This is perhaps the worst editorial I have ever read.

One thing is certainly made clear by your article Mr. Manasevit, namely that you’re a fucking idiot. You attempt to explain how CAN activists are somehow ignorant due to their understanding of American Imperialism, but instead you effectively demonstrate that you are seriously lacking any solid comprehension of the issues in the Middle East. If you don’t see how the invasion of Iraq was directly linked to American economic interests and geopolitical strategy (i.e. exerting control over key resource markets such as petroleum) then you clearly have been in some kind of bubble for the past six years. This doesn’t mean that prices are always going to be low (if you had any understanding of simple economics you wouldn’t have even tried to make this point) but it does mean that the US will be able to continue its hegemonic economic policies in world markets for a little longer. I’m absolutely lost as to how I should address your comments on Palestine. Let’s just say… you need to read a mothafucking book. Read Joe Sacco’s Palestine and tell me thats not War. Watch coverage of the recent invasion of Gaza and tell me that’s not a disgusting and unjustified use of violence and terror against a people. I mean really, can’t you see why the more than sixty years of Palestinian suffering that our government has had a direct role in supporting and promoting might be an issue that a group united against imperialism may want to focus on? Its as simple as that. Finally, the issue of Afghanistan once again has a lot to do with the political will at the time of invasion and the geopolitical importance of the country. Read a bit about some of the pipeline and development projects in Afghanistan and you’ll see why there may be other economic interests in securing the region. But really your main point, I believe, was to point out how incredibly foolish CAN activists were to lump these oh so separate situations all together. And that is honestly the most absurd part of your article, my friend. If you you can’t see the links that exist between these three imperialist occupations, then you must be incredibly blind. Read up on the history of US policy in the Middle East and Afghanistan and you will understand the ways in which our government has continually attempted at dominating the region. Since the dissolution of the Ottoman Empire, the West has exerted in every way possible its cultural, economic, and political hegemony over the region because of its natural resources and its geopolitical significance among other things. These three occupations are simply the current hotspots of this ongoing quest for domination in the region. US foreign policy in Iraq, Afghanistan, and Israel/Palestine is absolutely connected, and it must be analyzed in such a way.

So next time you’re going to judge CAN on their assessment read a book first.

Really man? Really? Haha. The caricature of CAN’s demonstrations that you attempt to create in your article is absurd. I mean, I’m not a member of CAN for my own set of reasons, but you obviously haven’t had much interaction with CAN to think that they sing “Kumbaya” around the Memorial Union. What the fuck is that man? Maybe you should focus more on developing a cohesive argument next time rather than making childish exaggerations to get a laugh. You just come off like a bit of an idiot. On another note, if you don’t like what CAN is doing that STFU and don’t join them. Go start another organization and do your own thing. But don’t sit around and criticize others (especially when you don’t fully understand the issues) that are attempting to make a difference when you aren’t doing shit. You present no alternative in your article, just off-based criticisms.

You have valid points but you’re missing the big picture. You have to ask what our motivation is in defending Israel and attacking Iraq. Such mammoth actions require mammoth desires and motivations. Our economy has heretofore been built on oil (though that will change soon). Our access to oil, and the convenience and economy of it, is contingent on the middle-east. So, in fact, in the big picture, our actions in that region are borne from our paranoid fear of being at an uncomfortable level of subjugation from those oil-rich nations. Israel is our pet pit-bull that we domesticated with democracy. They are our established satellite presence, there to mitigate surges of anti-democracy and therefore anti-Americanism. We are involved in the middle-east because we’re reliant on their resources, and all our activity over there, though seemingly unrelated, can be traced back to that point of convergence which is our dependence on oil. And to argue otherwise is wilfully naive, foolish, and probably partisan.

amen

this is an incredibly stupid article and you should be ashamed for having written it.

Finally, someone to shut up CAN. They are against military recruiting. You cannot be a patriot if you are against protecting our country.You cannot ” stand opposed to racist scapegoating and all attacks on civil liberties.”, when you try to prevent people from enlisting. It is their civil liberty to sign up! The fact of the matter is without the military, you wouldn’t be here today. Wake up to the real world

They’re not anti-war, they’re just on the other side.

I always wonder just how dishonest these traitors can get when I hear “No war for oil”. If it was about oil we should have just let Saddam have Kuwait AND Saudi Arabia. He’d be pumping both dry to fund a war with Iran. Hard cheese for the people of Iraq and Iran but my gasoline would CHEAP. And we could have used the money to build enough pebble bed nuclear power plants that we have no need to import oil at all.

No 9-11 attack either, because OSB wouldn’t be all crazy about US soldiers on his sacred Saudi Arabian soil. Of course that could have been hard on Spain when he went with his original plan of re-conquering Al-Andalus. Maybe the Spanish would have just surrendered? Eurabia probaly happens ealier in that scenario.

The Gates of Vienna are unguarded and the Franks have no Martel.

Hey kid, your article is poorly researched and poorly written. It is really disappointing to think that the Herald publishes stupid articles like these.

I’m glad that at least this op-ed was a productive use of time. Nothing can be more productive than bashing peacemakers!

First, I agree with you Max. Lumping all three situations under the category of war for oil is incorrect because not all the conflicts are wars over oil. But it is flat out silly for you to deny the Iraq war’s ties to oil. Even if it was not the main cause for the war, it certainly had to weigh on the minds of the Iraq war planners. Iraq has the 2nd largest reserve of oil in the world. Think about this: Had the war gone as well as the Bush administration thought it would have, western oil companies would have had a prime piece of the middle-eastern oil pie. In essence, with Iraq producing oil to its full potential, the price of gas would drop and hurt “rogue” or “pariah” oil states like Iran and Venezuela. But, as you so intuitively noted, gas was more expensive than “grey goose” over the summer. So what the fuck right? Well, in case you had forgot, the Iraq war did not go all too well. It wasn’t a cake walk like the American public was promised. And so Iraq’s potential to produce massive amounts of oil was never realized.

Furthermore, the 16 month withdrawal has many flaws in it. For one, the status of forces agreement signed by both Iraq and America has loopholes in it. Iraq can request American forces to stick around if they think it’s necessary. Now before you label me paranoid, let me say that although it’s unlikely that this request will occur, the mere fact it exists is a confirmation that America is withdrawing grudgingly. Next, even after the 16 month withdrawal period is up, over 50,000 troops will still be garrisoned in bases around Iraq to provide stability as needed. Well, that’s why we had the surge right? Stability. That’s why we had to keep the war going on right? Stability. So, really, we are not ending the war, we are just bringing troop levels down.

Also, “why the hell” can you not see an anti-war group’s interest in the Israeli-Palestine conflict? Were you too busy jacking off into your stocking during December to remember the war waged by Israel on Gaza? America supplied Israel with the planes and arms that took over 1,400 Palestinian lives and wounded thousands more. Regardless your view on the conflict, what really “belittles” the collective intelligence of the student body you claim to speak for is your, now published, inability to discern why an anti-war group such as CAN might object to the ongoing struggle in Israel/Palestine.

But lets agree again. You are right, Max, in your comment that a letter-campaign may be more successful than singing Kumbaya. But, lets disagree again. You are wrong, Max, to think that CAN is able to send out enough letters themselves to create change. So, why does CAN sing songs and march in an area of Madison that houses no public officials? Because they need help, they need to spread awareness. Maybe, after enough people sing along with CAN (though Kumbaya? Lets try Masters of War or With God on Our Side) then, and only then, will enough people be willing to send letters to public officials in amounts that do create change.

Way to do your research, Max! Did you even bother talking to CAN, or are you going with your gut?

Max,

For it being the first time I have read one of your artilces, I am implressed. It was a solid written piece; great job!

I just want to say that this column is embarrassingly ill-informed. It is absolutely despicable for you to write such idiotic things. Take a look at Samir Jaber’s column today if you want to get the real facts about the Palestinian-Israeli conflict. Get some other perspectives on this issue and maybe you won’t end up sounding like a bigoted moron in the future.

It’s one thing to have an opinion but it’s another thing to cherry pick bits and pieces of history and attempt to put them together out of context and try to make a cohesive article. Also, the Balfour Declaration? really? So now you’re also condoning imperialism. What about the White Paper? What about the British’s track record of making false promises in the Middle East (Hussein-McMahon Correspondence, Sykes-Picot etc.)? I don’t car if you dislike CAN but please don’t try to make a case against them using jumbled, asinine arguments that make you sound like a 5th grader who copied his essay of of some bunk wikipedia page.

wow I like how both of my previous comments that pointed out the ridiculous misrepresentation of the facts in this article have been censored. nice.

I could agree with the conclusion that CAN’s rhetoric and approach to its political goals are very self-defeating, but I will have to go ahead and second the previous comment: This is definitely the worst editorial I have ever read. To argue that U.S. intervention in the Middle East is not influenced by its interest maintaining access to oil the equivalent of living in dreamland. Wake up or read some history. That’s not to say there weren’t other factors, primarily ideological ones (ie LET FREEDOM AND DEMOCRACY FLOURISH!!!!!) , which drove the U.S. to intervene in the Middle East, but these ideological motives would not have arisen or mattered if it were not for the fact of oil. The Middle East has and always will matter as long as the U.S. needs its oil. During the Cold-War this was true, the first Persian Gulf War, and has involved a number of countries including Iran, Iraq, and Afghanistan. We even considered seizing the oil fields buddies over in Saudi Arabia during the 1973 Arab oil embargo, not to mention Abu Dhabi, and Kuwait. To conclude, you are fundamentally wrong and fail the grasp the foundation of U.S. foreign policy in the Middle East to assume the situations in Afghanistan, Iraq, and Palestine are not connected. The middle-east matters because of oil. Much of this goes back to the Cold War legacy of ensuring the these countries and their oil supplies did not fall under Soviet control, but this also includes part of the reason for the U.S. ardent support for Israel, a powerful ally situated in the region that could help preserve its interests.

Great article.To the anonymous poster who feels that instead of writing articles people should just start organizations - STFU. The written word is the most powerful organization of all. Optimus keep writing what you want to and make sure the trolls above don’t get to you.

It’s nice to see someone finally paint CAN as who they really are: Spoiled, ignorant conformist sheep college kids who have the luxury of criticizing something they have no experience with whatsoever. Go hang out in a battlefield. Go fight a war. Tear your lips off a bong for a minute and recognize reality. Do you drive a car? Congratulations. You support our so-called “oil addiction.”