Why is Afghanistan so important?

[Go2Peace]

......
Since the 1990s, Washington has promoted a natural gas pipeline south through Afghanistan. The route would pass through Kandahar province. In 2007, Richard Boucher, U.S. assistant secretary of state, said: "One of our goals is to stabilize Afghanistan," and to link South and Central Asia "so that energy can flow to the south." Oil and gas have motivated U.S. involvement in the Middle East for decades. Unwittingly or willingly, Canadian forces are supporting American goals.

The proposed pipeline is called TAPI, after the initials of the four participating countries (Turkmenistan, Afghanistan, Pakistan and India). Eleven high-level planning meetings have been held during the past seven years, with Asian Development Bank sponsorship and multilateral support (including Canada's). Construction is planned to start next year. . .

Ukraine is the main gateway for gas from Russia to Europe. The United States has pushed for alternate pipelines and encouraged European countries to diversify their sources of supply. Recently built pipelines for oil and gas originate in Azerbaijan and extend through Georgia to Turkey. They are the jewels in the crown of U.S. strategy to bypass Russia and Iran.
.......

The full article goes into the history and discusses why this area was strategic to all the players.

http://prorev.com/2009/08/why-is-afghanistan-so-important.html

[ShortnFiery]

1. Yeah baby, pipelinestan and geopolitical leverage. Rah!

:puke:

[elocs]

2. Well, it's near the beginning of the alphabet and if it falls the next letters will tumble.

Anyone ever hear of Aardvarkstan these days?
:shrug:

[leveymg]

3. Heroin trade. Just as strategic as pipelines, and probably more valuable.

[Mist]

7. Yep, black ops, CIA, etc. have to be funded with the opium trade. I think the pipeline is

just a cover story, or, dare I say, a pipedream.

[the blues]

4. Oh, a gas pipeline! Why didn't they say so?

I never would have opposed the loss of human life if I had known it was for the lofty purpose of monetary gain.

[RufusTFirefly]

5. Oops! Sorry about all the dead people!

But hey, we need to maintain our American way of life, doncha know.

[StarfarerBill]

6. Heroin pipeline?