Re: [Marxism] The Case For Boycotting Israel and the United States

["Yoshie Furuhashi" <critical.montages@xxxxxxxxx>]

On 8/6/06, Loupaulsen@xxxxxxxxxxxxx <Loupaulsen@xxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:
> but: the idea of boycotting the US (and Israel) is to
> support the REST OF THE WORLD in boycotting the US.

But who will?

The OPEC started an oil embargo on the eleventh day of the Yom Kippur
War, but this time both Venezuela and Saudi Arabia, the left and right
of OPEC, explicitly denied that it would do any such thing.

<blockquote>Venezuela: No Oil Embargo on U.S.

Venezuela's U.N. ambassador tells NewsMax that President Hugo Chavez
will not use oil exports as a weapon against the Bush White House for
support of Israel's confrontation with Hezbollah.

More than 60 percent of Venezuela's oil income comes from U.S. sales.

Its also America's largest single source of imported oil.

Rumors about a possible reduction in Venezuelan oil exports to the
U.S. had been circulating in commodities markets since Israel's
confrontation with Hezbollah began on July 12.

"No, we are not considering any oil embargo, Venezuela believes in a
laissez-faire market," proclaimed Francisco Javier Arias-Cardenas,
Venezuela's new U.N. representative.

(4 August 2006,
<http://www.newsmax.com/archives/ic/2006/8/4/210342.shtml>)</blockquote>

<blockquote>Saudi rules out oil weapon in Middle East crisis

RIYADH: Saudi Arabia, the world's biggest crude exporter, believes oil
should not be used as a weapon because it is the economic lifeline of
Arab states, its foreign minister said.

Asked whether the oil weapon should be used if the conflict between
Israel and Hizbollah escalates, Prince Saud Al Faisal said:

"The two issues should not be mixed because oil is among the economic
capabilities that countries... need to meet their obligations towards
their citizens.

"If we ignore this reality and start asking that the foundations of
our life (be used) and enter into reckless adventures, the first to be
hurt will be our citizens and no wise government can accept this," he
said.

His comments were carried on the official Saudi Press Agency.

Saudi Arabia and other Organisation of the Petroleum Exporting
Countries (Opec) have made clear in the past they do not intend to
repeat the 1973 Arab oil embargo.

(4 August 2006,
<http://www.gulf-daily-news.com/Story.asp?Article=151560&Sn=BUSI&IssueID=29137>)</blockquote>

There were some boycotts, etc. during the silly Jyllands-Posten
Muhammad cartoon controversy: "A consumer boycott was organised in
Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, and other Middle East countries.[42] For weeks,
numerous notable demonstrations and other protests against the
cartoons took place worldwide. Rumours spread via SMS and
word-of-mouth.[43]On February 4, 2006, the Danish and Norwegian
embassies in Syria were set ablaze, though with no injuries. In
Beirut, the Danish Embassy was set on fire,[44] leaving one protester
dead.[45] Altogether, at least 139 people were killed in protests,[46]
mainly in Nigeria, Libya, Pakistan and Afghanistan" (at
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jyllands-Posten_Muhammad_cartoons>).

Except the million-strong demonstration in Baghdad that Moktada
al-Sadr (bless him) organized after the Friday prayer, the protests in
the Arab and Muslim worlds appear to pale in comparison to the cartoon
protests.  That suggests that Arab and Muslim masses under most
pro-Washington regimes are still in their elite's pockets.
--
Yoshie
<http://montages.blogspot.com/>
<http://mrzine.org>
<http://monthlyreview.org/>

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