Christmas Bomb Plot Claimed As Just Too Convenient

(Bahrain) A piece in the Gulf Daily News suggests that the Christmas Day Bomb Plot was part of a conspiracy to incite fear and anger in the American public and provide a pretext for war in the region, in particular, Yemen.

The historical evidence would confirm this. There is a tried and trusted formula used by the US (and other governments) in which alleged breaches of security become pretexts for a "just war".

Some of the classic US pretexts for war include the "mysterious" sinking of the USS Maine off Cuba in 1898, which outraged the American public and precipitated the Spanish-American War. Victory elevated the US to imperial power status, giving it hegemony over South America in place of the Spanish.

The air attack on Pearl Harbour by Japan in 1941 also falls into this pattern. The death of more than 2,000 US personnel again infuriated American public opinion and prompted US entry into the Second World War.

Declassified documents, however, show that Washington was well aware of the impending "secret" Japanese attack, but allowed it to happen in order to rally a mood for war among the American public who had hitherto shown indifference. The US would emerge from the war as the undisputed Western economic and military power.

The Gulf of Tonkin Incident in 1964 is another classic pretext for war. The alleged clash with the North Vietnamese navy - since shown to be a non-event by Washington declassified papers - permitted President Lyndon Johnson to escalate the Vietnam War.

To the list of deception may be added the terror attacks of 9/11. In this case, known Al Qaeda suspects were allowed to enter the US, train as pilots and execute their plan to crash jumbo jets into New York's Twin Towers and the Pentagon. The official US probe into how such a daring plot could have happened has been widely criticised as a "white wash", leaving numerous questions unanswered by the authorities and security services.

But what is undeniable is the strategic US advantages that have resulted: the launching of wars in a region of the world that is vital for future energy supplies - interventions that would never have been accepted by American or world public opinion or allowed under international law.

Bottom line is the claim that the Obama administration wants to declare war in the region and was willing to sacrifice the lives of nearly 300 Americans to a achieve the goal. Readers can make up their own minds. Frankly, I believe it's always a mistake to suspect a conspiracy when mere incompetence explains everything.

Notably, the Gulf Daily News is read throughout the Persian Gulf/Arabian Peninsula region so the conspiracy idea will feed anti-American sentiment among the Arab people, the same people who allegedly aid, abet and get recruited by al-Qaeda.

Companion post at The Jawa Report.