The WikiLeaks Files: The World According to US Empire

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(most interesting highlights)

  • What is an empire?

    • An empire is a structured attempt at managing a socio-economic system via communications, which often become the limiting factor, and analysis of which provides valuable insight into the empire

  • 4 phases of US foreign policy,

    • 1) Monroe doctrine

    • 2) FDR 'good neighbor' (lib. internationalism only for whites)

    • 3) Bretton Woods and expansion of the biz class via CIA intervention in Latin American economies and IMF SAP/blackmail

    • 4) Dollar Wall-St system and control via 'Virtual Senate'

  • State Department influence on commerce through examples of aviation, and agriculture

    • enforced preference of Airbus over Boeing in Bahrain and adoption of GMO in Europe

  • SEA, Korea, Japan, Middle East policies,

    • SEA policy: (1) maintain allies' dependence (2) prevent collusion (3) keep proxies compliant

    • Korea: preference for N/S tensions and Lee Myung Bak's policies

    • Japan: press' demonization of DPJ, LDP's permitting of Okinawan extension, Inamine- mayor of Nago City: "America is a place where HR are respected. But this denial of democracy is a denial of HR"

    • Middle East:

      • (sticking points) Syria- promotion of Sunni-Shia sectarian conflict prior to civil war; Iran- threatening of IAEA funding withdrawal if Iran weaponization not reported; Libya, Iraq;

      • (allies) Turkey- Erdogan 8 Swiss accounts, US supplies PKK position info in return for use as FOB; Egypt- Biden and Blair defended Mubarak during the riots, Al-sisi; Israel- $3B/y aid and most recent settlement (co-gov of PA and Israel, taxes collected by Israel which are withheld at certain times); Gulf Monarchies,

  • Censorship,

    • closing of ranks around State Dept interests: International Studies Association (association of journals) rejecting manuscripts that use even derived WikiLeaks analysis; selective censorship of RUS-US cable by NYT

  • "Invade Hague"

    • under 1998 Rome Statute, International Criminal Court formed in 2002, US unsigned then, then signed ASPA or "invade Hague" act which authorizes force to liberate detained service personnel, then coerced states to sign "article 98" or bilateral immunity agreements

Other random bits

- funding opposition groups may delegitimize them: they are seen to be acting as foreign agents

- missle defence is destabilizing: prompts weaker state to attack before defense is ready, to build up arsenal, and for stronger state to attack pre-emptively