"Ever since the “oil shock” of 1973, Washington's game plan has been to control the oil market and its main focus has been West Asia. In 1980, President Jimmy Carter declared the Persian Gulf an exclusive zone of American influence. “An attempt by any outside force to gain control of the Persian Gulf region will be regarded as an assault on the vital interests of the USA, and such an assault will be repelled by any means necessary, including military force,” Carter said. He created a Rapid Deployment Force, which later became the U.S. Central Command, or CENTCOM. Under his successors, the U.S. built military bases all over West Asia.
The two wars against Iraq, whose government was the first to nationalise oil resources, followed. In 2008, the Bush administration set up the Africa Command (AFRICOM), which is currently headquartered in Germany as no African country has so far provided basing facilities. AFRICOM is playing a lead role in the war in Libya.
According to recent projections by the U.S. Department of Energy, West Asia and North Africa will jointly provide approximately 43 per cent of the world's crude petroleum supply by 2035 and contribute a greater share of the world's exportable oil.
The West has played a key role in dividing Sudan, one of the main oil exporters in Africa. Most of the oilfields were in South Sudan, which became formally independent early in July. Western oil companies are expected to reap handsome benefits. Libya, too, is headed for balkanisation. The area under the control of the Western-backed rebels is where most of the oil and gas fields are located"............READ MORE
No comments:
Post a Comment