Throughout history, many throughout Europe and North America have been quick to criticize Islam and her followers. Many scholars, however, have begun to suggest that the plight of Muslims in the Middle East stems from the inability of predominantly Islamic nations to produce enduring, healthy democracies. Even those established democracies in the Middle East, such as Egypt, are currently experiencing a slide towards a return to autocracy (“If any form of ‘freedom’ has been expanded in Egypt, meanwhile, it has been the freedom of the presidency from the informal constraints that earlier limited its authority”). Though it is clear that most Middle Eastern nations are authoritarian, it is important to note that Islam is not necessarily the root cause. In this paper I will argue that the overwhelming authoritarian presence in the Middle East stems from many factors, especially the influence of extremist Islam, the history of outside influence in the region, and the support many in the West give to autocrats in exchange for oil.

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The War on Terror, or WOT, is a term used by leaders to justify military and security action taken against a perceived threat from those who would destabilize the current World Order. Normally, we think of the protagonists as the liberal democratic West against some fanatical fundamentalist group such as Al Qaeda and its many affiliated organisations. In the popular psyche it is a war between pro-Western Governments against fundamentalist Islamic terrorists.

WOT was a term coined after the attacks on the Twin Towers on 9/11 where the US declared war against those who would perpetrate such atrocities. WOT has been used to justify actions against the Taliban in Afghanistan, against the Saddamist regime in Iraq, Russian intervention in Chechnya and even by Israel in its military incursions into Lebanon. It has also been used by Western Governments to justify the use of additional resources and additional powers in the name of national security.

Writing now on the day of the cease fire in Southern Lebanon and post the claims by British Government to have foiled one of the largest attempted attacks by terrorists, we can begin to see the outlines of what may occur in the development of this War.

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I was reading Greg Palast (.com) a few days ago and he explained the link between Big Oil and crisis in the Middle East. As we simultaneously focus on devastation in Lebanon, Israel and Palestine and the rising price of oil, we don’t often connect the two. Yet they are linked as a husband and wife.

Check and see where oil prices were on 10 September 2001. Notice they have roughly doubled as global demand has increased and futures traders speculate on which way the price is likely to go in the near future. Look at the record profits of the oil companies.

Which of us imagines a congressional investigation into oil profits will lower the price of oil? Yet, it is not the record profits which have Big Oil drooling. It is the new value of their oil reserves that has them wetting their pants. Their bank account. Big Oil and their Big Banking, Big Government partners intend to control the global hydrogen economy in two more decades. What do you suppose they would like to happen to the price of oil for the twenty years until then?

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