War against Iran, Iraq AND Syria?

[jakeXT]

Amidst the incessant rumble in the (Washington) jungle about a possible Obama administration military adventure in Syria, new information has come to light. And what a piece of Pipelineistan information that is.

Picture Iraqi Oil Minister Abdelkarim al-Luaybi, Syrian Oil Minister Sufian Allaw, and the current Iranian caretaker Oil Minister Mohammad Aliabadi getting together in the port of Assalouyeh, southern Iran, to sign a memorandum of understanding for the construction of the Iran-Iraq-Syria gas pipeline, no less.

At Asia Times Online and also elsewhere I have been arguing that this prospective Pipelinestan node is one of the fundamental reasons for the proxy war in Syria. Against the interests of Washington, for whom integrating Iran is anathema, the pipeline bypasses two crucial foreign actors in Syria - prime "rebel" weaponizer Qatar (as a gas producer) and logistical "rebel" supporter Turkey (as the self-described privileged energy crossroads between East and West).

...

Before the end of August, three working groups will be discussing the complex technical, financial and legal aspects involved. Once finance is secured - and that's far from certain, considering the proxy war in Syria - the pipeline could be online by 2018. Tehran hopes that the final agreement will be signed before the end of the year.

...
http://www.atimes.com/atimes/Middle_East/MID-04-230713.html

[bemildred]

1. That's a good one. nt

[dipsydoodle]

2. China could easily finance that

if they had the inclination and the returns would be easy to figure out.

[jakeXT]

3. Those evacuations are a pain in the ass...

More than 20,000 Chinese nationals evacuated from Libya
English.news.cn 2011-02-27 15:50:16
...
Tens of thousands of Chinese nationals were working or living in Libya when the unrest began earlier this month.

Most of them are employees of Chinese companies doing business in Libya.

http://news.xinhuanet.com/english2010/china/2011-02/27/c_13752595.htm

[dipsydoodle]

4. I doubt that BP used 20000 of their own to build the pipeline from Azerbaijan to Turkey.

They'd have used locals.

[Warpy]

5. That was the ambition of the PNAC crowd

Their hawkish wings were clipped by our all volunteer army.

[John2]

6. Well, you

just found the money trail why they want to invade Syria. They want to control the resources. It has nothing to do with the people of Syria's rights. The monarchs of Saudi Arabia and Qatar could care less about Democracy. All they care about is individual wealth. The same could be said about Turkey. Greed will make you ally yourself with anybody, if the price is right. Most of the rebels are just paid mercenaries. They are getting paid. I wonder how much General Idriss is making from his benefactors in Saudi Arabia,Qatar and Turkey. I will like to see his personal bank account now.