Re: Fwd: [COMMUNISM LIST]Middle East

> It is clear that since the collapse of the Soviet Union and the end of
> the
> Cold War the middle east is currently of no strategic interest to
> Washington
> and its imperialist subalterns.

[...]

> It is clear too that the only strategic significance that the Middle East
> has for Washington is its existence as an energy source.

I'm not sure who wrote this, but the above non-sequitur well characterizes
the problematic nature of the authors's geostrategic analysis of the
Middle East.  It remains the single largest source of oil bar none in the
world.  The Caspian Sea basin, which the author sees as becoming more
important, is as yet undeveloped, and even the most generous projections
of its yield place it in a distant second place in comparison to the Gulf
region.  In addition, the Caspian is landlocked, and depends on the
stability of both the Middle East and the Balkans (two of the most
volatile areas in the world) for the effective transportation of Caspian
oil to Western countries via pipeline.  Finally, the recent Durban
conference on racism puts in great doubt the assertion that the Middle 
East is irrevocably divided and that Arab regimes have been cowed into
submission by the US.

-- 
Boris Stremlin
bstremli@binghamton.edu