The following is Press TV's exclusive full-length interview with former US treasury official Paul Craig Roberts.

Press TV: Paul Craig Roberts, you served with the US government. Tell us a little bit about the National Endowment for Democracy. Because I understand that, you believe they had a lot to do with the relations between these two former Soviet states and the United States.

Roberts: The National Endowment for Democracy is a neoconservative organization funded by the United States government and its purpose is to buy and rig elections in the former constituent parts of the Soviet empire.

It is the tool of the neoconservatives for establishing American puppet states in Eastern Europe, in the Caucuses, and of course, its money and election rigging was instrumental in what they call 'the Rose Revolution' in Georgia.

And of course they interfere in the Ukraine and Eastern Europe. The neoconservatives who have controlled the Bush regime in Washington their plan is to bring Russia along with the entire Middle East and Iran under American hegemony so that whatever happens in the world is dictated from Washington.

And so these puppet states such as Georgia are part of the surrounding of Russia with American military bases and American missile systems such as the one they are going to put up in Poland. They hope the Czech Republic and Kosovo.

So this is all part of the expanding American empire, the neoconservatives say the American empire is much more powerful than the Roman one. So the American's have the power to dominate the entire world. That is what this is about.

The assault on South Ossetia by the American and the Israeli trained Georgian army, both trained and equipped by the Americans and the Israelis the purpose of that assault was to ethnically cleanse that province of Russians.

So that their would be an end to the separation movement the separatists would simply be driven out or killed. That was the main purpose of this whole exercise.

Press TV: What cards has the Bush administration got left to play with? You said every state in the world is tired of war and perhaps the United States is not. However, with the Bush administration facing economic problems at home, do you really think the Bush administration thinks it can outplay Russia in the Caucuses?

Roberts: Yes, the neoconservatives are insane. They certainly think they can outplay Russia and they certainly think they can outplay Iran. They have two more navel armadas steaming there.

People in the world need to understand that the regime in Washington is the most dangerous regime that has ever existed, it is capable of anything. Here we have a regime who has invaded two countries, a regime that has been bullying Iran and the President of the United States announcing that bullying and using intimidation are not acceptable ways to conduct foreign policy in the 21st century.

What has he been doing all these years? We had Condi Rice say the same stupid things and John McCain the Republican nominee for president say that in the 21st century nations do not invade other nations.

Well the United States has just invaded two nations and has oppressed them for six years and they talk this way. This has got to be insanity, this is disconnected from all reality. What they mean is that no one but the United States can invade other nations.

Press TV: What should we be expecting in the next couple of days with Condoleezza Rice going to Brussels? Paul Craig Roberts from your view if neocons in such power earlier we talked to Bill Christison a former senior CIA official who said there are placemen in all institutions after six years or more of the Bush presidency. What, is it going to go nuclear?

Roberts: Yes, I think there is a great danger. I did not say anything about the Republicans, I said the neoconservatives. They controlled the Clinton administration too. That is why you had all those bombings of Serbia.

I think your correspondent in New York is correct this is American foreign policy. It is not going to go away. I think it is most dangerous with Bush because he is essentially a moron. Cheney is too.

It is more dangerous in their hands but I agree its American foreign policy and yes, they are capable of going nuclear, because they are full of hubris.

Press TV: So you think they are ready to go for a war with Iran, with Russia. Some people are saying that Defense Secretary, Robert Gates does not answer to those neoconservatives that you were talking about.

Roberts: No he tries to resist it and I also know that many senior officers in the American military have put their foot down.

Nevertheless, there is a very powerful movement, the fact that they thought that Russia would sit there and do nothing while Russian citizens, people with Russian passports, were murdered, the capital destroyed and 30 or 40 thousand of them, which must be pretty close to half the population of South Ossetia, driven out into Russia and people thought Russia would do nothing.

How can you make such a miscalculation? Anyone who could make that miscalculation can make far more dangerous miscalculations. They are perfectly capable of attacking Iran.

The next point of trouble would be the Ukraine. The Americans would rush in there, stir all that up and cause another crisis.

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