"The real reasons why Iran is the next target"-- William Clark

[Muddy Waters Guitar]

http://globalresearch.ca/articles/CLA410A.html

Yikes. So Iran is on the verge of setting up an oil bourse that trades in Euros, which the neocons have decided is a basis for war. This article is interesting reading for the "behind-the-scenes" of treaties (the Kissinger-Saudi Treaty in the early 1970s especially) and the foundation of the economy, alone. But Clark mentions some provocative points here. It would be extremely sad if the US is now being sucked into a progression of disastrous natural resource wars.

We're now looking at the end of an era that began in 1945, when the US was a respected world leader. Thanks in part to the neocons, we've now become a despised, greedy interloper in the eyes of much of the world that invades sovereign countries on false pretenses to control the oil. Edward Gibbon all over again in accelerated motion-- we're witnessing the decline of a great power from self-inflicted wounds. If Clark's claims are true, the push for war against Iran is inexorable, which may well mean a draft. Try to find a nice, upscale European country to settle your kids in, otherwise they'll soon become cannon fodder.

[Skink]

1. I don't get why trading in euros is so bad...

It's a stable currency. Do they want to keep it in dollars so that money can be made through Enron style trades.

[LittleClarkie]

2. I can't remember the rationale I read around here earlier

Something about losing money, I think. Maybe a search on Iraq and euros would turn up the thread.

But someone around here pointed out that Iraq was just about to do the same.

[lonestarnot]

7. Goes to ideology neocons... one world currency... noone to trade with us

teaching of Revelation...right before the beast and 666. Euro to be one world currency.

[independentchristian]

11. Iraq was not just about to do the same

Iraq was a different situation.

Iraq has the second largest know oil reserves on the planet. Saddam Hussein had already switched his oil over to dollars from Euros. We hated it, but he made his mistake when he switched those oil reserves over to euros from dollars. The Oil Executives running our country could not allow that, so they invaded him, took him out, and changed the oil back to dollars in June 2003. That's why they left the tons of explosives unguarded but guarded the oil fields and the oil ministry. It's exactly why Bush bluntly told the Iraqis before the invasion "do not harm the oil fields."

Iran is a different situation because they are about to start a Euro-denominated oil marker. A euro-denominated "oil bourse."

Why Iraq?
http://evworld.com/view.cfm?section=article&storyid=490

[lastknowngood]

6. If oil is sold in euros then the aprox 8 trillion us dollars that are in

the world banks as reserv currency will no longer be needed and will flood the market. The us is getting a 8 trillion dollar loan from the rest of the world every night that money is held in reserve.

[independentchristian]

12. Exactly, and this has to do with Social Security because

once OPEC embraces the Euro in oil, and they dump the dollar, especially if they do it quickly instead of gradually, the US economy is going to tank, and the stock market is more than likely going to crash and go through the floor and if all of that money from SS is put into the Stock Market, the big wigs who see the floor about to fall out from under us are going to cash in on that money before it happens and walk away with it, leaving all of the idiots who allowed SS privatization and we who tried to fight against it with didlysquat.

[Charles19]

8. It would be good for the Euro bad for the dollar

The dollar would decrease in value without the anchor it has in Oil.

[jbnow]

10. It would collapse our economy

or show it for what it is.

The oil dollar is a huge thing. A friend in Norway explained it to me before the war in Iraq...when Iraq got approval to switch to euro for oil many knew that would lead to war.

I don't have a grasp on economics... but about 1/3rd of our GDP in 2002 (when it was explained to me) was foreign investments in US financial assets. (Securities, bonds and so on) With our huge debt we depend on the inflow of cash t o prop up our economy and the value of the dollar. It subsidizes our economy as dollars are held in reserve.
Oil trade is about 10% of world trade...that is a lot of cash going through dollars and a reason so many invest in our economy. If oil switched to the Euro,our economy would show itself for what it is, the dollar would plummet and interests spike. We'd have to repay our debt to other countries. We'd have to buy Euro reserves...

As the dollar gets weaker and our debt increases...the world has financial reasons to not want to have to invest in the dollar. As bush is being bush, the world has even more. (Economic sanctions anyone)

I didn't explain it well, but I was very startled when I learned of this and was surprised how much information is available on it. We don't know the fragile state we are in. I was hoping my friend was exaggerating but the facts are there (and the war did start)

On the brighter side our imports would be more popular (though we have outsourced so much of what we use to make...)

[whistle]

3. That means a sell-off of U.S. dollars for Euros driving down...

...the dollar even more:

FXTrends: Currency Exchange Trends
This table displays the change (trend) in currency exchange rates for the top most traded currencies. Monday, Feb 21, 2005 Change Compared to:
Currency
Pair Current
Rate Previous Day Last Week Last Month Last Year
EUR/USD 1.3060 -0.08 % 1.57 % 0.66 % 4.26 %
GBP/USD 1.8945 0.01 % 1.40 % 1.13 % 1.83 %
USD/JPY 105.700 0.03 % -0.04 % 2.28 % -3.05 %
USD/CHF 1.1842 0.07 % -2.20 % -0.43 % -6.06 %
USD/CAD 1.2322 0.04 % -0.26 % -0.09 % -7.87 %
EUR/GBP 0.6895 -0.08 % 0.05 % -0.49 % 2.37 %
EUR/JPY 137.990 -0.07 % 1.56 % 2.93 % 0.98 %
GBP/JPY 200.240 0.03 % 1.51 % 3.45 % -1.33 %
EUR/CHF 1.5463 0 % -0.58 % 0.23 % -2.06 %

[radfringe]

4. just look at a map

and overlay current pipelines with the ones being built

In Afghanistan the Caspian pipeline is being built. Pipelines in Iraq to Syria already exist

missing parts --
1. pipeline through Iran and connection to Iraqi pipeline

2. continuation of pipeline through Syria into Israel and access to Mediterranean Sea for cheaper tanker loading/transport...

[Disturbed]

5. It's the oil, stupid.

People say that the U.S. troops are dying and being maimed for many reasons, like freedom, democracy, protecting Amerika but the real reason is oil.

[IronLionZion]

9. it's the money, stupid

oil is too obvious. The neocons are making tons of money through government contracts. And now they are trying to stop "old europe" or specifically France and Germany from royally screwing us by devaluing the dollar.

yes, a side effect of Bush's little endeavors is that the world doesn't feel our currency is stable enough to align with, but the Euro obviously is. OPEC has always hated trading in dollars, soon they won't have to. All they risk is sudden death by bombing. I would not be surprised if Bush declares that Venezuela has WMDs and must be liberated.

Mexico and Canada would not dare align with the Euro or we would just ruin them economically. They are officially our bitches.