Bang Bang Boom

Today we look at a possible tipping point for 2006 that is not a pleasant scenario. (As if any of the other tipping points are) The tipping point I speak of is world war.

Now before you click away to some fantasy site that excites and soothes your tattered mind, stick with me here for a few more minutes.

We live in perilous times and the weight of world affairs is teetering on those overloaded scales. A simple puff of wind threatens to send the whole mess over the side of a precipice so deep that there is no return.

As I mentioned in an earlier tipping point post, contrary to popular belief, we are not fighting a war on terror in the Middle East, we are fighting a resource war. Because someone is going to control what is left of the worlds oil and it is going to be the U.S. One way or another. Either do it our way or hit the highway.

Iraq had no weapons of mass destruction. The U.S provided the chemical weapons they used on Iran during the Iraq/Iran war. Our leaders, or maybe handlers is a better term, dreamed up a situation and convinced the world that Iraq was a danger to the entire world and the U.S., as the new sheriff in town, was going to clean house. And make sure that the oil flows.

We are now seeing that the sheriff has not been able to clean up Iraq and as the violence escalates, in spite of increasing U.S. bombing, the country is now more unstable than ever. While the news media here at home plays down the situation in Iraq, that country is on the verge of all out civil war. We do not have enough soldiers to guard the pipelines to keep the oil flowing. As soon as we fix a hole in one spot, they sabotage somewhere else along the line.

What is an oil starved country to do? Let's turn our sights on Iran.

If you have followed the news lately, the talk against Iran has become increasingly hostile. They are developing nuclear weapons capable of hitting not only Israel, but Europe as well. Russia is helping Iran with the technical aspects of uranium enrichment. Now Russia is selling defensive missiles to Iran to protect Russia's investment in Iran.

Meanwhile, Israeli military chief Dan Halutz on Tuesday said that Iran's nuclear program "can be destroyed," Israel's Army Radio said. ...Israeli officials and politicians have openly discussed the possibility of an attack on Iran, either alone or with other countries, aimed at crippling Iran's nuclear development capabilities.

And today George Bush met with a group of former secretaries of defense and state to supposedly discuss Iraq. Wanna bet they discussed other countries as well?

Now the way I see it, the world is pretty ticked off at the U.S. right now. We are seen as a bunch of bullies, beating up little countries and taking their candy. So, we really don't want to be the first one to throw the next rock. I believe that we, along with Israel,are waiting for action from some other group to kind of get the game rolling. And with Israeli Prime Minister Sharon in serious condition in the hospital, the action could come as some sort of terrorist attack on Israel, prompting Israel to respond against Syria and then Iran. The two countries have a mutual protection agreement.

Just a guess on my part, but a situation definitely worth watching over the next several weeks. The scary part is that Israel has over 300 nuclear bombs, courtesy of the U.S. and if they feel threatened in the least, they are not afraid to use them. With all of the promises for protection on one side from Russia, China, and from the U.S. on the other, things could get a little out of hand in a hurry.

Not a pleasant thought, but one that would have terrible consequences for the world economy. Preparation for this type of tipping point is a little beyond the scope of this blog, but if you are interested in learning more I would recommend www.webpal.org as an excellent starting point.

Next we look at some longer term tipping points that may not arrive for a few years, but the chances are good they will arrive.