Is oil a factor in the posturing on Syria by different countries?

blankslate

Diamond Member
Jun 16, 2008
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Iraq has new barely drilled oil fields...

http://www.investorsiraq.com/showth...unces-40-undeveloped-fields-uncovered-in-Iraq
http://mawtani.al-shorfa.com/en_GB/articles/iii/features/iraqtoday/2012/06/06/feature-02

that means for a while that oil from those fields will be cheap to get out of the ground.

Now, look at a map Syria is on the western border of Iraq. It has a lot of relatively flat land and the mountains that it does have aren't very high as I recall.

What is on the western edge of Syria? Look at that the Mediterranean Ocean. France has a border on the that body of water too. So far, afaik, they haven't said no to strikes on Syria.

n_africa_mid_east_pol_95.jpg


hmmm..... that's a pretty sizable shortcut that would also avoid having to pass close to Iran as well.


Remember a few years ago Russia cut off fuel from the European countries over a disagreement?

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/w...as-russia-turns-off-gas-supplies-1230036.html

What if somehow Syria didn't have a civil war and Iraq which has a sizable source of natural gas as well was able to send their oil to Syrian ports to ship across the Mediterranean ocean?

Well Russia wouldn't be as able to pull the we're cutting off your resources move as well as in 2009.

Given the geographical layout how much of this posturing over the Syria is motivated by the possible pathways for shipping oil?

I think it would be naive to say that oil is not a consideration or that other countries or the oil industry hasn't thought "what if Syria wasn't in a civil war?"



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2timer

Golden Member
Apr 20, 2012
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Oil and resources are definitely NOT a factor in Syria's alliances. Putin loves Assad for entirely selfless, humanitarian reasons.
 

dmcowen674

No Lifer
Oct 13, 1999
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Oil and resources are definitely NOT a factor in Syria's alliances. Putin loves Assad for entirely selfless, humanitarian reasons.

It's 110% about the transport of Natural Gas and Oil through Syria.

Another false War for oil we come.

The decision has already been made.

My buddies in Afghanistan are just waiting on the word to move everything into Syria.
 

blankslate

Diamond Member
Jun 16, 2008
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It would be far easier for Irag to build LNG plants and ship the LNG to users in Europe.

Or if Syria had a trade treaty with Iraq they could truck the gas over Syrian roads to a Syrian Port and ship it that way. Still faster than shipping from an Iraq port all the way to a European port.
 

Sonikku

Lifer
Jun 23, 2005
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If only all the oil was in America instead of the middle east. Then we wouldn't have to give a shit about that side of the world.
 

justoh

Diamond Member
Jun 11, 2013
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I'm assuming the question is rhetorical. How could it not be? In that case, I guess this must just be news. But is this news?
 

gevorg

Diamond Member
Nov 3, 2004
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There can never be too many puppet states, oil/pipeline routes is just one of the geopolitical factors of taking over another country. There is nothing unusual about Syria. The "system" works like a clockwork, just like it was done with Egypt, Libya, Tunisia, etc. Liberation of the XYZ people, they hate our freedom, or the Russians are messing with us/etc are all war propaganda for the general population.
 

boomerang

Lifer
Jun 19, 2000
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641
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Here's another theory that revolves solely around natural gas.

http://www.zerohedge.com/news/2013-09-04/guest-post-us-going-war-syria-over-natural-gas-pipeline

Another link at the site claims that the strife in Syria is the result of hired mercenaries. Mercenaries in the employ of Qatar.

Russia needs the income from NG sales throughout Europe. Qatar wishes to move into that market in a big way but needs a pipeline through Syria to do it. For that to happen Assad must be deposed as he's tight with Putin. Russia obviously wishes Assad to remain in power, Qatar doesn't have the resources (militarily) to depose him.

At that point the story moves towards US sales of NG to the UK and the Mediterranean market and that the entire conflict is actually one between the US and Russia. Well...it's getting to be even more far fetched at that point. But, I can perhaps believe it up to that point. That perhaps the WMD angle was orchestrated to engage the UN, the world, the US, (who knows?) to bring about the results Qatar is looking for.

It's all interesting and who knows if there is any truth to it all. It sounds like a fiction novel one would read. Does the world really operate in this sinister a manner? I couldn't say.
 
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justoh

Diamond Member
Jun 11, 2013
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Why wouldn't the world operate in a sinister manner?

All we really know for sure is that it's not about chemical weapons or dead people.

It's likely about money. Everything is.
 

shady28

Platinum Member
Apr 11, 2004
2,520
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Why wouldn't the world operate in a sinister manner?

All we really know for sure is that it's not about chemical weapons or dead people.

It's likely about money. Everything is.

Of course it is. Ultimately land and money are the only two things wars are ever fought for.

The US doesn't give one damn about chemical weapons use; if it did, why did we do or ignore these :

http://www.infowars.com/10-chemical-weapons-attacks-washington-doesnt-want-you-to-talk-about/

Israel Attacked Palestinian Civilians with White Phosphorus in 2008 – 2009

"In 2009, multiple human rights groups, including Human Rights Watch, Amnesty International, and International Red Cross reported that the Israeli government was attacking civilians in their own country with chemical weapons. An Amnesty International team claimed to find “indisputable evidence of the widespread use of white phosphorus” as a weapon in densely-populated civilian areas. The Israeli military denied the allegations at first, but eventually admitted they were true."

Washington Attacked Iraqi Civilians with White Phosphorus in 2004

The CIA Helped Saddam Hussein Massacre Iranians and Kurds with Chemical Weapons in 1988

ref : http://www.foreignpolicy.com/articl...prove_america_helped_saddam_as_he_gassed_iran

The Army Tested Chemicals on Residents of Poor, Black St. Louis Neighborhoods in The 1950s

The U.S. Military Dumped 20 Million Gallons of Chemicals on Vietnam from 1962 – 1971
 

Fern

Elite Member
Sep 30, 2003
26,907
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Oil? I think not. They hardly produce any.

Natural gas? Maybe, there are reports about a pipeline but IDK.

Fern
 
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herm0016

Diamond Member
Feb 26, 2005
8,524
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Here's another theory that revolves solely around natural gas.

http://www.zerohedge.com/news/2013-09-04/guest-post-us-going-war-syria-over-natural-gas-pipeline

Another link at the site claims that the strife in Syria is the result of hired mercenaries. Mercenaries in the employ of Qatar.

Russia needs the income from NG sales throughout Europe. Qatar wishes to move into that market in a big way but needs a pipeline through Syria to do it. For that to happen Assad must be deposed as he's tight with Putin. Russia obviously wishes Assad to remain in power, Qatar doesn't have the resources (militarily) to depose him.

At that point the story moves towards US sales of NG to the UK and the Mediterranean market and that the entire conflict is actually one between the US and Russia. Well...it's getting to be even more far fetched at that point. But, I can perhaps believe it up to that point. That perhaps the WMD angle was orchestrated to engage the UN, the world, the US, (who knows?) to bring about the results Qatar is looking for.

It's all interesting and who knows if there is any truth to it all. It sounds like a fiction novel one would read. Does the world really operate in this sinister a manner? I couldn't say.

that would be interesting, but we dont ship any LNG out of the US, and we have too much production, also, world demand is up, so if we did ship some lng over seas, we would be able to sell it to japan very easily. I was just on a rig in the timore sea that cant keep up with japans lng demand.
 

dmcowen674

No Lifer
Oct 13, 1999
54,889
47
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www.alienbabeltech.com
Here's another theory that revolves solely around natural gas.

http://www.zerohedge.com/news/2013-09-04/guest-post-us-going-war-syria-over-natural-gas-pipeline


It's all interesting and who knows if there is any truth to it all. It sounds like a fiction novel one would read. Does the world really operate in this sinister a manner? I couldn't say.

Welcome to the real world, you are slowly waking up.

Also got word we are moving Nukes into position.

The strangle hold of Nat Gas through Syria is huge enough for possible Nuke use.

WWIII would certainly turn the economy around.
 

werepossum

Elite Member
Jul 10, 2006
29,873
463
126
Here's another theory that revolves solely around natural gas.

http://www.zerohedge.com/news/2013-09-04/guest-post-us-going-war-syria-over-natural-gas-pipeline

Another link at the site claims that the strife in Syria is the result of hired mercenaries. Mercenaries in the employ of Qatar.

Russia needs the income from NG sales throughout Europe. Qatar wishes to move into that market in a big way but needs a pipeline through Syria to do it. For that to happen Assad must be deposed as he's tight with Putin. Russia obviously wishes Assad to remain in power, Qatar doesn't have the resources (militarily) to depose him.

At that point the story moves towards US sales of NG to the UK and the Mediterranean market and that the entire conflict is actually one between the US and Russia. Well...it's getting to be even more far fetched at that point. But, I can perhaps believe it up to that point. That perhaps the WMD angle was orchestrated to engage the UN, the world, the US, (who knows?) to bring about the results Qatar is looking for.

It's all interesting and who knows if there is any truth to it all. It sounds like a fiction novel one would read. Does the world really operate in this sinister a manner? I couldn't say.
My guess is natural gas. There are two proposed pipelines in the works with competing interests over those, but the key is Assad himself. For Russia to retain political power with its natural gas supply requires Assad in place to also shut down any pipelines running through Syria. Putin wants Assad in place; Europe wants Assad out, on the grounds that while his replacement will probably be even worse in almost every other regard, they will likely not be in lockstep with Putin and thus both sources probably won't be shut down simultaneously.

This isn't to say this is all about natural gas and/or oil, just that when state concerns like this coincide with other things like civil wars and WMD use, states choose to notice those other things and act on them.

Oh and here's another one, from a more reputable source :

http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs...ec828d6-1549-11e3-961c-f22d3aaf19ab_blog.html


"... The administrations of Ronald Reagan and George H.W. Bush authorized the sale to Iraq of numerous items that had both military and civilian applications, including poisonous chemicals and deadly biological viruses, such as anthrax and bubonic plague ."
For those of us who remember the good old days when blogs were still called diaries and were the exclusive domain of pubescent girls who kept them safely out of sight, a blog is not exactly a good source as the blogger can write literally anything. Also, while we did ship tons of dual-use chemicals, the anthrax and plague were shipped to Baghdad University for legitimate research. We never found Saddam's weaponized anthrax so it might not have ever existed, and to my knowledge Iraq never produced any weaponized plague.
 

Londo_Jowo

Lifer
Jan 31, 2010
17,303
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londojowo.hypermart.net
Or if Syria had a trade treaty with Iraq they could truck the gas over Syrian roads to a Syrian Port and ship it that way. Still faster than shipping from an Iraq port all the way to a European port.

Shipping LNG would be far faster as you would need several thousand trucks to equal one LNG Tanker ship. Not to mention trucks are easy targets.
 

boomerang

Lifer
Jun 19, 2000
18,883
641
126
We should nuke them with $10/gal milk...no one can afford that...
I would think a couple blasts with a Biden Edition Over & Under would show them what fer.

Or, we could pepper the landscape from above with pig carcasses.