[lbo-talk] Unocal, China and the Middle East

[Mycos]

Doug Henwood wrote:
> Mycos wrote:
> 
>> They took the opportunity presented by 9/11 to put a pipeline friendly 
>> government in place in Afghanistan. Hence Karzai. Someone mentioned 
>> that because he only controls Kabul that this is some kind of proof 
>> that there hasn't been an effort by the US to put in an *OIL* 
>> pipeline. That means nothing. We were supposed to be out of Iraq in 6 
>> weeks as well. Are you seriously suggesting that because Karzai's 
>> power is limited, that this is what the US wants?
> 
> 
> The U.S. has done almost nothing to stabilize Afghanistan. Doing so 
> would need large numbers of troops and large amounts of aid necessary to 
> build the Afghan state and infrastructure.
> 
> Why is it so hard to believe that the U.S. attacked Afghanistan because 
> the people who planned 9/11 were based there? And why is it always about 
> oil? Is imperialism that one-dimensional?
> 
> Doug
> ___________________________________
> http://mailman.lbo-talk.org/mailman/listinfo/lbo-talk
> 
> 

Well Doug, in all honesty I can say that from everything I have seen 
and read, profit taking is 'a' , if not 'the', primary engine of 
imperialism. Repeatedly, throughout history, gold, spices, silk, 
and now oil are very strong motivating factors. By contrast, 
countries that have become "more trouble than they're *worth*" have 
been shed from the imperium.

Afghanistan was attacked and the Taliban toppled. A "friendly" 
(Karzai) was put in  in place. But for whatever reason, Bush went 
after Iraq. This has resulted in the quagmire that we now see, the 
result of which is that Bush would be extremely hard-pressed to 
build up troop levels in Afghanistan towards any number that could 
dominate the country, if that's even possible *at all*, 
Iraq-conflict or not.

In any case, there seems to be an assumption that I meant that oil 
was *the only* reason for the attack on Afghanistan. No, I did not 
mean that nor do I think it. However, I do believe that for some in 
the administration, and for many lobbiests and presidential 
advisers, oil is their prime motivating factor. It is most 
certainly, to my mind at least, one of the primary considerations 
that went into the attack.
-- 

Gary Williams

"Over himself, over his own body and mind, the
individual is sovereign."   - John Stuart Mill

http://mycos.blogspot.com/

Todays Iraq Body Count

   Min       Max

  22582     25590