What if Iraq wasn't about oil?

[the_leander]

I was on slashdot reading about the case of a canadian counterfieter, and in the comments (as usual) it went offtopic and (as is often the case) Iraq was brought up, or rather an interesting and often overlooked point about all of this: Currency.

We all now know that France and Germany traded with Iraq in the moral and political nightmare called the oil for food program and that they went further in simply buying (with money) the oil rather then go through the UN system. What isn't mentioned often, is that they were dealing in Euros. Now before when it was Francs and Marks, it didn't matter, niether currency was ever going to put a dent in the US economy, but the Euro is a completely different matter, as europe as a whole now is in the possision to serverly hurt the US economy where it would feel it the most: International trade.

You're thinking at this point "Yeah so what? You can buy oil with anything you want so long as its legal tender?" Wrong, all oil producing countries accept ONLY US $. It replaced pounds sterling as THE international trading currency at about the time the US pulled the plug on supplying food etc after WW2, and had to beg for a loan (which we're still paying for, btw). They gave us cash and in return got the dollar accepted as the standard... We were soooo screwed on that one.

Now understand that the US creates a good deal of its wealth in promoting the Dollar, indeed, atm its the only thing that is keeping the US econemy as buoyant as it is currently.

And then France and Germany try to upset that by getting the second largest oil producing country in the world to supply for Euro..

They were genuinely telling the truth when they said it wasn't about oil... Who'd have thought it eh? A polititian telling the truth, if only to cover up a greater lie...

It wasn't about oil, it was a war against the euro by proxy.


--edit--

Don't believe me? Research fiat banking and the history of it and you'll begin to understand why this is

--/edit--

[the_leander]

@Speel

Or at the very least pull back from America (Sorry guys, but bush and gang are a bunch of muppets), the Euro still has many of us very very gittery over here, thanks to being lied to about the whole EU project's course for two generations by successive governments... Kinda sticks in our throat a bit

My other concern is that a strong Europe might provoke a group like the Neo Cons to push for war against us (Current US foreign policy states that they will do anything to maintain the US's superiority in the globe). I do NOT want this country to become a pin cushon to the US's navy, no matter how much I think the political system is utterly berift of any sound moral judgement.

And whilst many Americans on here might say, nah won't happen, how many people cared one IOTA about iraq before Bush wound up the country like a tight coiled spring? The media over there has proven to be more then happy to dedicate themselves to showing the evils of your enemies, and to exagerate their threat to you to such a degree that the vast majority of Americans are happy to go to war with them... Why not with the next enemy?

[the_leander]

I just had this terrifying daydream... sorta went like this

Say this in yer head with GW's Texas drawl and it actually fits quite well with speaches he has actually made (I should have been a script writer) and, imagine the setting; GWB is on his podium in the whitehouse talking to the press:

"The British, our former allies have made up their minds, and have turned their back on us, they have gone to their new masters, the Europeans, led by our old enemy, Germany. We have evidence that they plan to hurt us economically, threatening our way of life, that their Union, is, just a smokescreen for their hatred of our freedoms, and liberties...." and on and on

Ending with

"It is my firm belief, that we should free the people of Europe from the oppressive regime that is the EU. We as Americans have a responsibility to the world, to protect it from evil..."

[the_leander]

@Fluffy,

The problem is that long before their economy collapses, I can see a group such as the neo cons taking one last swipe at their percieved enemies, I can see all sorts of nasty repercussions of America getting a call from the Bailifs...

[the_leander]

@Speel

look for the following on Google:

Fiat Banking. Everything you need to know about the back story is held with the many links that will result. Its a massive subject that I've spent the last three days looking into, and I've barely begun to scratch the surface. Understanding the principles is easy, understanding how it applies to the various actions the US has enacted is a much more difficult task.

What Fluffy is talking about is exactly what I was getting at. People start buying their oil in Euros, the US economy is dead, its that simple. And you can be sure a bunch of sicko's like the neo cons wouldn't just leave it at that.