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Presentation by D. E. W. Gunasekera, Vice President of the Afro-Asian People's Solidarity Association at an international conference held in Colombo from August 29th to Sept. 1st.

The US Government's relation to the terrorist attacks of September 11 and its follow-up global military intervention came like a bolt from the blues. It is true that the US had had no experience of a tragedy of such dimension in its history.

The Bush administration, however reacted so fast even before it could present full evidence of the involvement of the terrorists in the September 11 tragedy. It did appear to be an acceleration of a trend already in gestation. Subsequent developments have confirmed that this trend, manifested as a reaction to the September 11 events was clearly in keeping with the US global strategy for the 21st century.

According to Alexandro Grossato, one of the greatest experts on Asiatic geopolitics. Eurasia is the heart of the earth, whoever takes it possesses the world. Eurasia accounts for 75% of the world population, 60% of the world's GDP and 75% of the world's known fuel resources.

The US strategy of supremacy was drawn up by the Pentagon in a confidential document, "Defence Policy Guidance 1992 - 1994" immediately after the Gulf War. This document exhorted decisively that the US government should:

* prevent any hostile power from dominating regions whose resources would enable them to accede to the status of a great power;

* dissuade the advanced industrial countries from any attempt to aim at countering our leadership or upsetting the present political and economic order;

* prevent the rise of any future global competitor.

Based on this thesis, Zbigniew Brezinski in his "The Great Chess Board" has specified that the heart of the match for global supremacy is Eurasia.

It needs no special emphasis that Afghanistan is placed at the very heart of Eurasia at the meeting point of Russia, China and India. It is here that the "oil corridor" that stretches, from the Caspian to the Gulf, is situated. Is it coincidental that the two strong representatives of the US oil lobby are now in command at the White House? Why is that United States, being the main economic and technological power on the planet attaches so great importance to military supremacy in the global competition of the 21st century, even after the demise of the Soviet Union? In 1945, in the aftermath of the World War II, US economy represented 50% of the world GDP, exercising an unchallenged planetary hegemony. This predominance is not so overwhelming today, where 'the triad', taking together US, EU and Japan, account for only 60% of the world's GDP, against 86% in 1945. US's share being nearer 30%. According to a recent study by the OECD in view of the present and foreseeable development indices of the different countries in 2002, the triad (US, EU and Japan) who today account for 60% of the world's GDP will drop to 28%. At the same time, those that are considered the five emerging regional economies (China, Russia, India, Brazil and Indonesia) who today only represent 20% of the world's GDP will rise to 35%. With the elements, in competition being accentuated by the dynamics of new development in the world economy, the elements of multi-polarity and emergence of new regional powers are destined to increase. This is the strategic reason that motivates the most aggressive forces of the US to pursue rigorously a strategy of global supremacy.

With these factors, we begin to get a clearer picture of what really is behind the US's war on terrorism.

We see that the groundwork for the current US military actions in Afghanistan was being built up for several years. What comes into focus now is that September 11 terrorist attacks have provided a qualitatively new opportunity to enter a much-awaited area of strategic importance.

This enabled the US, on behalf of the giant oil companies to entrench permanently in the former Soviet Republics of Central Asia, and the Transcaucasus where there are vast petroleum resources - the second largest in the world. Strategically, this also positions US armed might at the Western door - step of China. The way is now open to start projects for oil and gas pipelines through Western Afghanistan and Pakistan to Karachchi on the Arabian Sea, being the cheapest and best route for transport of oil.

Frank Viviano, in article in the "San Francisco Chronical" on September 26, 2001 asserts, "the hidden stakes in the war against terrorism can be summed up in a single word - oil.

It is inevitable that the war against terrorism will be seen by many as a war on behalf of America's Chevron, Exxon, Arco, British Petroleum, Royal Dutch Shell and other multi-national giants, which have hundreds of billions of dollars of investments in the region.

Thomas Friendman writing in The New York Times" put it bluntly. "The hidden hand of the market will never work without a hidden fist. McDonalds cannot flourish without Mc Donald Douglas - the designer of F-15."

John Maresca, Vice President of Unocal on behalf of the consortium for oil and gas, in testimony before the US House of Representatives Committee on 12th February, 1998 spoke of the tremendous untapped hydrocarbon reserves in the Caspian region and promoted a plan to build a pipeline through Afghanistan as the cheapest route to the Asian market. He stated that the Taliban controlled territory through which the pipeline would extend and emphasised the fact that since the Taliban government is not recognised by U.N and most nations, the project would not be commenced and that a recognised government in Afghanistan was needed in place of Taliban.

It shall be recalled in this connection that the major reason for Washington's support of Taliban between 1994-1997 was the expectation that the Taliban would swiftly conquer the whole country enabling 'Unocal' to build the pipeline from Afghanistan, Pakistan, the US and Saudi Arabia were responsible for the very existence and maintenance of the Taliban.

Ahamed Rashid, expert on central Asia in his book Taliban said, "Impressed by the ruthlessness and willingness of the then emerging Taliban to cut a pipeline deal, the US State Department and the Pakistan Intelligence Agency agreed to funnel arms and funds to the Taliban in their war against ethnically Tajik Northern Alliance.

The 'Washington Post', as late as May 25th, 2001 reported thus: "Last week the US government pledged another 43 billion US dollars in assistance to Afghanistan raising the total aid this year (2001) to 124 million US dollars making the US largest humanitarian donor to Afghanistan. Bear in mind that this was less than four months before September 11th attack.

The Taliban and Osama Bin Laden were also demanding 'Unocal' to re-build the infrastructure in Afghanistan and allow them access to the oil in several places, which the Unocal rejected. This led to fall-out with the Taliban.

Nevertheless, Bush administration held a series of negotiations with the Taliban. One of the negotiating meeting was held on August 2nd 2001, just one month before the attack. However, the talks collapsed.

There were other compelling reasons for the US's decision to break with the Taliban:

* The Taliban was harbouring Osama Bin Laden; * The UN continued to refuse to recognise the Taliban government;

* Northern Alliance was controlling the areas bordering Turkmenistan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan, whose governments were helping the Northern Alliance;

* Russia and India, too were cooperating with the Northern Alliance.

* The Talibans were secretly negotiating with Argentina on the oil pipelines.

It should be noted that all of these disparate Mujahideen forces led by feudal landlords, war lords, and Osama Bin Laden were incubated by the CIA in 1980s.

These facts have now been revealed by William Casey, Director of the CIA, who has confessed that he himself convinced the Saudi-Arabians to fund the Talibans through Pakistan.

The US troops are now stationed in the former Soviet Airfields in Uzbekistan, Tajikistan and also building bases in Kirgiztan and Kazakstan.

Russia and India welcomed actions to thwart Taliban and Osama Bin Laden terrorists, since they were threats to them as well.

Thus, the event of September 11 led the way for the US to establish a permanent military presence in oil-rich Central Asia a wide opening to Siberia as well.

A further Balkanization of Central Asia is in the offing, leading to further military encirclement of China. Access to and dominance of the South and East Asian markets is now assured for the US.

Another major goal of the US policies appears to be to obstruct China's access to the oil and natural gas of central Asia. China has a rapidly increasing need for those sources of energy. It has relatively few resources within its borders, the largest being in Tibet.

The unfolding events in central Asia are a key -indication of the fact that the Pentagon is realising its objective of full spectrum dominance over land, sea, air and space. The presence of the US in the SAARC region through political, economic and military manoeuvres and machinations has been significant.

These moves are particularly aimed at China and Russia. Washington's war on terrorism is already headed towards Iraq, Somalia, Yemen, Iran and the Philippines - all these, oil-rich countries.

So in the wake of the September 11 events the US had been able to push its global strategy in Asia under the excuse of the anti-terrorism campaign. Its major manifestations focus on three aspects:

* Taking firm control of Afghanistan;

* Thoroughly infiltrating Central Asia;* Enhancing intervention in South Asia, thus reducing Russia's strategic space, and containing China's strategic development and Iran's potential foreign exchanges.

All these moves had only strengthened the US's strategic status in Asia.

Nevertheless, at this crisis-point in history, a vast world-wide movement for peace is developing which increasingly is welding with the global opposition to IMF/World Bank - orchestrated neo-liberal globalisation.

This is the only road to ending terrorism and to bring international security and peace throughout the world.

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