The Greatest Crisis of Our Time

I believe today that we face a monumental albatross in our human history to our endeavors for progress. And I believe we as mankind are in the greatest crisis of our time. The disease of corruption and decadence seeps through much of human civilization today. There are many factors that I believe set the stage for potentially the greatest catastrophe of mankind, or at least in the modern age. Back in ancient times, its seems that as one part of the world was experiencing upheaval, another was doing well. But now there seems to be a dark cloud hovering not just over a region, but the entire world. It seems so many wrong things can now potentially engender in numerous locations.

The World Economic Depression and Talk of Austerity
Any one who pays attention, even occasionally, can see that there is a world economic depression. In the United States, it is estimated that the unemployment rate is close to 15%, according to Peter Ferrara of Forbes. From what he implies, this number may be more, considering the people who have given up hope of finding employment, and significantly underemployed that are not counted in the statistics of such government agencies as the Bureau of Labor Statistics. In Europe it is estimated that the unemployment rate is around 11.6%, according to The Guardian, citing their source Eurostat. Again, this may be a little misleading considering other factors.

Protests are happening all around the world, especially in places like Spain, Italy, Greece, etc. The unemployment rates for the youths are even higher. What's even worse in this midst of rampant unemployment is that governments are proposing to cut social programs, otherwise known as austerity. These things haven't contributed a cent to unemployment. People who are significantly underemployed and  those who have given up finding employment altogether rely on some sort of social service to make ends meet. This makes the talk of austerity even more untenable. To add insult to this injury, austerity doesn't even work. It actually deepens the deficit and causes needless and mass suffering. As geopolitical analyst Webster Tarpley once said, austerity is genocide. When you deprive people of basic social services that they need to survive due to their unfortunate circumstances, it amounts to killing them. People will die. Yet our "public servants" in the highest offices of the land (especially in Europe and the U.S) are only interested in servicing their debt to bankers and expanding war by cutting these beneficial social programs that the poor desperately need at this time. I believe this reality helps set the stage for a vast humanitarian crisis on both continents.

Due to inflation (mainly by speculation) of necessities like energy and food, millions are becoming further impoverished in the U.S and Europe. In this video, renounced economist Max Kaiser, speaks of the collapse of all global "fiat" currencies, in other words paper currency. There is certainly currency war taking place in the global economy, that is sure to only end in devastation for the common people of the world. The depression will deepen further to abysmal levels. Nutrition-related diseases can be expected to be on the rise, adversely affecting society in a number of ways.

Globalism, another name for "free trade", which is at the root of this rising wave of massive unemployment is not even mentioned in the slightest. All underlying factors that led to the state of the economic situation we are in now have been omitted from any mainstream conversation, and instead the poor are fear mongered into giving up their economic rights (austerity), or else.

As we all know by observing the 20th century, depressions produce austerity, austerity produces dictatorships, dictatorships produce wars. A vicious cycle perpetuated by the ruling class, much to the detriment of society and the violation of peace.

The Threat of Nuclear War
If you don't think this is a possibility, then I hope you are right. In his superb article, No Wonder China is Nervous as Obama Pivots, F. William Engdahl states, "After almost two decades of neglect of its interests in East Asia, in 2011, the Obama Administration announced that the US would make “a strategic pivot” in its foreign policy to focus its military and political attention on the Asia-Pacific, particularly Southeast Asia, that is, China." The U.S is gearing for a confrontation with China. This is sure to be a very big confrontation. As Russia is the strongest ally of China, it too will be deeply involved, not to mention the fact that the U.S is at odds with Russia over military matters (see this, and this).

 In this video, Dr. Hans-Peter Durr makes the case that the greatest threat of nuclear war comes from the United States, not North Korea or Iran, and believes that its use should not just be banned, but mere threat of its use, since there will eventually come a time where they (the U.S in particular) will have to "show that they really mean it." Another point he makes is that it is "scary" because the U.S believes in preventative warfare (a paradoxical term, to say the least) making their use even more likely and certainly not to be ruled out.

China and Russia are also bearers of nuclear weapons as well. They can defend themselves and they will. The reason I believe a nuclear war is very highly likely is that I don't think for a second that the U.S can win a war against Russia and China. In the event of this unsettling realization, the U.S may entertain the use of nuclear weapons.

We live in a world of 7 billion people and counting. Think of the number of deaths and casualties.

The Destabilization of the Middle East
The destabilization of the Middle East will be sure to be detrimental to the economic well-being of not only the Middle East, but the world in general. The Middle East provides the world with natural resources and is a major center of investment by outsiders, and so has been a center of world affairs for a very long time. Yet violent sectarianism and terrorism, largely funded by the U.S and NATO, and the gulf monarchies of Saudi Arabia and Qatar, which was revealed by Pulitzer-Prize winning journalist Seymour Hersh in his article The Redirection, threatens to plunge the area into a regional war. This will cause massive global economic upheaval since the Middle East is a major provider of necessities like crude oil, etc.
In his article, Seymour Hersh states:

          In the past few months, as the situation in Iraq has deteriorated, the Bush Administration, in both its public diplomacy and its covert operations, has significantly shifted its Middle East strategy. The “redirection,” as some inside the White House have called the new strategy, has brought the United States closer to an open confrontation with Iran and, in parts of the region, propelled it into a widening sectarian conflict between Shiite and Sunni Muslims. ---The Redirection

 This sectarianism is already evident as Syria is falling victim to western backed terrorists in NATO's bid to purge Syria of its President Bashar Al-Assad. Libya has already fallen. As we saw in Libya, should Syria fall as well and become a safe haven for terrorists, this will bode well for the region. Syria borders with Turkey and Israel. So this conflict is bound to spill over into these countries, causing a conflict marked by sectarianism for perhaps a long time. This will undoubtedly lead to civil unrest, displaced civilians (as it is already happening right now), the massacre of religious minorities, and a failed state, adding to the ranks of such places as Iraq and Libya.

This will lead to economic instability and uncertainty. China is a major investor in the Middle East. Russia is as well, which is apparent in its partnership with Syria. If Syria falls, Iran, it's closest ally, becomes vulnerable and may react with detrimental actions like shutting down the Strait of Hormuz (choking off 40% of the world's oil supply). The Western objective of destroying the Shiite Crescent (a term coined by King Abdullah II, king of Jordan) will reach further realization. But however there is always a blow-back. The regimes left in the wake of these destabilizations tend to be fascistic (like the example of Egypt and the "Arab Spring") and hostile to outsiders in general (except western corporations and financial institutions, ironically).

I believe this potential regional disaster that will propagate from his sectarian strife fueled by the West and the Gulf monarchs will create a nightmarish environment for ordinary Arab citizens all across the region that is antithetical to true economic and social development. Russia and China are sure to lose major investment as these conflicts will force them to draw out of the region (something the west would gladly welcome) or stay at their own peril. Europe will suffer as well, as access to less markets will further scale back the progress of its economy. The U.S is already going through deep economic woes, and so the the extent/significance of its losses I cannot truly assess (as it seems like it is losing too much already).

A Great Epidemic on the Way?
My biology teacher in college once said it is not a matter of if another devastating epidemic/plague will occur, it's a matter of when. Plagues tend to come when we least expect them. Among all these other factors potential crises, will a great plague sweep across a vast portion of the planet? I hope not. But the possibility is certainly not to be ruled out. And it seems with the way people are working and the amount of stress they put on their bodies (especially in places like the third world and even in the U.S), thereby weakening the immune system, this leads me believe that should the plague arise, it will be far too devastating. Not to mention how such a crisis will adversely affect the economic, social, and emotional condition of the area. There are 7 billion people in the world and counting. So in this sort of event, one can imagine the number of fatalities if quarantine fails (which is a high possibility).

The Ugly Side of Capitalism
I believe that in all this, capitalism rears its ugly heads (that's right, heads). Wars are always fought for economic reasons, economic crashes and instability happen due to mismanagement of the economy by ruling classes who turn around to use the event to strip people of their wealth, further causing social ills. War I believe is inherent in capitalism. Capitalism requires resources in its unhealthy and unrealistic expectation of unlimited growth, and expectantly will be willing to wage war or whatever it takes to acquire these resources or preserve them.  It thrives on poverty due to its unwillingness to pay fair wages in its bid to expand its bottom line (profits). Just an example, in the midst of all this global upheaval and rampant poverty, corporate profits are at an all-time high. Capitalism is always at the mercy of the moneyed and ruling class....it's designed that way. So one can expect the ugliest side of capitalism to always expose itself in the end as the upper class use it as a means to benefit themselves, irregardless of the plight that it causes to the underclass or even society in general. Systems at times ultimately reflect human nature and ambition. None more evident than capitalism itself, as well as its cohorts (autocratic socialism, feudalism, etc).


Undoubtedly there are many more factors that one could identify. These are the ones most significant to me. With the world declining into further economic woe, political and sectarian strife perpetuating, the looming threat of a possible nuclear war, and capitalism rearing its ugly head as it plays a central role in a lot of these problems, the world seems prime for a catastrophe of epic grandiosity. It can come in the form of a devastating war, widespread sectarian conflict that generates unprecedented civil and economic unrest, or an economic catastrophe (or all of the above) that will cripple and destabilize societies, families, institutions, and other bodies, many to an irreparable degree. With the major parts of the world affected, other parts in or around that region or that deal with that region will certainly feel the pain also.

There is Still Hope
It doesn't have to be this way. We can create our own alternatives and reject the corporate paradigm. According to this article by the Christian Science Monitor, there is a flourishing black market/underground economy around the globe estimated to be worth $10 Trillion. This is testament to the resiliency of human nature.

We can revitalize the decrepit anti-war movement. We can reject our incompetent ruling class, and begin to use the leverage  that we have (power in numbers) to get things done through mass struggle and enlightenment. This will also require a reflection of ourselves as a people. Because we are largely responsible for the situation we are in.

It's time to identify, boycott, and replace. It is also time to mobilize and make demands and fight for our prosperity and that of our posterity.

Unmasking the Brotherhood: Syria, Egypt, and Beyond

Geopolitical Analyst Eric Draister of stopimperialism.com.


Dec 12th, 2012

Eric Draitser

StopImperialism.com

The complexities of the Arab Spring and the struggle for political freedom throughout the Arab world should not obscure what has now become an absolutely essential understanding for all anti-imperialists: the Muslim Brotherhood is one of the most powerful weapons of the Western ruling class in the Muslim world.  While that may be a difficult pill for some to swallow for emotional or psychological reasons, one need look no further than the insidious role the organization is playing in Syria and the abuses of power and human rights of the government of Egypt.  In the US-NATO sponsored war against the Assad government, the Muslim Brotherhood has emerged as the leading western-sanctioned force, the avant-garde of the imperialist assault.  While, in Egypt, President Morsi and the Brotherhood government seek to destroy what had been, little more than a year ago, the promise of the revolution.

Muslim Brotherhood in Syria

This week's establishment of the Supreme Military Command, in charge of all military aid and coordination to the rebels, demonstrates unequivocally the leadership role of the Muslim Brotherhood in the drive for regime change in Syria.  As Reuters reported, "The unified command includes many with ties to the Muslim Brotherhood and to Salafists...it excludes the most senior officers who have defected from Assad's military."[1] This command structure, formed at the behest and under the sponsorship of the US, UK, France, Saudi Arabia, Qatar and Turkey among others, does not simply include members of the Muslim Brotherhood, it is, in fact, dominated by them.  Is it possible that the Western imperial powers simply did not notice that the group they were forming was comprised of these elements?  To suggest so would be to accuse some of the leading "statesmen" of the world (Hillary Clinton, William Hague, Laurent Fabius, Ahmet Davutoglu, etc.) of being stupid.  Alas, they are not so.  Instead, these individuals have collaborated to create a Muslim Brotherhood proxy force in Syria, one that can be controlled and depended on to do the bidding of the West.

However, it is not enough to say that the Muslim Brotherhood is heading this new military structure, for that would be to imply that they have not been playing a critical role all along.  Rather, the organization has been central to the destabilization of Syria since the beginning of the armed conflict.  The Syrian National Council, originally the face of the Western-backed "opposition" was itself dominated behind the scenes by the Muslim Brotherhood. As former Muslim Brotherhood leader Ali Sadreddine stated regarding the SNC, "We chose this face, accepted by the West...We nominated [former SNC head Burhan] Ghalioun as a front for national action. We are not moving now as the Brotherhood but as part of a front that includes all currents."[2] Essentially then, we see that the organization has, from the very beginning, maintained a large degree of control of the foreign-based opposition, as distinctly different from the indigenous opposition of the National Coordinating Councils and other groups.  The Muslim Brotherhood, an international political and paramilitary machine, has come to lead the battle against Assad government.

In fact, the Muslim Brotherhood has provided many forms of leadership and assistance to the foreign-based, foreign-backed opposition beyond simply direct leadership. From providing diplomatic and political cover, to on-the-ground tactical support such as weapons smuggling, fighter recruitment, and other necessary responsibilities, the organization has come to permeate every aspect of what we in the West conveniently refer to as the "rebels".

As early as May 2012, the Muslim Brotherhood in Egypt, the center of the organization, was already providing the political and diplomatic support the rebels needed to topple the Assad regime.  As they were poised to win the Egyptian elections, the Brotherhood was busy making public comments about the need for Western military intervention in Syria.  The organization's spokesman, Mahmoud Ghozlan stated, "The Muslim Brotherhood calls on Arab, Islamic, and international governments to intervene...to bring down the [Assad] regime."[3] This brazen public statement flies in the face of all arguments which claim that the Muslim Brotherhood is somehow anti-imperialist, that they stand in opposition to Western dominance of the Arab world.  On the contrary, though they may posture themselves as opposing the West, they are, in fact, tools of the imperial powers used to destroy independent nations which stand in opposition to US hegemony in the Middle East.

This political and diplomatic backing is merely one aspect of the Brotherhood's involvement in the destruction of Syria.  As the New York Times reported in June of 2012, "CIA officers are operating secretly in Southern Turkey helping allies decide which Syrian opposition fighters across the border will receive arms...by way of a shadowy network of intermediaries including Syria's Muslim Brotherhood."[4] The use of the Muslim Brotherhood to smuggle arms to the rebels in Syria should come as no surprise considering the fact that it is the Sunni monarchies of the region (Saudi Arabia and Qatar primarily) who have been the most vociferous voices championing regime change in Syria by any means necessary.  The relationship between these monarchies and the Muslim Brotherhood is self-evident: they share similar religious convictions and are avowed enemies of all forms of Shiism.  Moreover, they have been part and parcel of the system of US hegemony that has kept the entire region under its vice grip for decades.

Many have argued in the past that, though they share identical ideologies and "brand", the Syrian branch of the Muslim Brotherhood is somehow independent of the Muslim Brotherhood proper.  This preposterous claim is countered by the simple fact that every public position the Syrian Muslim Brotherhood has taken has been in direct alignment with the public statements from Cairo.  As theCarnegie Middle East Center's article The Muslim Brotherhood in Syriademonstrates, Since the beginning of the revolution, the Brotherhood has maintained that foreign intervention is the only possible solution to the crisis in Syria. In October 2011, it also called on Turkey to intervene and establish protected humanitarian zones in Turkish territory."[5] When two entities bear the same name, have the same sponsors, and take the same positions, it is an exercise in willful ignorance to argue that they are somehow not the same entity or, as is more accurate, taking orders from the same masters. But who are these masters?

The Powers Behind the Muslim Brotherhood

In examining the utterly insidious role that the Muslim Brotherhood is playing in Syria, one must begin with an understanding of the historical relationship between the Muslim Brotherhood and Western imperialism.  The organization was founded by Hassan al-Banna in 1928 with the intention of reestablishing a purer form of Islam as had existed centuries before.  However, this was merely the religious veneer that was created to mask the political intentions of the organization.  As explained in the Mother Jones article entitled What is the Muslim Brotherhood and Will It Take Over Egypt?, the author explains that, "The Muslim Brotherhood served as a battering ram against nationalists and communists, despite the Brothers' Islam-based anti-imperialism, the group often ended up making common cause with the colonial British.  It functioned as an intelligence agency, infiltrating left-wing and nationalist groups."[6] This indisputable fact, that the Muslim Brotherhood functioned, even its early days, as a de facto arm of Western intelligence, is critical to understanding its development and current political power.

However, there are those who argue that, despite this "coincidence" of objectives and agendas, the Muslim Brotherhood could never be tied directly to the intelligence community.  However, as Robert Dreyfuss, author of the Mother Jones article clearly points out, there is ample evidence tying the leadership of the Muslim Brotherhood directly to the CIA:

By then [1954], the group's chief international organizer and best-known official was Said Ramadan, the son-in-law of Hassan al-Banna. Ramadan had come to the attention of both the CIA and MI-6, the British intelligence service. In researching my book ... I came across an unusual photograph that showed Ramadan with President Eisenhower in the Oval Office. By then, or soon after, Ramadan had likely been recruited as a CIA agent. Wall Street Journal reporter Ian Johnson has since documented the close ties between Ramadan and various Western intelligence services ... Johnson writes: ‘By the end of the decade, the CIA was overtly backing Ramadan.'"[7]

The fact that the central figure in the international organization was a known CIA agent corroborates the assertions made by countless analysts and investigators that the Brotherhood was used as a weapon against Nasser and, in fact, all Arab socialist leaders who at that time were part of a rising tide of Arab nationalism which sought, as its ultimate goal, independence from Western imperial domination.

In order to fully grasp just how the Brotherhood developed into the organization we know today, one must understand the relationship between it and the royal family of Saudi Arabia.  In fact, the Saudis have been the key financiers of the Brotherhood for decades for the same reasons that the United States and the Western powers needed them: opposition to Arab nationalism and the growing "insolence" of Shiite states.  Dreyfuss writes, "From its early days, the Brotherhood was financed generously by the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, which appreciated its ultra-conservative politics and its virulent hatred of Arab communists."[8] Essentially, as the United States began to exert its post-war might throughout the region, the Muslim Brotherhood was there to be a willing beneficiary and humble servant sowing the seeds of hatred between Sunni and Shia, espousing a hate-filled Salafist ideology that preached conflict and inescapable war between the branches of Islam.  Naturally, all to the benefit of Western powers who cared little for the ideology and more about the money and resources.

A Tool of the Western Powers Today?

It is often argued that, though the historical record unequivocally shows the Brotherhood as intimately connected to Western intelligence, somehow the organization has changed, that it has become a peaceful force for political progress in the Arab world.  As recent events in Egypt have shown, nothing could be further from the truth.  With the undemocratic attempted power grab by Egyptian President Morsi, the scaling back of civil liberties, the rights of women, and religious and ethnic minorities, the Muslim Brotherhood has shown itself to be little more than a reactionary political force parading itself as a form of "progress".

If one had any doubts as to the true intentions and motivations of the Muslim Brotherhood once in power in Egypt, one needed look no further than its position on the institutions of global finance capital, particularly the International Monetary Fund.  In one of the first decisions taken by Morsi and the Muslim Brotherhood government, Cairo established that it would, in fact, welcome conditional loans from the IMF[9] to rescue itself from the prospect of a continued economic crisis.  However, as part of the conditions of the loan, Morsi's government would have to drastically reduce subsidies, regulations, and other "market restrictions" while increasing taxes on the middle class.  Essentially, this meant that the Brotherhood consented to the usual cocktail of austerity medicine that had been administered by the agents of finance capital so many times all over the world.  This, naturally, begged the question: Was this the end of the revolution? Indeed, many in the streets of Cairo are asking themselves this same question.  Or, to put it more accurately, they already know the answer.

In Egypt, as in Syria, the Muslim Brotherhood has made itself into an appendage of the Western imperialist ruling class.  It has dutifully served these interests over the course of decades, though the names, faces, and propaganda have changed over the years.  As we watch the tragic images coming from Syria or the tens of thousands in the streets of Cairo, we must question why it has taken so long for this perfidious organization to be exposed or even understood. The answer is, as usual, because it serves the interests of global capital to keep the rest of the world confused as to who the enemies of progress really are.  By revealing their true nature, the real forces of peace and progress around the world can reject the Muslim Brotherhood and the imperial system in all its overt and covert forms.

Eric Draitser is the founder of StopImperialism.com.  He is an independent geopolitical analyst based in New York City.  He is a regular contributor to Russia Today, Press TV, GlobalResearch.ca, and other media outlets. You can reach him at ericdraitser@gmail.com.

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[1] http://news.yahoo.com/rebels-circle-damascus-airport-russia-u-downbeat-013515100.html

[2] http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/05/06/us-syria-brotherhood-idUSBRE84504R20120506

[3] http://english.al-akhbar.com/content/egypts-brotherhood-calls-intervention-syria

[4] http://www.nytimes.com/2012/06/21/world/middleeast/cia-said-to-aid-in-steering-arms-to-syrian-rebels.html?pagewanted=all&_r=0

[5] http://carnegie-mec.org/publications/?fa=48370

[6] http://www.motherjones.com/politics/2011/02/what-is-the-muslim-brotherhood

[7] Ibid.

[8] Ibid.

[9] http://www.albawaba.com/business/morsi-egypt-imf-loan-432065