Immediately following the first US-led Gulf War in October 1991, the Madrid Conference on the Middle East was held. This conference started the so called “peace process” between Israel and the P.L.O, which culminated in the signing of the Oslo Agreement in 1994. This sealed the fate of the Palestinian people to apartheid like existence as a Bantustan state within a Greater Israel.

These events and the flexing of US military muscle in Iraq effectively resulted in an extension of the Monroe Doctrine. The original version of this policy, first presented to US Congress in 1823, resulted in the United States declaring itself the protector of all independent nations in the Americas. The Latin and North American continents were now the US domain, and others had best not interfere. Now, in the early 1990’s, the Middle East is another US backyard, to the exclusion of all other States.

Clearly these so-called lessons were not learned well enough, as current events present eerie parallels to those that unfolded almost 10 years ago. Immediately prior to the beginning of hostilities in Iraq, the US presented a “road map,” of its choosing, to define a peace, of its choosing, between the Israel and Palestine authorities. Quickly following this was a display of military power in Iraq, with a clear message to neighbouring States; follow our orders or suffer the same fate. Donald Rumsfeld is going even further to spell this out, for those slow to comprehend, by viciously condemning Syria.

With troops permanently stationed in many Middle Eastern nations, like Saudi Arabia, and others sure to follow in Iraq the message from the US is clear. Subjugate or die. Weapons of mass destruction, liberation of the Iraqi people and oil reserves are merely cameo players in a bigger picture of the US expansionist policy. Oslo Agreement Monroe Doctrine