Politics of oil: Cheney visits Kazakhstan

[IDemo]

U.S. eyes huge resources, also notes country’s weak human rights record

Associated Press
Updated: 9:03 a.m. ET May 5, 2006

ASTANA, Kazakhstan - Vice President Dick Cheney traveled to Kazakhstan on Friday for talks with President Nursultan Nazarbayev, seeking to maximize access to the vast oil and gas reserves in the central Asian nation with a troubled human-rights record.

Cheney became the fourth top administration official to visit the former Soviet republic in recent months, underscoring the importance placed on a country that is strategically located and an ally in the war on terror, as well as rich in energy resources.

Administration policy favors development of multiple means of delivering Kazakhstan’s energy supplies to markets in the West and elsewhere.

Among them, Assistant Secretary of State Richard Boucher told Congress recently, the United States is “working on securing the flow of oil” from North Caspian oil fields by tanker to a pipeline terminus in Azerbaijan. That route would bypass Russia and Iran. There has also been periodic talk of building a pipeline under the Caspian Sea.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/12643191/

[Robb]

1. Boost for (da da) Turkmenistan, for one

Pay some bills. :eyes:

If you haven't read Robb's annoyingly prophetic Bartcop rant from 2001, take a moment and check all the names. :)

[DUHandle]

2. Wasn't Kazakhstan

one of the countries that Bush never heard of during the 2000 presidential campaign?

[Captain Hilts]

3. He didn't know Nursultan Nazerbayev's name. nt

[donsu]

4. snake Cheney is probably issuing threats, bribing, blackmailing

to get better oil/gas profits for the criminal bushmilhousegang.

[wordpix]

8. threats like bombing the evildoers

[leesa]

5. Ouch. This'll cost us some bucks! Wasn't Kazakhastan the country that

kicked our troops out unless we paid them alot more dough to base them there for Iran invasion/pipeline planning??

China and India already have this Caspian market sewn up. We lost. We have been reduced to dealing with these thugs because of these PNAC wizards. "Pipeline under the Caspian Sea"...WTF are they smoking?

[MisterP]

11. that was either (or both!) Uzbekistan and Kyrgyzstan, which

kicked out U.S. bases--but are still good friends.
I'm always slightly amused (in a gallows-humor sense) when people say "When do we get a Color Revolution of our own?" Why would a NED "Color Revolution" remove those dictators?

[lovuian]

6. Its all about Oil with Cheney...obviously he doesn't trust

Condi!!!

[Supersedeas]

7. Halliburton's man is all over the map.

[wordpix]

9. it's hard work getting the Halliburton oil secured

[TrogL]

10. THE PIPELINE IS BACK!!!

But I don't understand where it's going. Azerbaijan is still landlocked for larger tankers. The old route is still easier: