freedom.

William Lind draws another Greek history comparison in Operation Anabasis. Once a Greek army was in big trouble in Persia and fought a long retreat through Kurdistan and Turkey back home. That may be the same route the U.S. Army will have to go when the Shia in Iraq have no more use for it. That script may run live on TV so you will need no movie ticket for that history lesson.

Posted by b on March 30, 2007 at 16:25 UTC | Permalink

Comments

If Cutler’s analysis is correct, what would be the goal for the Fahd group? Do they agree with Cheney that the way out of Iraq, for the US, is through Iran? How ever we might mess with Iran, it will still be a majority Shia country, as will Iraq, it seems. Other than physically encamping on Iran for years, how would the Saudi-Cheney masterminds propose to let Shia Iraq flourish and suppress Iran? Is it Shia or democracy that the Saudis fear in Iran?
I am having trouble imagining any logical, feasible scenario leading to a Shia puppet democracy in Iraq and a suppressed, powerless Iran.
Can anyone explain how this presumption of Cutler’s about what Fahd group and Cheney support would actually work itself out in practice? Or do I misunderstand Cutler?

Posted by: small coke | Mar 30 2007 18:15 utc | 1

That’s a canard that tariffs caused the Depression. Every nation that’s developing its industry uses tariffs. We need them immediately. It’s the Most Urgent political priority. Or, we could just require that Contiguous 48 States manufacture all goods w/in ~1000 miles of use. Due to global warming the last thing anyone should be doing is wasting carbon transporting goods used in daily life. Not doing so is simply nuking our country & same for Europe.
In fact, b- makes a good case for them. It would upset the Chinese, which is fine. Then Feds would have to tax rich & corps. to finance their budget, which xDems. should have demanded for emergency funding for Op. Wreck Iraq 2.
Just as urgently, I heard yesterday, that damn chinese are opening a bank in NY. If Feds allow that, they’ll start buying up xUS banks. People better start protesting like crazy to stop that.

Posted by: jj | Mar 30 2007 18:34 utc | 2

From
DEBKAfile Exclusive: US financial sources in Bahrain report American investors in Bahrain advised to pack up business operations and leave.
THe END is COMING .

Posted by: curious | Mar 30 2007 18:35 utc | 3

Curious, that’s good news. I’ve always said the only good thing about Op. Wreck Iraq is that Soros et. al won’t be able to make any money from it.
Does anyone have subscription to WSJ? Front Page Art. Today – finally something impt. Is US/Fed. Govt. “Outsourcing its Brain”? Can anyone post this. Thank God even these sewer rats are waking up.

Posted by: jj | Mar 30 2007 18:47 utc | 4

jj: what if americans do: outsourcing the US/Fed. Govt?

Posted by: curious | Mar 30 2007 18:55 utc | 5

#3, DEBKAfile Exclusive: US financial sources in Bahrain report American investors in Bahrain advised to pack up business operations and leave

The advice came from officers with US Central Command 5th Fleet HQ at Manama, who spoke of security tension, a hint at an approaching war with Iran. Arab sources report the positioning of a Patriot anti-missile battery in Bahrain this week; they say occupancy at emirate hotels has soared past 90% due mostly to the influx of US military personnel. They also report Western media crews normally employed in military coverage are arriving in packs.
Thursday, March 29, Gen. Khaled al-‘Absi, Bahrain’s chief of air defense operations disclosed that new alarm networks had been installed and air defense systems upgraded to handle chemical, biological and radioactive attacks.
The USS Nimitz and its support ships will be departing San Diego Monday, April 2, to join the John C. Stennis Strike Group in the Persian Gulf. The nuclear carrier is due to relieve the USS Dwight D. Eisenhower , but military sources in the Gulf believe all three US carriers will stay put if tensions continue to climb or if fighting breaks out involving American, British and Iranian forces.
The mighty American armada is further supported by the USS Bataan and USS Boxer strike groups.

Posted by: annie | Mar 30 2007 18:56 utc | 6

Is DEBKAfile a reliable source? I know little about them, other than they’re obviously Israeli.

Posted by: foilhatgrrl | Mar 30 2007 19:02 utc | 7

b, thanks for the link to Cutler, I hadn’t seen his site before. Lot’s of good stuff there, including new stuff (for me) about Saudi factionalism.

Posted by: Dick Durata | Mar 30 2007 19:33 utc | 8

Afer 9/11 we knew that the Saudis were dubious allies at best, and one of the major reasons for occupying Iraq was to secure an alternate oil source so we could start distancing ourselves from the Saudies, politically and economincally.
But we seem to have gotten tangled up in our planning and the Saudis are beating us to the punch. And they don’t like the sight of US battle groups in the Gulf, even if they are ostensibly there to threaten Iran.

Posted by: ralphieboy | Mar 30 2007 20:02 utc | 9

@Dick Durata – you are welcome – I usually come to the same conclusions than Cutler and respect him well though sometimes arrive there on different ways – not sure he is taking the big view all the times.

Posted by: b | Mar 30 2007 20:26 utc | 10

Afer 9/11 we knew that the Saudis were dubious allies at best, and one of the major reasons for occupying Iraq was to secure an alternate oil source so we could start distancing ourselves from the Saudies, politically and economincally.
Don’t be absurd Ralphie. Saudi is the client State Supreme, or the staunchest US ally, if one wants to phrase it that way.
Their being blamed for 9/11 by a certain brand of Democrats (eg. in Michael Moore’s film; Democrat ramblings 2002-2004..), in the press, and on the internets only happened because it was obvious that the Saudis would not object and would uphold all US trickery and myths, even to their own detriment, though naturally enough they were angry and sore, and have kept, on this point, a tremendous grudge.
They stayed quiet, as they could not challenge the US, claim there were no terrorists, or if there were terrorists, they were not Saudis: Let us investigate or : Please prove your allegations were not permissible statements.
See:
Abdul Alomari, a Saudi pilot (Flight 11, real name Abdul Rahman Said Al Omari, spellings vary), one of the ‘terrorists’ on the FBI site, or a homonym thereof, or…. (this gets a bit complicated..) walked into the US embassy in Jeddah shortly after 9/11, demanding to know why he was being branded a terrorist on CNN (etc.)
A pardon ceremony – the US ambassador and the Saudi Minister of the Interior were present – was held very quickly a few days later, with much pomp, excuses were made (reported in Arab Press on 17 Sept. 2001, links gone) and Al Omari “one nervous man” as Fisk called him became free to live his life. Of a kind. He was a well known engineer, then pilot, involved in committees, etc., but after 9/11 his name sort of…went from the net as someone active in the pilot community.
He was the only one who dared, or felt the need. (He has 4 children and had status.) The US did not hesitate one minute, all was speedily arranged. The Saudis could not countenance that one of their own would really be blamed; and after all, there was proof positive; the man was alive, he could not have been on flight 11.
Anyway it is all immaterial, as had the ‘terrorists’ been Italians, the US would not have bombed the Coliseum and reduced Rome to rubble; apparently, the terrorists having been Saudis was an excuse to invade Afghanistan! Fantasies and obfucations for sheeples.

Posted by: Noirette | Mar 30 2007 21:05 utc | 11

annnie, Debka is the main islael disinformation source just like drudge report. They always have the breaking international news, except on Saturdays, and mucho spin on US and Middle East developments.
I’m going to add that they can be really funny when they make typos or use outmoded GB English — the language that all English speakers outside of North America, aka America, Canada and the USA — use. GB English = British English.
They published maps of the Iranian nuclear sites at least 3 years ago (2004) or even before that.
This is not a site to trust but I check it every day in case I missed something.
Hey jj — just tell it like it is.

Posted by: jonku | Mar 31 2007 5:06 utc | 12

I hope to catch up to Blackie’s comment.
jj says that tariffs are beneficial.
Ignoramus that I am, it seems like a government that wants to encourage or protect an industry might use the ability to control its borders to charge a tax (“tariff”) on whatever goods it wants to discourage importation so to let them be produced locally.
Seems like a pretty good idea, and in the case of physical goods like foodstuffs or equipment it makes sense as a consume locally idea too.
That’s all I know about common-sense economic and foreign policy.
After that you would rely on your staff, or get some staff, or use google.
If I had a hammer, I’d hammer out analysis — I’d hammer out analysis which means to gather facts, explore what’s worked before, and keep in mind:
That in the background is some law that says that moving things around costs energy, there is only so much energy, stopping things from moving around costs energy too (think of smoking brake pads) and there is still only so much energy.
Outsourcing makes sense if the labor is cheap and the raw materials and factories are available.
That means goods production in china, india, indonesia, japan with consumption in the rich markets of europe and the americas.
This does not help the local people in the consuming countries although they are probably self-sufficient for food and simple goods. The big question is what should we wish for?

Posted by: jonku | Mar 31 2007 5:24 utc | 13

jj, I am saying that I agree with you. You’re on a roll, keep on truckin’ jay jay …

Posted by: jonku | Mar 31 2007 5:29 utc | 14

Tarifs: U.S., in Major Shift, Imposes Tariffs on Some Chinese Paper

The Bush administration, in a major escalation of trade pressure on China, said Friday that it would reverse more than 20 years of American policy and impose potentially steep tariffs on Chinese manufactured goods on the ground that China is illegally subsidizing some of its exports.
…
The step also reflected the shift in trade politics since Democrats took control of Congress. The widening American trade deficit with China, which reached a record $232.5 billion last year, or about a third of the entire trade gap, has been seized upon by Democrats as a symbol of past policy failures that have led to the loss of hundreds of thousands of jobs.
Mr. Gutierrez’s announcement has the immediate effect of imposing duties on two Chinese makers of high-gloss paper, one at 10.9 percent and the other 20.4 percent, calculated by adding up the supposedly illegal subsidies.
But trade and industry officials say future actions based on the department’s new policy could lead to duties on imports of Chinese steel, plastics, machinery, textiles and many other products sold in the United States, if as expected those industries seek relief and the department finds that they are harmed by illegal subsidies.
…
The Commerce Department decision affects Chinese manufacturers of the kind of high-gloss paper used for brochures, catalogs, annual reports, movie posters and the like. At present, imports account for only 5 percent of the domestic market, but American manufacturers fear that imports are underpricing what they can produce and could wipe out the industry in a matter of years.
…

Posted by: b | Mar 31 2007 6:54 utc | 15

First, xUS Elites destroyed our factories so they could steal the salaries & return control of our country back to a handful of Wall St. Bankers & Lawyers. (on the David Rockefeller commissioned bk. that launched this Counter-Reformation link)
Then, they came for our currency, so they could destroy pensions, Soc. Security & Medicare, officially turning us into a Third World Country, merge w/Mexico & issue new currency.
But they covered our nakedness w/their bellicosity. (See Emmanuel Todd’s bk. discussion this phenomenon.) Now, oopsydoodedoo, they’ve finally wrecked the Army as well, as even an authority, cited by Col. Pat Lang, & printed in the Washington Times observes.
Meanwhile the Elites, having plundered about all they could are moving to Asia, ‘cept for those buying up Paraguay (mmmm who could that be…), and the Chinese have landed big time, in NYC w/One Goddamned Trillion Buckaroos to go on a little shopping spree…
After all, maybe b- is right. Tariff’s who needs ’em. It’s too damn late. They’ve taken everything. But they were smart enough to throw one last helluva war to keep everyone babbling away about bullets & which guy has the cleverest strategy, so they could steal the last virtually unremarked, if not entirely unobserved. Suppose they hadn’t thrown this war. Why maybe more people would have actually used to web to pay attention to the Predators. Maybe people somewhere would have screamed out Hell No you can’t steal our economy, our country, our knowhow, everything we’ve built over 200 yrs. Certainly, not the Cool Guys, the kos’s, the billmon’s etc. who identify w/the powerful & are too busy growing rich & fat, or hoping to do so, from the plunder. But maybe…someone somewhere…

Posted by: jj | Mar 31 2007 7:46 utc | 16

So, is Iran the Empire’s Last Orgasm?

Posted by: jj | Mar 31 2007 7:48 utc | 17

Noirette,
The Saudis know that we cannot saw them off, that is why their position is so strong: not just for the oil they sell us or the money they invest, but for the political coziness that has existed between the houses of Bush and Saud for decades.
In any case, they truly highlight the contradiction of the US fighting “Islamofascism” and “spreading democracy” while still being best buddies with Islamofeudalists.

Posted by: ralphieboy | Mar 31 2007 8:09 utc | 18

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