Sunday, August 24, 2008
Lincoln and Reagan and Iran
Stratfor:
The U.S.S. Ronald Reagan (CVN-76) Carrier Strike Group has joined the U.S.S. Abraham Lincoln (CVN-72) in the 5th Fleet Area of Responsibility, which includes the Persian Gulf, the U.S. Navy reported.
4 Comments:
By 
Anthony, at
Sun Aug 24, 06:13:00 PM:
Hmmm... Two carrier strike groups near Iran, and the Israelis have recently held a 100+ plane military exercise designed to test long-range capabilities.
Are these the only CVNs in the area? My assumption would be that things are about to get hot when there are three or more.
By 
, at
Mon Aug 25, 05:38:00 PM:
You by now know that our problem with Iran has nothing to do with the infant Iranian Nuclear Fuel Cycle. If not, may be you should read the following book:
"A Century Of War: Anglo-American Oil Politics and the New World Order", by William Engdahl, is a perspective on oil and politics, and how the two have been linked for the past 100 years.
This is a great primer for anyone interested in preventing wars and understanding the role of men who shaped the last 150 years of our history especially in the Middle East. The book is revelations to the crimes that were committed and were allowed to kill thousands incent people under a bogus banner of rightness and democracy. Please read excerpt of this book in: USA and England: reshaping the Middle Eastern landscape
http://stmichaeltraveler.wordpress.com/2008/08/17/usa-and-england-reshaping-the-middle-eastern-landscape/
By Dawnfire82, at
Mon Aug 25, 08:54:00 PM:
A review on Amazon.com.
"I had originally thought of using this book in an introductory course on the Modern Middle East. I chose not to use it for the following reasons.
1. This book has a number of major flaws, the most obvious being its lack of proper documentation. Entire scenarios are presented as fact with little reference notes. I constantly instill in my students the need to document their arguments and this book lacks even a small percentage of what is needed.
2. Second, entire historical scenarios are left out, especially the Second World War. But in addition, the oil struggle in Mexico, the Bucarelli Accords, etc. are left out.
3. The conspiritorial nature of this book fits well with a generation of students raised on the x-files and Oliver Stone movies. The world is not that easily controlled, people and governments lack the capacity to control the day to day affairs of county and state governments, much less organize themselves on controlling the world and its economy for decades and centuries at a time. To propose the argument that a small group of English and American oil companies and policy makers have run the planet for over the a century and a half, and leave little documentation to back up your argument makes the argument of this book weak.
4. Save your money on this one, for a better and more comprehensive read try "The Prize" by Daniel Yergin."
A specific example: The book apparently presents the switch of the British Navy from coal to oil fuels as having taken place in the 19th century. That switch was actually made when Winston Churchill was head of the Admiralty in the first decade of the 20th century. It seems that the author warped the timeline in order to make the establishment of the Anglo-Persian Oil Company part of an imperialistic conspiracy rather than a badly managed madcap adventure in capitalism.
For serious students, Daniel Yergin's 'The Prize: The Epic Quest for Oil, Money, and Power.'
Advice: Avoid anything with the words "New World Order" in the title.
By , at
Tue Aug 26, 10:42:00 AM:
Please re-read the book. A major problem with many history textbooks for use in high schools and colleges are their neglect to discuss the economic bases of the events and wars. The issue of oil as a major cause of war in the modern history is often neglected.
One book never covers all historical events even in a short period of 150 years. I often have to review several books for the same period to get a wider perspective for the cause and effects for the events.
Should you have suggested the book as one, among many other books to supplement your course in the modern history?
I thank you for suggesting:
Daniel Yergin's 'The Prize: The Epic Quest for Oil, Money, and Power.' I will read it.
