ORIGINS OF THE AFGHANISTAN OCCUPATION: “STRATEGY
OF THE SILK ROUTE”
Up until 9/11, oil companies,
with the help of the Bush administration, were desperately trying
to work out a deal with the Taliban to build an oil pipeline
through Afghanistan. One of the world’s richest
oil fields is on the eastern shore of the Caspian sea just north
of Afghanistan. The Caspian oil reserves are of top strategic
importance in the quest to control the earth’s remaining
oil supply. The US government developed a policy called “The
Strategy of the Silk Route.”
The policy was designed to lock out Russia,
China and Iran from the oil in this region. This called
for U.S. corporations to construct an oil pipeline running
through Afghanistan. Since the mid 1990s, a consortium of U.S.
companies led by Unocal have been pursing this goal. A feasibility
study of the Central Asian pipeline project was performed by
Enron. Their study concluded that as long as the country was
split among fighting warlords the pipeline could not be built.
Stability was necessary for the $4.5 billion project and the
U.S. believed that the Taliban would impose the necessary order.
The U.S. State Department and Pakistan’s ISI, impressed
by the Taliban movement to cut a pipeline deal, agreed to funnel
arms and funding to the Taliban in their war for control of
Afghanistan.
Then of course we have the war in Iraq, again
from my previous report:
ORIGINS OF THE IRAQ OCCUPATION: CHENEY
ENERGY TASK FORCE
As an AlterNet report put it: “In January
2000, 10 days into President George W. Bush’s first term,
representatives of the largest oil and energy companies joined
the new administration to form the Cheney Energy Task
Force.”
Secret Task Force documents that were dated March
2001, which were obtained by Judicial Watch in 2003 after a Freedom
of Information Act lawsuit, contained “a map of Iraqi oilfields,
pipelines, refineries and terminals, as well as two charts detailing
Iraqi oil and gas projects…” They also had: “… a
series of lists titled ‘Foreign Suitors for Iraqi Oilfield
Contracts‘ naming more than 60 companies from some 30 countries
with contracts in various stages of negotiation.
None of contracts were with American nor major
British companies, and none could take effect while the U.N.
Security Council sanctions against Iraq remained in place. Three
countries held the largest contracts: China, Russia and France — all
members of the Security Council and all in a position to advocate
for the end of sanctions.
Were Saddam to remain in power and the
sanctions to be removed, these contracts would take effect,
and the U.S. and its closest ally would be shut out of Iraq’s
great oil bonanza.”
Project Censored highlighted a Judicial Watch
report that stated: “Documented plans of occupation and
exploitation predating September 11 confirm heightened suspicion
that U.S. policy is driven by the dictates of the energy industry.
According to Judicial Watch President, Tom Fitton, ‘These
documents show the importance of the Energy Task Force and why
its operations should be open to the public.’”
So that’s the oil angle of this resource
war, now back to the lithium angle. This longest
war in US history is very similar to the even longer
wars raging in Northern Africa, another resource rich
paradise of death and destruction. In the late 1990s, CIA-connected
corporations like Bechtel worked with NASA to conduct infrared
satellite studies to discover mineral rich regions throughout
the world. Other than the discoveries in South-Central Asia (Af-Pak
region), Northern Africa (Democratic Republic of Congo region),
emerged as a key source for future resources. In particular,
the mineral coltan, which like lithium, is vital to powering
most computer technology. Since Bechtel and NASA made
these discoveries, a report from The International Rescue Committee
revealed that an astonishing 5.4 MILLION Africans have been killed
in the region. For some background, here’s an
excellent report from July 2001, in Dollars and Sense magazine:
Continue—Costs
