HA!

I have been saying since 2008 that the proximate cause of the current recession was the speculative run on oil prices, and attributed it to malicious intent.  Up `til now I have only seen one economist who agreed with me (I know I posted about the guy but I can’t find the link), but now the Pentagon agrees with me:

“There is sufficient justification to question whether outside forces triggered, capitalized upon or magnified the economic difficulties of 2008,” the report says, explaining that those domestic economic factors would have caused a “normal downturn” but not the “near collapse” of the global economic system that took place.

Suspects include financial enemies in Middle Eastern states, Islamic terrorists, hostile members of the Chinese military, or government and organized crime groups in Russia, Venezuela or Iran. Chinese military officials publicly have suggested using economic warfare against the U.S.

…

The report identifies three key stages in this possible economic attack:

• The first phase was a speculative run-up in oil prices that generated as much as $2 trillion of excess wealth for oil-producing nations, filling the coffers of Sovereign Wealth Funds, especially those that follow Shariah Compliant Finance.
• The second phase appears to have begun in 2008 with a series of bear raids targeting U.S. financial services firms that appeared to be systemically significant.
• The risk of a Phase Three has quickly emerged, suggesting a potential direct economic attack on the U.S. Treasury and U.S. dollar.

 

A link to the full report is available  at  PJ Tattler. 

To all who doubted me I just want to say Suck It!!!  Just kidding, but it is nice to get a little validation.