Nuclear weapons crime in the UK has been reported to Thames Valley Police.
It is true that the U.S. and UK have a “special relationship” – it’s called militarism and collaboration in controlling the resources, markets, and people of the planet.
The U.S. took over primary imperial responsibilities after the sun set on the British Empire. Britain’s oligarchy was shrewd enough to protect its investments by entering into a pact to serve as “moral cheerleader” for the expansion of U.S. militarism around the world. Now with more than 800 bases across the planet, and increasingly using space technology to coordinate all warfare, the Pentagon has become the primary resource extraction service for corporate globalization.
As we saw with Tony Blair’s theatrics in support of George W. Bush’s “shock and awe” attack on Iraq and the NATO occupation of Afghanistan, our countries continue to act as the ‘two gangsters’ behind today’s imperial wars.
Obama’s recent announcement of a “pivot” of U.S. foreign and military policy into the Asia-Pacific is nothing more than a deceptive way of saying the U.S. will now divert 60% of its military forces to surround China. But why? What is really happening here?
The U.S. understands that it cannot compete with China economically. However, if the U.S. could control China’s access to vital resources (like oil) then it would hold the keys to China’s economic engine. The same thing is happening today as the U.S. and NATO move to surround Russia with so-called “missile defense” systems that in fact are key elements in creating a “successful” first-strike attack. Again one should ask why the U.S. would want to restart a Cold War with Russia? Could it be because Russia has the world’s largest supply of natural gas and significant supplies of oil?
Professor Noam Chomsky says U.S. foreign policy is now all about controlling most of the worlds declining resource supply as a “lever of world domination.” One way to keep Europe, China, India and other emerging markets dependent on Washington, and in sync with its policies, is to maintain control of the keys to the world’s economic engine.
Obama appointed former NATO commander Gen. James Jones as his first National Security Adviser. In March 2006 Gen. Jones told the Stars and Stripes newspaper that “Our strategic goal is to expand …to Eastern Europe and Africa.” Months later he told the media that NATO was developing a “special plan” to safeguard oil and gas fields in Africa and was “ready to ensure the security of oil-producing and transporting regions.”
Who is the competitor of the U.S. in Africa? The Pentagon maintains that it is China.
The entire U.S. military empire is now tied together using space technology. With military satellites in space the U.S. can see virtually everything on the Earth, can intercept all communications on the planet, and can target virtually any place on the Earth. The U.S. Space Command has established space warfare ground stations around the world (including Fylingdales and Menwith Hill) that help relay signals between military satellites and the “war fighters”.
While the U.S. continues on this dangerous, expensive, and destabilizing program of world domination on behalf of corporate globalization, more bases and ports of call are needed in the Asia-Pacific. Thus it imposes pressure on South Korea to build the Navy base on Jeju Island where U.S. ships can port, just 350 miles from the Chinese coast. Add in the very unpopular expansion of U.S. war bases in Guam and Okinawa and negotiations with the Philippines and Vietnam to allow U.S. warships to return to their ports after many years absence.
As the Pentagon undertakes this insane project it must find allies to give moral, financial, and strategic legitimacy to this global military expansion. This is where Britain comes into play. Downing Street gives its blessings, sends troops to Afghanistan, and deploys its own nuclear weapons on submarines in a show of the flag intended to say to Russia and China: ‘we are with the U.S. on this program. We’ve got their backs.’
It’s an amazing display of hypocrisy to watch the U.S. and Britain justify their own “weapons of mass destruction” while they set about to lecture Iran, North Korea, Pakistan and others about the evils of such instruments of indiscriminate death. But justify these incinerators of hell they surely do.
I’ve been heartened over the years to follow the movement against Trident at Faslane. In September of 2007 Dave Webb (who chairs the Global Network as well as CND) and I were arrested there for protesting during Faslane 365. We wanted to make a statement that our work to stop the militarization and weaponization of space is inextricably linked to Britain’s Trident program. These military systems serve the same master – the same corporate imperial ambitions.
It is inspiring that resistance to Trident replacement continues and is growing in the UK. It is clear that Britain can’t afford to fund a new generation of these nuclear weapons nor should it! Aren’t there enough social needs across the UK clamoring for those monies? Shouldn’t Britain, and all countries, be slashing military spending and using the taxpayer’s funds to deal with the coming harsh reality of climate change? Think of what could be done with those funds building alternative energy sources and remaking society in a sustainable way.
If human kind is to survive on this planet then we must immediately change our direction. Successful opposition to Trident replacement is a key to open this door to survival. Trident is anti-future, anti-survival, anti-security.
We must all continue to connect the dots between human needs, the environmental crisis, endless war for corporate control, and the expensive and deadly weapons systems that are used by the U.S. and Britain to maintain their ‘military boot’ on the necks of most of the world’s people.
We join you in this historic undertaking to turn the global war machine toward a life sustaining direction. We stand with you always and send our best wishes.
Bruce K. Gagnon
Coordinator
Global Network Against Weapons & Nuclear Power in Space
Bath, Maine
