Will this work?

[Carl Remick]

>But what would be negotiated exactly? ObL & Co. want the U.S. out of
>the Middle East. That basically means disengagement from a major
>outpost of Empire, and the cutting loose of one of Washington's most
>important sub-hegemons, Israel. As much as just about everyone on
>this list would like to see this result, it seems pretty fanciful to
>me that the U.S. would even begin to negotiate over demands like
>this. Am I missing something?
>
>Doug

It seems to me that a nominal US disengagement from the ME and a regrading 
of the playing field there could well serve US interests.  Our strategic 
partners on the scene, Israel and the House of Saud, have long been 
destabilizing forces in the region -- thus threatening, not advancing, our 
key interest there, assured access to oil.  With friends like this, etc.

I suppose whoever eventually succeeds the current management in Arabia will, 
also, will want to have cash in hand rather than oil in the ground.  So, I 
imagine what we'll wind up negotiating with the terrorists is the price of 
oil.

As Max said, "We all know that in U.S. foreign policy, 'Evil' comes in 
different sizes.  Some of them you can do business with."

Carl

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