The Third Other

[pms]

They're spinning this one even better than the "Palestinians are terrorists"
line.  Didn't Blair just say something like this for the first time, a
coupla days ago?   Fits right in with that right-wing view of the middle
east I posted recently, ie, let's just take our oil.  Nice narrative if you
can get it.   Is it just coincidence that US companies are having much less
success than European co's in their dealings with the Saudi's as they open
new parts of their energy biz to the outside?  And speaking of oil, this
month blockade is going to make Saddamn a hero in ME street. Predictably.
At the same time, additional pricing pressure is coming from that strike by
right wing union in Venezuela.  Now you KNOW the US has plenty of influence
with anti-Chavez forces.  So why the pressure NOW?

http://www.observer.co.uk/worldview/story/0,11581,680095,00.html

A world that started the century divided among European empires finishes it
with all or almost all of them gone: the Ottoman, German, Austrian, French ,
British and finally Soviet Empires are now no more than a memory. This
leaves us with two new types of state: first there are now states - often
former colonies - where in some sense the state has almost ceased to exist a
'premodern' zone where the state has failed and a Hobbesian war of all
against all is underway (countries such as Somalia and, until recently,
Afghanistan). Second, there are the post imperial, postmodern states who no
longer think of security primarily in terms of conquest. And thirdly, of
course there remain the traditional "modern" states who behave as states
always have, following Machiavellian principles and raison d'ètat (one
thinks of countries such as India, Pakistan and China).
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Euro about surge?
http://www.futuresource.com/cfnews.asp?c=26&aid=57065&cid=4522&pd=