To Tao,

How would you like to pay $5.00 or even $10.00 a litre for your petrol and then have that cost added to your groceries and your whole cost of living. America protects its people by trying to keep control of the price of Oil and Gas. The Arab Sheiks have grown rich off the price paid for petrol by the West and other countries. Before that they were just Nomads in the desert.

Have the Shieks eased their peoples poverty with this wealth. No they buy million dollar racehorses and take them all over the world to race. Set up family dynasties and drive their wives and children around in stretch chauffer driven limosines.

Did Suddam Hussein ease his peoples poverty with his oil wealth? No,
he built at least 9, Billion dollar castles and held the starving children up in protest at American sanctions. It was his fault the children were starving not Americas but as usual the media played right into his hands.

But of course America is responsible for all the nasty things on earth while all the other protaganists are angles.

The protaganists may have funny angular shapes but I did mean angels.

The Japanese didn't care one jot about Australia,America or Europe.They had more immediate concerns.Two years before our fledgeling nations had even contemplated a second world war they were already at war with China. When World War 2 broke out they had won their war. After thousands of years of trying the Japanese had defeated the the oldest nation on Earth. Every city in China was under their command. It had cost them many lives and allof their resources. There was still some mopping up to do ofcourse. Resistance fromthe countryside was considerable but ultimate victory was assured.

Until America, a new nation across the Ocean decided to embargo Japan and cut off vital oil supplies. This left Japan with only two options. Abandon China and run back to Japan with their tail firmly between their legs or fight.

Remember that Japan was on our side in WW1. You can thank America for the switch. America and its policy of interfering in the affairs of other nations.

As to the price of oil,we shouldn't even be using that black muck any more. The best way to defeat rich middle eastern concerns hellbent on our destruction is to cut off their source of income.

If we embraced nuclear energy along with recycling of spent fuel instead of coal then we'd bring down the cost of electricity. Hydrogen cars already exist. Cheap electrolysis of hydrogen is the only ingredient still required to make fossil fuels redundant.

Japan versus America

Japan moves to acquire an Empire -The East Asia Co-Prosperity Sphere

This was due largely to the break-up of the world into trade blocs with Japan frozen out of many markets. The 1929 Depression hit Japan hard. The civilian government had no solutions to the problems presented by the worldwide depression and the civilian government looked weak.
The unemployed of Japan looked to the strength of the army to assist their plight rather than to weak politicians. "The voice of senior army generals were heard and they argued a campaign to win new colonies abroad so that the industries there could be exploited for Japan. Japan invaded Manchuria in 1931, By 1931, Japan had invested vast sums of money into the economy of Manchuria, which was effectively controlled by the South Manchuria Railway Company.

In 1937 Japan invaded China and, after the collapse of France, moved to acquire bases in French Indo-China- this led by degrees to the war in the Pacific, especially after the US oil embargo in July 1941. Japan struck at US and UK bases in Dec.1941.

cont

When the Japanese invaded China they killed 15 million Chinese.

I obtained this History from the Web Chronology Project.

Sharkfin,

Your example of how the sheiks drive stretch limousines and set up family dynasties (on the strength of over inflated oil prices etc )had such a familiar ring ..oh yes ,Australian Politicians.

I usually read your posts with interest and its a minor point but not one soley attributed to an arab nations beuaracratic workings.

The rest I agree with.