Zbigniew Brzezinski, co-founder of the global
elitist Trilateral Commission in 1973 and the principal architect of modern
globalization, recently wrote in 2004,
"The notion of total national security is now a myth.
Total security and total defense in the age of globalization are not
attainable. The real issue is: with how much insecurity can America live
while promoting its interests in an increasingly interactive,
interdependent world?"1
The original Trilateral Commission policy of national insecurity has now
come full circle.
The U.S. Department of Commerce white paper, Maritime Security and Beyond,
tells us what is at stake in our maritime security policies:
"America's coasts, rivers, bridges, tunnels, ports, ships, military bases,
and waterside industries may be the terrorists' next targets. The overall
risk associated with the vulnerability of the U.S. maritime assets, both as
a potential target for terrorist activity and more importantly as a
transportation platform for the introduction of a 'Trojan Horse,' in which a
potential weapon of mass destruction (WMD), terrorist, contraband or illegal
aliens, enters the U.S. through its seaports, has been made very
clear in the last several years. A catastrophic event at a seaport
facility would not only affect the global transport infrastructure, but
could also result in global economic devastation for a long period of
time." [emphasis added] 2
The issue of national security is of huge importance to all Americans. There
are only three ways to enter the U.S. -- by land, sea or air. While
globalist politicians have done little, if anything, to secure land borders
with Canada and Mexico, it is now apparent that they will do little or
nothing to improve our maritime security as well. In fact, they seem to be
intent on dismantling what little security remains.
Maritime security in the U.S. is run by the Maritime Administration (MARAD),
which sits directly under the Secretary of Transportation, Norman Mineta.
...
Whether they know it or not, Americans rely on MARAD to protect its shores
from any kind of maritime-related security risk. Yet, on January 24, 2006,
President George W. Bush appointed Dave Sanborn to head MARAD.
Who is Dave Sanborn? He was most recently a senior executive for Dubai Ports
World (DP World, Director of Operations for Europe and Latin America), the
same United Arab Emarites company that caused a firestorm in American
politics just a few weeks later when the U.S. public found out about the
Arab takeover of 6 U.S. ports.
What kind of disturbing pattern is emerging that would allow a former
employee of DP World to be picked to head MARAD... at virtually the same
time that DP World seeks to take control over the majority of east coast
shipping facilities?
This issue will explore globalization as it relates to national security, or
the lack thereof, with a focus on maritime security. It will be shown that
the modern degradation of national maritime security started with President
James Earl Carter (an original member of the Trilateral Commission and
hand-picked as a presidential candidate by Zbigniew Brzezinski) with the
1977 giveaway of the Panama Canal, which was the most strategic maritime
asset that America ever owned. Further, it will be shown that the same
global elite are riding the money-go-round with several Arab states,
including the United Arab Emarites who are members of the Gulf Cooperation
Council (GCC) that was founded by Saudi Arabia in 1981.
It was the same Zbigniew Brzezinski who wrote in 1972 that the
"nation state as a fundamental unit of man's organized life has ceased to be
the principal creative force: International banks and multinational
corporations are acting and planning in terms that are far in advance of the
political concepts of the nation-state."
[emphasis added] 4
The more things change, the more they remain the same!
The Panama Canal Giveaway
Since its official opening on August 15, 1914, the Panama Canal connects the
Atlantic and Pacific Oceans by traversing the isthmus of Panama in Central
America. The Canal was built exclusively by the United States after
acquiring the land with the Hay-Bunau Varilla Treaty of 1903.
Each year, some 14,000 ships (military and commercial) transport well over
250 million tons of cargo. The distance from San Francisco to New York via
the Canal is one-half the distance using the Cape Horn route at the tip of
South America. To say the least, the Panama Canal has long been recognized
by every trade and military authority in the world as an incredibly
important and strategic waterway. ...
Never mind that the Panama Canal was sovereign U.S. property and the
most strategic military and economic asset held by the U.S. in the
hemisphere. Never mind that Omar Torrijos was a Marxist dictator who
ascended to power not by democratic election but by military coup.
Because sovereign U.S. property cannot be ceded to any foreign power without
a 2/3 full vote of the Senate and the House, a scheme was hatched to
transfer the property by treaty negotiated by the Executive Branch. The
treaty ultimately became known as the Carter-Torrijos Treaty. ...
Given that there were only a total of three hundred members of the
Trilateral Commission worldwide with less than 100 from North America,
consider the following:
No fewer than thirty-two Trilaterals were on the boards of the thirty-one
banks participating in the Panamanian $115 million 10-year Eurodollar loan
issued in 1972.
Fifteen Trilaterals were on the boards of fourteen banks participating in
the $20 million floating rate promissory note issued in 1972.6
Carter chose a fellow Trilateral Commission member, Sol Linowitz, to
negotiate the Carter-Torrijos treaty. In order to avoid the normal Senate
confirmation process (which would have certainly failed) Linowitz was
appointed as a "temporary Ambassador."
The Linowitz conflict of interest was astounding. Linowitz was a director of
Marine Midland Bank that stood to lose a bundle if Panama defaulted on its
loans. Marine Midland was also the sole agent of the Panamanian government
for its own banking relations with the U.S. Not surprisingly, because
Linowitz was also a director of Time Magazine, editorial articles appeared
in favor of the giveaway....
Twenty-one years later in 1999, President William Jefferson Clinton, also a
member of the Trilateral Commission, oversaw the completion of the treaty by
presiding over the actual transfer of title to Panama. While Panama had
originally promised to protect America's security and strategic interest in
the Canal, it proceeded in the exact opposite direction by signing long-term
port management contracts with a Chinese company, Hutchinson Whampoa of Hong
Kong. As a result, both ends of the Panama Canal are now controlled by a
company closely aligned with, and partially owned by, the communist Chinese
government. ...
Admiral Thomas H. Moorer, a great American patriot and former chairman of
the Joint Chiefs of Staff from 1970 to 1974, had strongly protested
President Carter's Panama policy in 1977. In 1999, Admiral Moorer again
spoke out with perfect clarity:
"In 1996, while China was illegally pouring millions of dollars into
Clinton’s re-election effort, it was also funneling huge amounts of cash to
Panamanian politicians to ensure that one of its front companies, Hutchinson
Whampoa of Hong Kong, could move in when we vacate....
"This means that very soon we could see
Communist China in control of one of the world’s most strategic
waterways in our own backyard. President Clinton may say that they are
our friends and allies, but the Chinese military and Communist Party
literature refer to the United States as 'the main enemy.' And despite
what President Clinton, Henry Kissinger, and the media may tell you
about 'reform' in China, it is still run by a brutal, totalitarian,
Communist regime that will do us harm if and when it thinks it can get
the better of us.'" 7...
West Coast Maritime Security
There are two Chinese shipping companies operating in the United States:
China Ocean Shipping Company (COSCO) and China Shipping Group (CSG).
China Ocean Shipping Company (COSCO) is the largest container shipping
company in the world, operating more than 540 ships and accounting for
four-fifths of China's international fleet. Prior to its first public
offering of stock in 2005, COSCO was completely owned by the Peoples
Republic of China, where it continues even now as the PRC's merchant marine.
In the U.S., Seattle-based SSA Marine and COSCO have had an exclusive
25-year business relationship: SSA Marine has handled every COSCO container
in every port on the West Coast, totaling some 7.7 million containers.
SSA Marine (previously known as Stevedoring Services of America) is a
subsidiary of Carrix Corporation, with 2005 revenues easily in excess of
$1.2 billion. Carrix is a privately owned multinational corporation whose
business revenue is growing at a rate of about 18 percent per year. Carrix
also owns Tideworks Technology and Rail Management Service (RMS), the
world's largest rail yard operator with 45 facilities in 23 states.
SSA Marine obviously has a preferential relationship with China. In addition
to its exclusive relationship with COSCO, it is currently investing $350
million to double the size of its terminal facility at the eastern end of
the Panama Canal (operated by Hutchinson Whampoa), serving as a
transshipment center for cargo between ships moving up the coast and those
moving through the canal.
In 1996, COSCO attempted to lease a huge 130 acre terminal which had been
converted from the abandoned Long Beach Naval Station. According to the
Heritage Foundation,
"Long Beach is located in the heart California's military-industrial
complex, and the port itself is a prime location where the Chinese military
could intercept communications, which would allow them to track military
exercises and deployment. COSCO, which is owned in part by the Chinese
People's Liberation Army, is a less than ideal candidate for the port's
lease. In March 1996, U.S. customs agents seized 2,000 AK47 assault rifles,
bound for U.S. street gangs, that were on board a COSCO ship. With this in
mind, Congress passed the National Defense Authorization Act of 1998 (P.L.
105-85), effectively banning COSCO from renting any portion of the former
Long Beach Naval Station." 8
This did not hinder COSCO from expanding its facilities in Los Angeles and
Oakland....
COSCO also operates an intermodal network (see map) in North America through
a subsidiary and with the help of Carrix Corporation. The network
facilitates "door-to-door" delivery of goods arriving from China.
The second Chinese shipping company mentioned above is the China Shipping
Group (CSG). This company was formed in 1997 and is also owned by the
Chinese government....
East Coast Maritime Security
On February 11, 2006, a U.S. Treasury department committee issued its
approval for a United Arab Emirates (UAE) company, Dubai Ports World (DP
World), to take over the operational management of six major American
commercial ports and two U.S. military ports. After minimal investigation,
it was later determined that the total count for takeover was 21 ports,
split between eastern and gulf cost states. The ports in question were
formerly managed by the London-based Peninsular and Oriental Steam
Navigation Company ("P&O"), which had just been acquired by DP World.
President George Bush and his cabinet members vehemently endorsed and
defended the takeover. Most Americans and many of their respective elected
officials wondered if the Executive Branch had completely lost its marbles.
The compelling negative aspects of this potential security collapse being
reported are that the UAE...
- provided citizenship to two of the hijackers in the 9-11 attack on America
- has been a key transfer point for shipments of nuclear components sent to
Iran, North Korea and Libya
- was one of only three nations that had recognized the Taliban as
Afghanistan's legitimate government
- is an Islamic state closely aligned with Saudi Arabia, the center of the
radical Wahabi school of Islam that has fomented terrorism world-wide....
United Arab Emirates: Home of Dubai Ports World
One place in the world where it can be said "the buck stops here" is in the
UAE. Put another way, if the world was a money funnel into which the global
elite pour their billions of quarterly profits, then the bottom of that
funnel empties out on the UAE and a few other countries who are members of
the powerful Gulf Cooperation Council.
The GCC was founded by Saudi Arabia in 1981. Other members of the GCC
include Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman and Qatar.
Most Americans cannot fathom the economic prosperity in the GCC
countries in the mid-east because of the constant barrage of news on
war-torn Iraq and Afghanistan. In recent years, the massive infusion of
fresh capital from all over the world is funding the building of cities out
of the desert sand....
The corporate interests of virtually every
global elite are heavily represented throughout the GCC. Huge deals are
sealed in closed meetings. Secrecy is a standard business practice.
Regulations of any kind are minimal. ...
These cities are being built with the latest technology and materials. They
are "wired" with the latest Internet and computer technology. It's becoming
a destination of choice for regional corporate headquarters. ... This is a place where
money meets ambition, greed and avarice.
For instance, consider the Dubai International Financial Centre (DIFC):
"The DIFC is an onshore capital market designated as a financial free zone
designed to create a unique financial services cluster economy for wealth
creation initiatives. It is established as part of the larger vision of His
Highness Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime
Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, and the Government of Dubai to
create an environment for growth, progress and economic development in the
UAE and the wider region....
"There are six primary sectors of focus
within the DIFC: Banking Services... Capital Markets (Equity, Debt
Instruments, Derivatives & Commodity Trading); Asset Management & Fund
Registration....
"Licence applications are being considered from financial institutions
in the above sectors. Each of these units will offer benefits such as
zero tax rate on income and profits, 100 per cent foreign ownership,
no restrictions on foreign exchange or capital/profit
repatriation, operational support and business continuity facilities."
[Emphasis added]11
It's no surprise that Morgan Stanley applied for and received a license from
the Dubai Financial Services Authority (DFSA) to operate within the DIFC."
...
The director-general of the DIFC Authority, Dr. Omar Bin Sulaiman, welcomed
Morgan Stanley by stating,
“This is a testimony to our status as an
international financial centre of repute. ... The opportunity available within the region,
along with the state-of-the-art infrastructure and the international
regulatory framework of the DIFC, provides the ideal platform for
institutions such as Morgan Stanley to grow their business." [Emphasis
added]13
Ideal platform, indeed. Who couldn't grow their business with zero income
tax, unlimited foreign ownership and no foreign exchange regulations?
Cities like Dubai are reminiscent of the rebuilding of Japan and Germany
after WWII. Since their economic infrastructure was destroyed, they were
rebuilt from the ground up with the latest industrial technology, leaving
America behind and less competitive in world markets. ...
Most assume that the royal family's riches came from royalties paid on oil
production, and this is certainly true. But even that kind of wealth cannot
account for the rapid rise of DP World as a top player in shipping and port
operation throughout the world.
Records show, for instance, that DP World purchased P&O for $6.8 billion.
Only $300 million (5 percent) actually came from DP World -- the rest, $6.5
billion, was provided by Barclays Capital and Deutsche Bank AG.
In short, it is the global banking community that enables the corporate
expansion of powerful companies owned by close-knit Islamic families in the
GCC countries. Without global bank support, there would be no DP World to
take over American shipping ports.
Trilateral Support for DP World Takeover
On March 1, 2006, The Financial Times
was first to report the story that
former U.S. president Bill Clinton (member of the Trilateral Commission) had
advised the UAE on damage control when confronted with stiff political
resistance over the DP World takeover of American ports. Although it was
intimated that Clinton acted in an informal capacity, the article also noted
that his overall relationship with the UAE and Dubai is far from casual:
"Mr. Clinton’s contact with Dubai on the
issue underscores the relationship he has developed with the United Arab
Emirates since leaving office. In 2002, he was paid $300,000 to address
a summit in Dubai."14
Three days later on March 4, when reporting on Hillary Clinton's claim that
she knew nothing of her husband's involvement with Dubai, the Financial
Times revealed yet more details about Clinton's relationship to the UAE...
"Mrs. Clinton's financial disclosure forms reveal that her husband earned
$450,000 giving speeches in Dubai in 2002. Officials from the UAE also
reportedly donated between $500,000 and $1m to fund Mr. Clinton's
presidential library in Arkansas - part of an effort by the emirates to
forge a close relationship with the former US president."15
...One snag to such a deal may be that sources say the U.S. company best
equipped to partner with DP World is Halliburton, once headed by Vice
President Cheney. ...
Both Dick Cheney and his wife, Lynne, are members of the Trilateral
Commission. ....
Who did President Bush originally appoint to head the 9/11 Commission? None
other than original Trilateral Commission member, Henry Kissinger. Kissinger
accepted the appointment but resigned a month later amid accusations of
"conflict of interest." Bush replaced Kissinger with Thomas Kean, a member
of the Council on Foreign Relations and a director of the oil giant Amerada
Hess, and who had business ties to Saudi Arabia and the GCC....
You can find the footnotes and read the whole article at
www.augustreview.com/index.php?module=pagesetter&func=viewpub&tid=4&pid=12
