[lbo-talk] The New Great Game

Dwayne Monroe idoru345 at yahoo.com
Wed Oct 22 09:22:42 PDT 2003


[ Whether the author of this essay is correct about motives or not - just how sustainable is this sort of military expansion? The US has a large pool of resources but there is a limit to all things, not to mention the mind boggling blowback potential - DRM]

The new Great Game

The 'war on terror' is being used as an excuse to further US energy interests in the Caspian

Lutz Kleveman Monday October 20, 2003 The Guardian

Nearly two years ago, I travelled to Kyrgyzstan, the mountainous ex-Soviet republic in Central Asia, to witness a historical event: the deployment of the first American combat troops on former Soviet soil.

As part of the Afghan campaign, the US air force set up a base near the Kyrgyz capital, Bishkek. Brawny pioneers in desert camouflages were erecting hundreds of tents for nearly 3,000 soldiers. I asked their commander, a wiry brigadier general, if and when the troops would leave Kyrgyzstan (and its neighbour Uzbekistan, where Washington set up a second airbase). "There is no time limit," he replied. "We will pull out only when all al-Qaeda cells have been eradicated."

Today, the Americans are still there and many of the tents have been replaced by concrete buildings. Bush has used his massive military build-up in Central Asia to seal the cold war victory against Russia, to contain Chinese influence and to tighten the noose around Iran. Most importantly, however, Washington - supported by the Blair government - is exploiting the "war on terror" to further American oil interests in the Caspian region. But this geopolitical gamble involving thuggish dictators and corrupt Saudi oil sheiks is only likely to produce more terrorists.

For much of the past two years, I have researched the links between conflict in Central Asia and US oil interests. I travelled thousands of kilometres, meeting with generals, oil bosses, warlords and diplomats. They are all players in a geostrategic struggle - the new Great Game.

[...]

full at

http://www.guardian.co.uk/comment/story/0,3604,1066570,00.html

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