Aijaz Ahmad: The United States economy is stagnant and faces the possibility of a real Depression. Its currency has lost a quarter of its value on global markets in three years. No country in the entire history of humankind has ever owed as much money to foreigners as the US does today, and this debt rises by about a billion dollars a day. Its military expenditures are higher than those of the next twenty countries combined. It's time to question basic assumptions about US foreign policy.
TranscriptPAUL JAY, SENIOR EDITOR: Welcome back to our interviews with Aijaz Ahmad, asking the question, what would a rational foreign policy for the United States look like? Aijaz, at the core of much of US foreign policy is the assumption that the United States needs its military prowess to defend its oil interests, whether it's directly the interests of oil companies, or whether it's a question of pipelines, or just sort of the geopolitical strategic objectives. What would a rational policy on oil be? AIJAZ AHMAD, SENIOR NEWS ANALYST: Couple of things here, Paul. First of all, I think the oil question is the one area where it is very difficult to distinguish between domestic policy and foreign policy. Let's talk about the foreign policies side of it, and then I'll come to the domestic side. We should recognize that oil is no more important for the United States than it is for any other country, especially other industrialized countries or industrializing countries. In fact, the US has had many advantages that Japan or China don't have. So US actually speaks from a position of power and strength, including domestic production, and having resources of oil very close to its borders. JAY: A rather safe supply from its northern neighbor, Canada, the number one supplier of oil. AHMAD: That's right. That's right. That's right. And southern one in Mexico. So it has a position of strength, and its superiority in this area is not nearly as threatened as people pretend. That's one. Secondly, same thing applies here, that you have to think of a foreign policy that obtained these objectives peacefully. Just as China or Japan or India are obtaining their needs of hydrocarbons peacefully by going to any country and anywhere in the world that they can, through essentially market forces. That's what you need to do. You also have to recognize that those who produce oil and gas have one strategic interest only, which is to sell it. So it's not as if oil supplies and gas supplies are going to disappear if you don't police them. They'll be on the world market. Other countries have reconciled themselves to buy their oil and gas and whatnot. The United States should do the same.
PAUL JAY, SENIOR EDITOR: Welcome back to our interviews with Aijaz Ahmad, asking the question, what would a rational foreign policy for the United States look like? Aijaz, at the core of much of US foreign policy is the assumption that the United States needs its military prowess to defend its oil interests, whether it's directly the interests of oil companies, or whether it's a question of pipelines, or just sort of the geopolitical strategic objectives. What would a rational policy on oil be? AIJAZ AHMAD, SENIOR NEWS ANALYST: Couple of things here, Paul. First of all, I think the oil question is the one area where it is very difficult to distinguish between domestic policy and foreign policy. Let's talk about the foreign policies side of it, and then I'll come to the domestic side. We should recognize that oil is no more important for the United States than it is for any other country, especially other industrialized countries or industrializing countries. In fact, the US has had many advantages that Japan or China don't have. So US actually speaks from a position of power and strength, including domestic production, and having resources of oil very close to its borders. JAY: A rather safe supply from its northern neighbor, Canada, the number one supplier of oil. AHMAD: That's right. That's right. That's right. And southern one in Mexico. So it has a position of strength, and its superiority in this area is not nearly as threatened as people pretend. That's one. Secondly, same thing applies here, that you have to think of a foreign policy that obtained these objectives peacefully. Just as China or Japan or India are obtaining their needs of hydrocarbons peacefully by going to any country and anywhere in the world that they can, through essentially market forces. That's what you need to do. You also have to recognize that those who produce oil and gas have one strategic interest only, which is to sell it. So it's not as if oil supplies and gas supplies are going to disappear if you don't police them. They'll be on the world market. Other countries have reconciled themselves to buy their oil and gas and whatnot. The United States should do the same.
Democratic presidential candidate Senator Barack Obama recently introduced his Senior Working Group on National Security, including former Clinton advisers Anthony Lake, Warren Christopher and Madeleine Albright. Real News Network's Analyst Pepe Escobar explores Obama's true foreign policy colors in his commentary, explaining that this group of Clinton-related names tells a lot about Obama's view of the world.
Presidential rivals Barack Obama and John McCain will finish off the primary campaign season with a joint appearance at the California mega-church run by Rick Warren, best-selling author of The Purpose-Driven Life.The forum at 22,000-member Saddleback Church shows that the two candidates are actively contesting the evangelical Christian vote, a segment that has in the past voted Republican.Evangelicals have been cool to McCain's candidacy, opposing, for instance, his support for stem-cell research. Meanwhile, Obama has talked at length on the campaign trail about his faith, and has sought inroads among constituencies that Democrats have long neglected.Saddleback, where the charismatic Warren preaches, is known as a member of the next generation of Christian leaders poised to take the helm of the evangelical movement from the likes of James Dobson of Focus on the Family and televangelist Pat Robertson.
Presidential rivals Barack Obama and John McCain will finish off the primary campaign season with a joint appearance at the California mega-church run by Rick Warren, best-selling author of The Purpose-Driven Life.
The forum at 22,000-member Saddleback Church shows that the two candidates are actively contesting the evangelical Christian vote, a segment that has in the past voted Republican.
Evangelicals have been cool to McCain's candidacy, opposing, for instance, his support for stem-cell research. Meanwhile, Obama has talked at length on the campaign trail about his faith, and has sought inroads among constituencies that Democrats have long neglected.
Saddleback, where the charismatic Warren preaches, is known as a member of the next generation of Christian leaders poised to take the helm of the evangelical movement from the likes of James Dobson of Focus on the Family and televangelist Pat Robertson.
AMMAN, Jordan: For what feels like forever, Israelis and their Arab neighbors have been hopelessly deadlocked on how to resolve the Palestinian crisis. But there is one point they may now agree on: if elected president, Senator Barack Obama will not fundamentally recalibrate America's relationship with Israel, or the Arab world. From the religious center of Jerusalem to the rolling hills of Amman to the crowded streets of Cairo, dozens of interviews revealed a similar sentiment: the United States will ultimately support Israel over the Palestinians, no matter who the president is. That presumption promoted a degree of relief in Israel and resignation here in Jordan and in Israel's other Arab neighbors. "What we know is American presidents all support Israel," said Muhammad Ibrahim, 23, a university student who works part time selling watermelons on the street in the southern part of this city. "It is hopeless. This one is like the other one. They are all the same. Nothing will change. Don't expect change."
AMMAN, Jordan: For what feels like forever, Israelis and their Arab neighbors have been hopelessly deadlocked on how to resolve the Palestinian crisis. But there is one point they may now agree on: if elected president, Senator Barack Obama will not fundamentally recalibrate America's relationship with Israel, or the Arab world.
From the religious center of Jerusalem to the rolling hills of Amman to the crowded streets of Cairo, dozens of interviews revealed a similar sentiment: the United States will ultimately support Israel over the Palestinians, no matter who the president is. That presumption promoted a degree of relief in Israel and resignation here in Jordan and in Israel's other Arab neighbors.
"What we know is American presidents all support Israel," said Muhammad Ibrahim, 23, a university student who works part time selling watermelons on the street in the southern part of this city. "It is hopeless. This one is like the other one. They are all the same. Nothing will change. Don't expect change."
India's government today survived a knife-edge parliamentary vote of confidence, clearing the way for a landmark nuclear deal with the US that marks the end of its international isolation as a rogue nuclear weapons state.The vote came after weeks of political horse-trading which saw allegations of MPs being offered million-pound bribes, others being assured of cabinet berths and claims that some MPs had been kidnapped.Just hours before the vote opposition MPs brought 10m rupees into the parliament to highlight the corruption claims, which will now be investigated by the parliamentary authorities.In the end the vote was won comfortably - with a majority of 19 - partly because MPs were brought in on hospital trolleys and others convicted for murder were released from prison to attend parliament. General elections can now take place next May, when the government's five-year term expires.
India's government today survived a knife-edge parliamentary vote of confidence, clearing the way for a landmark nuclear deal with the US that marks the end of its international isolation as a rogue nuclear weapons state.
The vote came after weeks of political horse-trading which saw allegations of MPs being offered million-pound bribes, others being assured of cabinet berths and claims that some MPs had been kidnapped.
Just hours before the vote opposition MPs brought 10m rupees into the parliament to highlight the corruption claims, which will now be investigated by the parliamentary authorities.
In the end the vote was won comfortably - with a majority of 19 - partly because MPs were brought in on hospital trolleys and others convicted for murder were released from prison to attend parliament. General elections can now take place next May, when the government's five-year term expires.
The Venezuelan president, Hugo Chávez, today arrived in Moscow on his latest arms-buying spree, saying that his country needed to buy more weapons to defend itself from the United States.Chávez met Russia's president Dmitry Medvedev this morning. He is expected to sign a billion-dollar arms deal with Russia for new missile defence systems and diesel-powered submarines."I have great hopes we will be able to continue building our strategic alliance," Chávez said after landing in Moscow for a two-day trip. He added: "The deals will guarantee the sovereignty of Venezuela which is being threatened by the United States."Chávez's latest visit to Moscow - his sixth - is likely to irritate Washington. It comes at a time when relations between Russia and the US are already under strain over a host of issues.
The Venezuelan president, Hugo Chávez, today arrived in Moscow on his latest arms-buying spree, saying that his country needed to buy more weapons to defend itself from the United States.
Chávez met Russia's president Dmitry Medvedev this morning. He is expected to sign a billion-dollar arms deal with Russia for new missile defence systems and diesel-powered submarines.
"I have great hopes we will be able to continue building our strategic alliance," Chávez said after landing in Moscow for a two-day trip.
He added: "The deals will guarantee the sovereignty of Venezuela which is being threatened by the United States."
Chávez's latest visit to Moscow - his sixth - is likely to irritate Washington. It comes at a time when relations between Russia and the US are already under strain over a host of issues.
During the meeting, Putin accepted an invitation from Chavez to visit Venezuela. Russian President Dmitry Medvedev met with Chavez earlier in the day for talks focusing on arms and energy deals. On arriving in Moscow, Chavez called for Russia and Venezuela to become strategic partners in oil and defense, something he said would "guarantee Venezuela's sovereignty, which is currently being threatened by the United States." Venezuela has bought over 50 combat helicopters, 24 Su-30MK2 fighters, and 100,000 AK-103 rifles from Russia, and also holds a license for their production. The current contracts are worth about $4 billion. Moscow plans to start supplying Venezuela with at least ten Mi-28N helicopters in the second half of 2009. The two countries have also negotiated the delivery of three Russian Project 636 Kilo-class diesel submarines and at least 20 Tor-M1 air defense missile systems to Caracas. Contracts for these two deals, if signed, may be worth another $1 billion.
During the meeting, Putin accepted an invitation from Chavez to visit Venezuela.
Russian President Dmitry Medvedev met with Chavez earlier in the day for talks focusing on arms and energy deals.
On arriving in Moscow, Chavez called for Russia and Venezuela to become strategic partners in oil and defense, something he said would "guarantee Venezuela's sovereignty, which is currently being threatened by the United States."
Venezuela has bought over 50 combat helicopters, 24 Su-30MK2 fighters, and 100,000 AK-103 rifles from Russia, and also holds a license for their production. The current contracts are worth about $4 billion.
Moscow plans to start supplying Venezuela with at least ten Mi-28N helicopters in the second half of 2009.
The two countries have also negotiated the delivery of three Russian Project 636 Kilo-class diesel submarines and at least 20 Tor-M1 air defense missile systems to Caracas. Contracts for these two deals, if signed, may be worth another $1 billion.
course, having the support of russia is helpful, and it gives Gazprom an in to another strategic supplier, which seems to be russia's foreign policy priority right now. So we'll see. keep to the Fen Causeway
So Chavez needs to shop elsewhere. Why is the US irritated? A vivid image of what should exist acts as a surrogate for reality. Pursuit of the image then prevents pursuit of the reality -- John K. Galbraith
The Argentine government has renationalised the country's airline, Aerolineas Argentinas, nearly 20 years after it was privatised. It is the latest major company to be renationalised in Argentina, after a wave of privatisation in the 1990s. The Spanish group Marsans agreed to sell Aerolineas and its subsidiary Austral for an undisclosed sum. Aerolineas now carries a debt of nearly $900m (£450m) and is losing money to the tune of about $1m a day.
The Argentine government has renationalised the country's airline, Aerolineas Argentinas, nearly 20 years after it was privatised.
It is the latest major company to be renationalised in Argentina, after a wave of privatisation in the 1990s.
The Spanish group Marsans agreed to sell Aerolineas and its subsidiary Austral for an undisclosed sum.
Aerolineas now carries a debt of nearly $900m (£450m) and is losing money to the tune of about $1m a day.
The first official image of a Russian-European manned spacecraft has been unveiled. It is designed to replace the Soyuz vehicle currently in use by Russia and will allow Europe to participate directly in crew transportation. The reusable ship was conceived to carry four people towards the Moon, rivalling the US Ares/Orion system. Unlike previous crewed vehicles, it will use thrusters to make a soft landing when it returns to Earth.
The first official image of a Russian-European manned spacecraft has been unveiled.
It is designed to replace the Soyuz vehicle currently in use by Russia and will allow Europe to participate directly in crew transportation.
The reusable ship was conceived to carry four people towards the Moon, rivalling the US Ares/Orion system.
Unlike previous crewed vehicles, it will use thrusters to make a soft landing when it returns to Earth.
