It's like they wish things were worse

ARTICLE: The Great Pipeline Opera, BY DANIEL FREIFELD, Foreign Policy, SEPT. / OCT. 2009

This article, which is good, is a perfect example of the semantic inflation regarding the word "war." We are told that "some call it a war"--this political fight within Europe over whether it should rely on Russia for energy or not. What are the instruments of this "war"? Mostly cushy consulting jobs for former European political leaders. But it is most certainly a "war" nonetheless!

It is with this sort of semantic inflation that we are convinced--day-in and day-out by "security experts" that the world is most definitely a more dangerous place--perhaps constituting the most dangerous time in human history!

It is just silly. What if we were told "some call it an orgy"? Would we freak out over the implied sexuality? Calling it the most "sexed up period in human history"?

This is nothing more than the goofy battle of headlines. "Look! See this dangerous thing I've uncovered!"

There are no military build-ups. There is no real chance for conflict. There are no casualties. This is politics, macho-ed up for public consumption by "security experts" determined to signal their professional worth.

Insecurity experts would be a more apt title.

Here's the thing to remember about this "war": as non-associated gas (meaning gas not found in conjunction with oil) is increasingly found around the world and new, non-traditional means of accessing gas are developed (check out all the media stories on the Marcellus Shale Gas in the U.S. dramatically improving our long-term supply prospects), the notion of an "OPEC of gas" running our planet is almost already overtaken by events.

As usual, the experts stoke up our fears just prior to the point of great, real-world deflation.

So yes, plenty of stories of kickbacks and theft to wade through, and yes, Russian calculations of pipelines will enter into some of their truly nasty efforts (like Georgia, an actual "war"(!!) that raged on for days and killed hundreds of people . . . well, ALMOST a thousand people were killed!), but no, there will not be a future chock full of resource wars. Gas is plentiful. It's everywhere. It's subject to all sorts of extraction methods. But it's not subject to oligopolistic control with Putin in charge of everything.

I know, it sucks when things work out.

(Thanks: Michael Griffin)

Comments

[Louis Heberlein]

So will it be a Crusade, and should we sing Onward Christian Soldiers Marching As To War? ;-)

But seriously (Lou said,) wording and thinking patterns can distort strategy and actions. The Dutch East India Company was formed by, and oriented toward, its merchant culture market. The British East India Company originated with merchant groups, but soon became a political tool of the elite. Second sons with some military orientation sought careers building a commercial and military empire with global and market share priorities. They expected profits and wealth would follow 'victories.'

The British government even had that company have its own military forces. It was supposed to be to provide a safe merchant environment, but was used to harass and intimidate clients and competitors. The second son merchant warriors got political and social prestige for the brushfire squabbles. Eventually the Dutch East India Company relinquished territories in Far East and New Amsterdam to the British Company for shares in profits with less risk and cost.

The British East India Company then caused stupid government policies that lead to our revolution, and wasteful global conflicts and competition with Russia and other economic 'enemies.'

So, it may be worthwhile to try to evaluate whether 'war' wording is just a PR gimmick, or reflects a distorted culture that may cause crises through stupidity.

[Louis Heberlein]

One more thought on Brits vs. Dutch East India Companies. Japan's samurai establishment was very anxious about the Brits and bastard children from America coming to Asia.They did allow the Dutch to send educators to an isolated island outpost in Japan and have their thinkers informed about Western learning information and thought processes.

On the other had they sent representatives to England to learn about naval warfare strategy, tactics and technology. They also learned the British thinking on economic warfare. That became part of early 20th Century Japanese military and economic expansionism, with the Brits as partners (for awhile) against Russian czars. Even at the end of the 20th Century, Japan's business educators used military warfare analogies to teach business strategies. Wish they paid more attention to the Dutch.