The birth of imperialism in Apartheid South Africa
Imperialism is global in structure.
It evolved from apartheid colonialism in the gold mines of emerging South Africa in the 19th century. After the South Africa War of 1899-1902 the private British-owned Chamber of Mines ruled South Africa from 1902 to 1910. Its first act was to set the daily maximum wage of African mineworkers at 1-shilling and 2-pence. The super-exploited labour of African mineworkers became the foundation of imperialism.
Transition from colonialism to imperialism
Gold served as the basis for the transition of colonialism to imperialism. It also functioned as the determinant of the value of all the currencies in the world. The Chairman of the Zionist Rothschild family bank, which financed the exploitation of goldmines, continues to determine the price of gold twice daily. The Rothchilds are at the heart of the control of global economies.
High volumes of portable money began replacing the old model of the export of extracted raw minerals and the import of finished goods. In the new model extracted minerals and finished goods are produced in the same country. It accelerated the accumulation of private capital in the global north at reduced costs.
Wars as site of accumulation of private capital
The systemic crisis of imperialism produced two world wars, which continue today as multiple regional wars on the pretext of ‘Islamophobia’. They are lucrative for private capital accumulation. It has extended the lifespan of imperialism, which birthed Zionism as its conjoined twin. It also birthed its other conjoined triplet – the semi-feudal Arab monarchies, for which there is no provision in The Holy Qur’an.
Imperialism, structurally, functions as the spinal cord of the 500-year old world capitalist economic system. It incorporates wealth accumulated from the North Atlantic slave trade, colonial theft of land and water, genocide of indigenous peoples – to mention only a few.
Imperialist pattern of blood
Ever since the 1494 arrival of Christopher Columbus in Guantanamo Bay (Cuba), the USA, in foetus, began establishing its pattern of blood through violent conflicts. This pattern characterised its 250 years of expansion of its global empire. Since its independence from British colonialism in 1775 it has been at war in almost every year. In 1775 the USA army was established and reorganised and transformed many times in response to its changing domestic security needs and the need for its foreign expansion. It incipiently developed its military industry embedded in the development of its steel industry, which constituted the foundation of its industrialization of USA, led by the Andrew Carnegie Steel Foundation. Its associate Foundation owns and manages the Peace Palace in the Hague (ICJ) in the Netherlands. Imperialism manages a war-peace duality.
The nascent military-industrial complex locked profitable wars into permanent wars in its political and economic system. Logically, it has developed an inbuilt global empire of military bases. Economic expansion is accompanied by aggressive military expansion.
It has cultivated a highly profitable media as its ideological arm. Economics and wars run through the spinal cord of imperialism as its central nerve.
Costs of war or ‘return on investment’ jargon
Since 1776 the USA has fought about 135 countries and peoples in war up to ISIS years (davidvine.net).
Minimum number of USA military invasions of Mexico (10); Canada (11); and Panama (24) since 1776 (davidvine.net).
In 1953 President Eisenhower who coined the term ‘military-industrial complex’ described military expenditure as “theft”.
The cost to USA citizens of all military expenditure (2001-21) was $19-trillion (nationalpriorities.org).
The War on Islam
The War on Islam, since the staged 9/11 Zionist theatre: 4.5-million dead, 38-million displaced, tens of millions wounded. $8-trillion was spent for a 1236% ‘return on investment’ for Lockheed Martin stock in 2001-2021. It cost $8-trillion (costsofwar.org: Brown University, USA).
The costs of war in Iraq was $2.9-trillion. Estimated deaths: 1.4-1.6-million (costsofwar.org).
The 20 years of war in Afghanistan cost $2.3-trillion; 600000-750000 deaths; and 6-million displaced (davidvine.net).
Estimated number of USA military deaths during USA wars in Iraq, Syria, Afghanistan, Pakistan, and Yemen since 2001: 15000. The minimum number of countries in which the USA military has fought is 24 (davidvine.net).
Estimated number of USA foreign military bases: 750 in 80 countries. Pentagon deliberately does poor data reporting (https//doi.org/10.17606/7cm4-hb13).
Number of USA military bases: Germany (119); Japan (119) and South Korea (80).
Estimated annual cost of USA foreign military bases: $51.5-billion (davidvine.net).
USA military bases in Arab monarrchies
The number of bases in the Arab monarchies: air bases (17); naval facilities (7); outposts (7); radar facility (1). The key bases are in Bahrain, Qatar, Jordan, Kuwait, UAE, Saudi Arabia, and Oman.
The Arabs occupy a subordinate position in homage and allegiance to USA. The current war has demonstrated that there are no security guarantees for the monarchies by USA; but only for Israel. They have sold their national and Islamic dignity to USA, which uses them for ‘secure’ oil extraction for itself.
Bahrain
Bahrain hosts the USA Navy’s Fifth Fleet. One of its main functions is to ensure safe passage to oil tankers through the Strait of Hormuz. In 1988 it struck Iranian oil platforms in the Persian Gulf. In 2003 it struck Yemeni Houthis. Saudi Arabia and UAE, though they are bitter rivals they play sub-imperial roles in south Yemen against north Yemen.
Bahrain is the central base of the USA Navy and its primary command and intelligence centre. It is the nerve centre of the navy in the region that extends widely from the Persian Gulf to portions of the Indian Ocean. Today it lay in ruin.
Kuwait
Kuwait hosts three USA military bases. They are key logistics hubs for USA forces in the region in support of CENTCOM operations. They played a crucial role during preparations for the strike by F-16 fighter jets and AH-64 Apache helicopters against Iran. They secure supply lines for fuel, ammunition, and spare parts. The Patriot missile defence systems were deployed here.
Iran destroyed the airbases, air defence systems (including the ‘indestructible’ Patriot), warehouses, and command centres.
UAE
The UAE hosts strategic points for monitoring the Persian Gulf with a focus on Iran. The USA’s 380th Air Expeditionary Wing specialises in refuelling, reconnaissance, and precision strikes on ground targets. The Patriot and THAAD missile defence systems were managed by UAE citizens under USA supervision. The artificial Jebel Ali port is the main hub for the USA Navy in the region. Iran destroyed the base including the Patriot and THAAD missile systems. USA Navy ships were forced to flee.
Oman
Oman agreed to allow the USA to use several facilities of its own Oman Royal Air Force airbases and ports for rotations, logistics, and training that support the notorious Fifth Fleet conducting CENTCOM operations aimed at Iran.
Oman maintained neutrality and distanced itself from USA actions in the region and played a professional mediating role. Iran spared its attack. The one kamikaze drone attack on 3 March was a rogue drone.
Saudi Arabia
Saudi Arabia is the USA’s largest and most subservient partner in West Asia. It tacitly approved USA military facilities at its sibling state of Bahrain. Saudi Arabia supports CENTCOM operations for USA missile defence capabilities against Iran, especially, with the four Patriot missile batteries. It previously supported military attacks on Afghanistan during Operation Desert Storm.
Iran’s attacks destroyed the Patriot missile batteries and airbase infrastructure.
Qatar
Qatar hosts the largest airbase, Al-Udeid, in the region that includes supplemental components of CENTCOM fused with elements of its own air forces and special operations forces. It serves as the forward headquarters for CENTCOM that directs USA military operations across an over-stretched area from Egypt to Kazakhstan, with forces thinly dispersed. In anticipation of the Iranian attack its 10000 troops were halved.
The USA’s 379th Air Expeditionary Wing provides airlift, aerial refuelling, intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance, and aeromedical evacuation assets.
Jordan
Jordan hosts the oldest airbase in the region. During WWI T E Lawrence, romanticised as ‘Lawrence of Arabia’, converted the historic Azraq Castle and its desert plains into an airbase for the capture of Syria. Lawrence is remembered in Arab resistance history as the one who facilitated the creation of Saudi Arabia, the Saudi monarchy, and its ideologized state religion to serve imperialism and its newfound thirst for oil as the key to British industrialisation.
During 2014-2015 Jordan allowed Belgian Air to deploy six Lockheed Martin Falcons in the fight against Muslims in Iraq and the Levant. In 2019 the USA invested $140-million in the expansion of the airbase and with further upgrades converted it into a permanent airbase. It is also used by other NATO forces.
The 109-year-old airbase now lay in ruin.
Egypt
Egypt so far is spared because of its mediating role in Gaza but it is not forgotten. Its army is the conjoined twin of the USA army. Its politico-military class owns and controls 70% of the Egyptian economy. This class under President Nasser overthrew the ruling monarchy and today it functions as a dictatorship, subservient to the USA army and IMF.
Britain the original creator of Arab monarchies
Britain hosts about 24 USA military and intelligence bases and allows USA warplanes to transit to West Asia. It provides intelligence, surveillance, refuelling, and nuclear weapons storage support plus the use of its two sovereign airbases in Cyprus. Its base in Diego Garcia in Mauritius is available to USA air-force for larger strikes on Iran by USA B-2 stealth bombers.
In 2020 it played a role in the assassination of General Qassem Soleimani through its Yorkshire spy site at Menwith Hill and in USA drone operations.
Britain has military personnel in the Gulf, especially, its naval facility HMS Juffair in Bahrain, spy stations in Oman and airbases in Jordan, Qatar, and UAE.
New opportunities for Arab monarchies
All the Arab monarchies lack the capacity and military capabilities and the political will to counter Iranian attacks. Iran is creating the political and economic conditions for the monarchies to break off their siblinghood with imperialism and Zionism. Israel controls the Arab electronic nerve systems embedded in the USA/Israeli military hardware and software.
The new conditions will enable Arab ‘royal’ families to return from their hiding in fellow-Arab countries to their palaces that have gold-plated toilet pans.
USA has proven to the monarchies that it lacks the political will to provide them with security and safety guarantee as a contractual obligation.
The spinal cord of imperialism has to be broken
The spinal cord of imperialism now has a chokehold on West Asia with a sharpened focus on Palestine/Iran. All the Arab bases make up the regional vertebrae of the spinal cord. It is now managed and controlled by the new Epsteinian/Trumpian billionaire class of paedophiles. The sociological origin of this new class in bourgeois history can be traced to Jeffrey Epstein’s employment by Bear Stearns in 1976-1981, managing individual investments of $1-billion-Plus. He later became a partner. After the collapse of Bear Stearns in 2008, he established his private business under his own name and began a long relationship with the Rothschilds.
In 2013-2019 Epstein established a ‘professional relationship’ with the all-powerful Ms Ariane de Rothschild, the CEO of Swiss bank Edmond de Rothschild, as a ‘close advisor’ after he had already been convicted of sex trafficking of minors in 2002- 2008 and released from ‘soft’ imprisonment after 13 months. He opened the door to the global elite for an experience of predatory sexual ‘pleasure’. It partly explains the new class’s lust for child-killing, genocide, and political murder.
This relationship is interpenetrated in the Epstein-Colom-Sarkozy nexus in France/Switzerland. Oliver Colom was an adviser to President Sarkozy with alleged predatory sexual conduct between 2013 and 2019. His OC Consultancy consults for heads of state and world business leaders, including those in Africa.
These layered relationships are the invisible side of imperialism.
Iran and decolonized political and economic statecraft
The Islamic Republic of Iran has an organic civilizational approach to decolonial statecraft from within its own philosophical ecosystem with a Global South perspective that is inherently anti-imperialist and anti-Zionist.
By Haroon Aziz, South Africa
