Throughout human history, wars fought under the guise of religious or moral righteousness have often concealed deeper, more insidious motives, particularly the control of resources and strategic territories. From the medieval Crusades to modern conflicts in the Middle East and Central Asia, the pattern is unmistakable. Religion and ideology are wielded not as genuine causes, but as tools of propaganda to rally support, vilify enemies, and justify plunder.
The Crusades, often romanticized as an attempt by Christian Europe to reclaim the Holy Land from Muslim control, were primarily about trade dominance. The Muslim merchant societies controlled lucrative trade routes linking East and West, and these military campaigns were intended to challenge that hegemony. Religious rhetoric served as a convenient cover for what was essentially a battle for economic supremacy.
Fast forward to today, and the parallels are glaring. The so-called “war on terror” is presented as a moral crusade to protect Western civilization from “Islamic extremism.” In reality, it is a calculated effort to dominate the vast reserves of oil and natural gas concentrated in Muslim-majority regions. Countries such as Iraq, Iran, Libya, and Saudi Arabia collectively hold over 60% of the world’s proven oil reserves. Securing control over these resources has been the underlying driver of many U.S.-NATO-led wars, coups, and interventions.
To sell these wars to the public, the modern version of the “Just War” theory is employed. Taught in U.S. military academies, this doctrine claims that war is justified when waged on moral or ethical grounds, such as self-defense or the protection of democracy. This narrative is crucial in gaining support from both soldiers and civilians. By labeling adversaries as “evil”, whether through terms like “Islamic terrorists,” “rogue states,” or the infamous “axis of evil”, propaganda frames military aggression as a necessary defense of freedom and justice.
However, the demonization of Muslims extends beyond the battlefield. It permeates Western media, politics, and society, shaping public perception to view Islam and its adherents as inherently dangerous or backward. This psychological warfare, orchestrated by powerful institutions, aims to fracture national identities, sow division, and weaken resistance to foreign exploitation. Entire populations are subjected to fear and discrimination, both within their own countries and in diaspora communities across Europe and North America.
The objective is clear: control the resources while destabilizing the societies that possess them. In Iraq, for example, a country with five times the oil reserves of the United States, the U.S.-led invasion was never truly about weapons of mass destruction. It was about gaining access to those oil fields and securing pipeline routes for Western corporations. Similar tactics are employed across the globe, from Nigeria to Sudan, Venezuela to Kazakhstan. The same blueprint, vilification, destabilization, and corporate plunder, is repeated under different pretexts.
We must also acknowledge the role of global financial institutions like the IMF and World Bank, which often accompany military interventions. These institutions push privatization agendas that transfer national wealth into the hands of foreign capital. Under the banner of “economic reform” or “development aid,” they strip countries of sovereignty, making them dependent on external powers.
What is even more concerning is the long-term impact of these strategies. The deliberate stoking of sectarian divisions, whether Sunni versus Shia, Christian versus Muslim, or ethnic conflicts, serves to weaken national unity. This tactic has led to endless civil wars and insurgencies, further enabling foreign control. In places like Libya and Syria, once relatively stable nations, the chaos that followed foreign intervention has left their resources vulnerable to exploitation by multinational corporations.
But there is hope. History shows that imperial aggression often leads to unintended consequences. National consciousness can be rekindled through shared suffering and resistance. In many cases, attempts to divide and conquer have instead forged stronger solidarity among oppressed groups, uniting them in a common struggle against invaders and their local collaborators.
One cannot ignore the larger geopolitical chessboard at play. The map of the “New Middle East,” as proposed by U.S. military strategists, envisions a region broken into smaller, ethnically defined states, each easier to control and manipulate. This plan, published in the Armed Forces Journal and used in NATO training programs, is a stark reminder of how deeply entrenched the quest for resource control is in Western military doctrine.
The demonization of Muslims is not just a by product of these wars; it is an essential part of their strategy. If oil were concentrated in Buddhist or Hindu-majority regions, the same propaganda machine would likely turn its sights on those religions. The vilification is a reflection of the geographic reality that much of the world’s energy reserves lie beneath Muslim lands. This fact drives both the rhetoric of “Islamic terror” and the relentless military campaigns justified under its banner.
We must challenge these narratives and expose the real motivations behind global conflicts. As citizens of the world, we have a duty to resist the manipulation of public opinion and advocate for a fairer, more just world order, one that respects the sovereignty of nations and the dignity of their people. Only through truth and solidarity can we dismantle the machinery of war and exploitation that has plagued our world for far too long.
By Hon. Chimazuru Nnadi-Oforgu
OBLONG MEDIA UNLIMITED 
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