[Peace-discuss] Geographical scope of the Long War

[C. G. Estabrook]

["Believe nothing until it's officially denied," as below.  Von Clausewitz' 
first principle of war is "establish a secure base."*  For the US in the 
Mideast, that's Israel, our "stationary aircraft carrier."  For two generations, 
a principal area of interest to the USG has been the oil-producing region in a 
2000-mile radius around the Persian Gulf (most of which the US military calls 
CENTCOM**).  We don't use the oil and gas from the region in the US, but control 
of it gives the USG an advantage over its European and Asian rivals.  So we 
insist on control of the region - by alliance, domination, or intimidation. 
Thus the US is fighting one big war of invasion and occupation from the Levant 
to the Indus Valley, from Central Asia to the Horn of Africa.  The Pentagon, 
eschewing the president's puerile assurance that we're doing it to "stop 
terrorism," calls it the Long War.  It has been, and it will be.  The war - 
supported with slight differences by both parties and all administrations - has 
already caused much destruction, abroad and at home; it has the potential for 
vastly more. --CGE]


	Petraeus denies seeking CENTCOM oversight of West Bank, Gaza
	By Leo Shane III, Stars and Stripes
	Mideast edition, Wednesday, March 17, 2010

WASHINGTON – The head of U.S. Central Command isn’t looking to add Israel to his
area of responsibility, and told senators Tuesday he doesn’t think any such move
is needed.

Gen. David Petraeus, combatant commander for Iraq and Afghanistan but also
neighboring countries like Pakistan and Egypt, denied news reports that he had
sent a request to the White House seeking to expand their geographic
responsibility to Israel.

“I have never made a formal recommendation to add Israel to CENTCOM,” he told
members of the Senate Armed Services Committee, “but we certainly keep a close
eye there.”

Stars and Stripes on Tuesday [Wednesday for Pac] cited a report from
ForeignPolicy.com over the weekend that said Petraeus had made such a request
after a lengthy Jan. 16 CENTCOM briefing to Joint Chief of Staff chairman Adm.
Mike Mullen.

Currently, conflicts in the West Bank and Gaza fall under the watch of the
Germany-based U.S. European Command. Petraeus said Israeli decisions have a
clear and obvious influence on countries like Iran and Jordan, so leaders within
his command closely monitor trends there.

In recent weeks U.S. officials have sparred with Israeli leaders over plans for
new Jewish settlements in east Jerusalem, a project approved during Vice
President Joe Biden’s visit to the country earlier this month. Palestinians have
threatened not to join upcoming U.S.-brokered peace talks over the start of the
project.

Petraeus told the committee that the ongoing hostilities between the
Palestinians and Israelis “present distinct challenges to advance our interests
in the area of operations,” noting that U.S. support for Israel results in
anti-American sentiment in Palestinian-sympathizing neighbors. He also noted
that Al Qaida routinely uses U.S. support for Israel in its propaganda.

http://www.stripes.com/article.asp?section=104&article=68715
http://thecable.foreignpolicy.com/posts/2010/03/16/petraeus_i_never_fomally_
asked_for_command_of_the_palestinian_territories

_______________
*Carl von Clausewitz, On War (1832) <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/On_War>
**Central Command <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_Central_Command>

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