Why Afghanistan Matters: It’s The Oil

The right war is what Barack Obama called Afghanistan in his 2008 campaign. He declared Iraq the wrong war, and that we should never have been there in the first place. In reality, Obama knew that America had to take care of business in Iraq before we could turn our attention elsewhere. First, it’s important to understand how America finds itself in this current situation.

Throughout the early 70s, members of the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) began nationalizing their respective oil industries. In 1968, Britain announced it would withdraw their military from Iran and the Middle East in 1971, and France was still smarting from its defeats in Indochina and Algeria. The American military was stretched to the limit and American public opinion had turned against the war in Vietnam, making further military action by the US unlikely. OPEC nations saw their opportunity.

While agreements had called for OPEC nations to receive as much as 55% of the price of a barrel of oil, no citizen of an OPEC country was allowed to be a director of any of these oil companies, nor were they allowed to see the books. Estimates are American oil companies paid these countries as little as 10%. By 1973, member countries owned as much as 60% of the oil industry in their respective nations, and they were effectively setting their own prices. A barrel of crude nearly quadrupled to over $11.

America didn’t respond militarily, though Richard Nixon negotiated a major concession from OPEC members in 1971: all oil transactions would be conducted in American dollars, setting the dollar as the de facto international currency for trade. The United States has made money hand over fist since, exploiting its financial hegemony on the international monetary exchange.

After the invasion of Kuwait in 1991, sanctions were placed on Iraq that prevented them from selling Iraqi oil other than through the United Nations endorsed Oil for Food Program. It’s estimated that a half million Iraqi children died from cholera because Iraq was not permitted to import antibiotics out of fear that Iraq might use these simple drugs to create “biological weapons of mass distraction.” Unofficial estimates put the total number of preventable Iraqi deaths as high as 1.7 million. These and other actions by Western states in the Middle East created significant acrimony between cultures and nations.

As the year 2000 rolled around and the sanctions were nearing expiration, Saddam Hussein began rumbling about creating his own international oil exchange denominated in Euros. This would have had devastating effects on the US dollar. Any ostensible reason to get into Iraq and destroy Saddam Hussein and his oil exchange was good enough, and the 9/11 attacks gave America a pretext. Although there was never any evidence linking Iraq with al Qaeda or the Taliban, nor was there any evidence of weapons of mass destruction, an invasion plan was initiated months before the events of 9/11 according to Bush Secretary of the Treasury, Paul O’Neill.

America needed to demonstrate to any who might challenge its petrodollar dominion that their actions would be seen as a declaration of war. The hundreds of thousands of people killed and wounded, the destroyed infrastructure, the wrecked economy — all intended to remind the world that you have to beat the champion to become the champion.

Although America had sent troops to Afghanistan first to locate and kill Osama bin Laden, a majority of the military’s resources were committed to the war in Iraq. Once Saddam Hussein was captured and executed, and the country handed over to “local control,” the drawdown of American troops could begin. But instead of coming home, these resources were redirected to take care of another thorny issue, and that was the Taliban. Thus we witness the 2009 “surge” in Afghanistan, however it draws into question why it was so important that we rid ourselves of the Taliban.

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The Trans-Afghanistan Pipeline was the brainchild of Unocal, a major petroleum explorer and marketer since bought out by Chevron in 2005. It wanted to harvest natural gas from the rich oil fields in southern Turkmenistan and transport it via a pipeline that would cross Afghanistan and Pakistan into India. There, Chevron would harvest its bounty and make certain that China, Russia or any other interested party would not get their hands on it unless Chevron was involved. America secured the Afghan government’s cooperation for 8% of the gross, but the fly in the ointment was the Taliban.

According to Voice of America, the Taliban controlled 80% geographically of Afghanistan as of September 11, 2009. They demanded a larger share of the proceeds than the Afghan government was offering. Chevron didn’t want to build a pipeline only to have to patrol thousands of square miles protecting it from sabotage, so the Taliban issued needed resolution. As of yet, construction on the pipeline has not begun.

It’s also why, because of the law of unintended consequences, America finds itself slowly encroaching into Pakistan. As the Taliban cross the border to avoid the American military, they remain capable of disrupting pipeline operations there. Unable to secure their cooperation, America concluded they need to be eliminated. There’s one more problem that’s being resolved as the Taliban are pushed out, and that’s in the poppy fields.

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Afghan farmers cultivate approximately 175,000 acres of poppies and can produce over 4,000 tons of opium annually, accounting for nearly 75% of the world supply. The pious Taliban jailed farmers for growing poppies, and wouldn’t release them until they promised to eradicate the crop. By 2001, poppy production was reduced by over 90%, but it came at a price. The average farmer could make $1100 per year growing poppies, which gave them enough money to buy meat and grain for their families. Farming row crops and livestock feed paid less than $300 per year, creating a deep financial hardship for the farmers.

The farmers complied with the Taliban, not from religious conviction, but because they didn’t want to be thrown in jail. They figured they had a better chance of feeding their families if they were free than if they were behind bars. Today, Western forces attempt to placate the farmers by reinstating poppies as the national cash crop, and have even gone so far as to have American soldiers help them cultivate and harvest it. It was documented in this video clip featuring Geraldo Rivera from FOXNews:

We’re trying to befriend these farmers so when the pipeline is in place, they won’t have reason to commit acts of sabotage because their livelihoods are secure.

Another reason for the American military presence relates to Turkmenistan’s status as a former member state of the Soviet Union, and any continuing relationship they might have with Russia. Rumors persist that Russia and Turkmenistan might try to broker a deal on the side, and instead run the pipeline through Iran, an ally of Russia. In a 2007 article in the Asia Times, a high-level Iranian diplomatic source indicated that Vladimir Putin had declared, “An American attack on Iran will be viewed by Moscow as an attack on Russia.” It explains America’s icy relations with Iran, which has nothing to do with nuclear capability and everything to do with natural gas in Turkmenistan. Turkmenistan swears that Russia will not be involved with the pipeline, but America’s continued military presence will serve as an added deterrent.

As long as the Taliban exists, the United States cannot hope for an unmolested and uncontested delivery of gas through the Trans-Afghanistan Pipeline. Hundreds of unguarded miles will make it far too tempting a target for the Taliban to resist.
Hamid Karzai, president of Afghanistan, will be of little use. His administration is far too corrupt to provide any guarantees, so America is stuck needing to eliminate the Taliban or pay them off. While in the short run, it may be cheaper to buy their cooperation, ultimately the United States doesn’t want people thinking they can drive a hard bargain with us. There will be no peace with the Taliban until the Taliban is no more, or they accept the deal that’s already on the table. If you’re counting, that’s how much longer we’ll be in Afghanistan and Pakistan.

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Larry Wohlgemuth was raised during the tumultuous 60s in the midst of sometimes violent civil rights and antiwar protests. After a stint in the Air Force during the Vietnam War, he earned a BBA degree from Washburn University. Wohlgemuth leans so far to the left he prefers to be called “Comrade”, and his book, “Capitalism’s Final Solution” is planned to be released in the spring, 2011. Larry is a contributor to Prose Before Hos and runs his own blog, It Begs the Question.

See Also: A President Obama – Republican Alliance On Fighting The Wars?, Fucking hopeless, Obama Extends Afghan War To 2014, Has U.S. Foreign Policy Ever Been This Screwed Up?, Karzai’s vision of sugar plums & Taliban, Afghanistan: What to watch, and Winning hearts and minds.

[tags]Afghanistan, history of afghanistan, oil, petrol, gas, Turkmenistan, america, us involvement in the middle east, united states, military, september 11th, world politics, international relations, iran, imperialism, saddam hussein, iraq, essay, article, column[/tags]