nakedempire


The American Empire in a Changing World



Pages

Thursday, July 19, 2012

''Balochistan’s challenging location''

From The Nation Pakistan

''To its west lies Iran’s Sistan-Balochistan province; in the northwest, the Helmand province of Afghanistan; while to the south lies the coastal region of Makran through whose desert Alexander the Great’s 80,000-man army marched westward in its disastrous retreat from India in 325BC. All the three bordering regions form a part of the current great game. Afghanistan continues to be occupied by the US-led Nato/Isaf forces, whose horns are locked with the Taliban, who, though displaced in 2001, have regrouped and are challenging the occupation troops contemplating an exit strategy. Meanwhile, Pakistan’s northwest tribal belt and Balochistan’s region adjoining Afghanistan is suspected of harbouring Taliban fighters. Simultaneously, Iran is being intimidated by Israel on a weekly basis, while the Obama administration has, reportedly, drawn up an attack plan. In its grand strategy, Iran’s access via Balochistan is a promising possibility.''

''The newly-constructed port of Gwadar offers immense opportunities. The Soviets had eyed Gwadar as the ultimate prize during their decade-long occupation of Afghanistan in the 1980s. Their agenda was to overrun Balochistan and export the hydrocarbon wealth of Central Asia through it. However, destiny had other plans; they were denied their imperial visions. In the wake of Soviet retreat, the US giants, like Unocal and other oil firms, intrigued by the idea of building energy pipelines from the Caspian Sea across Afghanistan to Indian Ocean energy hubs, like Gwadar, toyed with the plan of establishing their base in the region. Time will tell whether the rationale behind 9/11 and the invasion of Afghanistan was the control of the energy routes, but ample evidence points towards it - in which, Balochistan holds the key.

read more 

No comments:

Post a Comment