Predestined War

Many find it hard to believe that the Bush administration had every intention of invading Iraq before he was even sworn in. In fact, this was the reason he ran for office in the first place. The fact is, many in his administration, particularly in the area of foreign affairs, were members of the right wing think tank "The Project for the New American Century". In January of 1998, this organization urged President Clinton to use military force to remove Saddam Hussein from power, and to use force to secure our oil interests. In September of 2000 the group issued a paper that advocated, among other things:

1) withdraw from the ABM Treaty (page 12): This was done by Bush on Dec 14th of 2001
2) Control the use of space (pages 12, 67)
3) Establish a permanent military presence in the gulf (Page 16: "the Clinton Administration has continued the fiction that the operations of American forces in the Persian Gulf are merely temporary duties.")
4)Control the internet (pages 12, 68)

Interestingly, and very telling, it uses the term "Pax Americana" to describe the peace it hopes to achieve. This term is a play on words from the term "Pax Romana" which refers to a time in which peace was forced on the known world through conquest. By conquering warring nations and brining them under one rule, that war is ended. This is a perfect way to think of the new American Empire being forged today. The fact that the term "zones of democratic peace" always appears in quotes gives a hint as to whether the authors themselves actually believe the phrase.

Probably the most shocking piece is the fact that they acknowledge that they need a 9/11 type of event to get their plan in motion: "Further, the process of transformation, even if it brings revolutionary change, is likely to be a long one, absent some catastrophic and catalyzing event like a new Pearl Harbor." - page 63
This has been the plan from the beginning of the administration, and will continue to be the plan as long as the Neo-cons are in office.

(editor's note: The page numbers referenced are the PDF page number, not the document page number)