War for Oil in Afghanistan

gumboot

lorcutus.tolere
gumboot
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Jun 18, 2006
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For a while now, I've mentioned (on and off) a fantastic article I read online that effectively shreds any argument that 9/11 was fabricated to justify a US invasion of Afghanistan because of oil/strategic importance.

I've finally found that article so want to share it with you all.

enjoy
Great power strategists tend to think of Afghanistan as a kind of fulcrum upon which the world balance of power tips. But from close up, Afghanistan tends to look less like a fulcrum or a domino or a stepping-stone than like a vast expanse of desert waste with a few fly-ridden bazaars, a fair number of feuding tribes and a lot of miserably poor people.
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-Andrew
 
gumboot said:
For a while now, I've mentioned (on and off) a fantastic article I read online that effectively shreds any argument that 9/11 was fabricated to justify a US invasion of Afghanistan because of oil/strategic importance.

I've finally found that article so want to share it with you all.

enjoy


-Andrew
Click to expand...


This myth continues to grow. Just last week Fetzer on his radio show referred to the pipelines which are being "constructed across Northern Afghanistan near the two major US military bases". Not only is this false, it would be geographically incorrect.
 
No one cares about oil in Afghanistan. Opium is far more interesting. Everyone who says "Afghanistan" without saying "Opium" shouldn't be trusted.

Opium production per anno (hectares of production area):

94 71,470
95 53,759
96 56,824
97 58,416
98 63,674
99 90,983
00 82,172
01 7,606 (Taliban prohibited opium production again (and this time seriously) in July 2000)
02 74,000
03 80,000
04 131,000
05 104,000
06 165,000

(Source: www.unodc.org)

That's 92% of world opium production in 2006.

From last friday: Afghan opium cultivation soars 59 percent in 2006, UNODC survey shows
 
Childlike Empress said:
No one cares about oil in Afghanistan. Opium is far more interesting. Everyone who says "Afghanistan" without saying "Opium" shouldn't be trusted.
Click to expand...

Perhaps, cool name, but what would the US govt. have to do with opium ?

Hopefully, no one here's claiming that they supply the mob with that stuff.
 
Childlike Empress said:
No one cares about oil in Afghanistan. Opium is far more interesting. Everyone who says "Afghanistan" without saying "Opium" shouldn't be trusted.
Click to expand...


Okay, so you're looking at 6,100 tons production for 2006, selling at $100 a kg on the illegal markets. Thats $610 million...

You're saying the US invaded Afghanistan so a bunch of warlords could make $610 million? And that's revenue, not profit (gross or net).

I'm sorry, but that's pathetic. The very first strike against Afghanistan burned off about $65 million just in Tomahawk cruise missile costs.

The war in Afghanistan has cost about $95 billion over 5 years - that's $19 billion dollars per annum.

But it was all worth it, because of $610 million a year in Opium sales...:confused:

-Andrew
 
How do you think it reachs the american continent? Beaming? Oh no, i see, incompentence to bust the evildoers. Again. Sure. Btw:

5.5 Ton Cocaine Bust Reveals New Details of 9.11 Attacks

But you won't find much about any of this on the innumerable websites of the “9.11 Truth Movement." Most seem to be utterly fascinated currently with speculation about materials which might have been secreted inside the Twin Towers which could have made them collapse.

They used to utterly fascinated with proving that no plane hit the Pentagon. Before that there were utterly fascinated with the idea that the planes were flown by remote control. And on and on.

Controlling the debate is easy when a billionaire is footing the bill.
Click to expand...
 
Belz... said:
Perhaps, cool name, but what would the US govt. have to do with opium ?

Hopefully, no one here's claiming that they supply the mob with that stuff.
Click to expand...

The government has nothing to do with it. The US people are responsible. If we quit buying drugs people would quit growing them. I'm doing my part to win the war on drugs; I stick to nice, legal, tasty alcohol.
 
Before Sept 11th the price was $700 per kilo...(BBC NEWS)

That said, we are still only talking 4 Billion per year...a nice package, but not a whole lot in terms of the USA going to war...

Space shuttle cost = 1.5-2 Billion per unit
Space shuttle cost per mission = $450 Million

So from that opium they would get 2 Shuttles or 8 missions....not much, to go to war for.
 
Iraq Oil reserves = 112Billion Barrels x $70/Barrell = $7.8 Trillion = 7840 Billion

c/w 4 Billion/year = 2000 years of production of opium to equal Iraq Value.
 
Childlike Empress said:
No one cares about oil in Afghanistan. Opium is far more interesting. Everyone who says "Afghanistan" without saying "Opium" shouldn't be trusted.

Opium production per anno (hectares of production area):

94 71,470
95 53,759
96 56,824
97 58,416
98 63,674
99 90,983
00 82,172
01 7,606 (Taliban prohibited opium production again (and this time seriously) in July 2000)
02 74,000
03 80,000
04 131,000
05 104,000
06 165,000

(Source: www.unodc.org)

That's 92% of world opium production in 2006.

From last friday: Afghan opium cultivation soars 59 percent in 2006, UNODC survey shows
Click to expand...
Your numbers appear to be disingenuous -- following your own source, it appears area of land cultivated is not correlated to the actual yield.

If you look at the previous year's report from the UNODC, presented here, at the bottom of Page 3 you will see that the total production is pretty stable at around 4,200 tons, peaking (pre-2005) at 4,600 tons -- under the Taliban.

Care to explain?
 
R., yes it would have been more precise to write "area of cultivation". The outcome of dry opium is of course affected by many factors (nature) that can't be controlled and it takes some time to produce it.

But i hope you did get the picture.

edit: and as i said, the Taliban banned production AGAIN in 2000. The first time was only for the papers, it seems.
 
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Childlike Empress said:
R., yes it would have been more precise to write "area of cultivation". The outcome of dry opium is of course affected by many factors (nature) that can't be controlled and it takes some time to produce it.

But i hope you did get the picture.
Click to expand...
Not really. This sounds like one of those "yeah, but at least Mussolini made the trains run on time*" kinds of arguments. I don't like the opium situation in Afghanistan, but it's not my #1 gripe, not by a long shot.

For starters, how about you first use more proper statistics, such as total production, total sales, total amount going wherever its going, instead of the cultivated land statistic, which seems to be inextricably convoluted with other factors, and is therefore useless.

For finishers, what are you trying to argue? Seems like you're implying our war in Afghanistan is a world-wide, US-sponsored drug cartel. Please clarify your theory, if you have one. If that's your theory, you're going to have to bring a lot more detail to the table.

* He didn't, actually.
 
Childlike Empress said:
@gumboot: Come on, it's not the point what the kg of dry opium costs in Afghanistan.
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So you're saying the US government is controlling the ENTIRE opium market, from production right through to street sales of heroin?

Or is the US government "in the pocket" of heroin street dealers?

Who exactly is making the profit from opium, that has the leverage to force the US to invade a country?

-Andrew
 
gumboot said:
Who exactly is making the profit from opium, that has the leverage to force the US to invade a country?
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That is a damned good and serious question. I think this topic has the potential to get very interesting and as i am tired and have consumed some legal drugs tonight, i leave now and answer later. If you are interested in the answer (as i am), read this article by Peter Dale Scott in the meantime. I am very interested in what you think about it (added to the work of Hopsicker).
 
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Childlike Empress said:
That is a damned good and serious question. I think this topic has the potential to get very interesting and as i am tired and have consumed some legal drugs tonight, i leave now and answer later. If you are interested in the answer (as i am), read this article by Peter Dale Scott in the meantime. I am very interested in what you think about it (added to the work of Hopsicker).
Click to expand...


Surely if you're implying a relationship between the US invasion of Afghanistan and opium production you must ALREADY know who profits from opium. Otherwise your accusations are totally without substance.

You wouldn't do that now would you? :rolleyes:

-Andrew
 
Childlike Empress said:
That is a damned good and serious question. I think this topic has the potential to get very interesting and as i am tired and have consumed some legal drugs tonight, i leave now and answer later. If you are interested in the answer (as i am), read this article by Peter Dale Scott in the meantime. I am very interested in what you think about it (added to the work of Hopsicker).
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oooh, the suspense.

Please tell me that known conspiracy theorist, English professor Peter Dale Scott actually has some evidence, and that he's less barking mad than Hopsicker. Otherwise you may as well ask my plumber.
 
R.Mackey said:
oooh, the suspense.

Please tell me that known conspiracy theorist, English professor Peter Dale Scott actually has some evidence, and that he's less barking mad than Hopsicker. Otherwise you may as well ask my plumber.
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What a weak response. I thought for a moment i was discussing with openminded people. Must have been the merlot. I'm wasting my time here.

Sorry for highjacking your thread, gummi. Please continue with discussing your little "fantastic" article:

Great power strategists tend to think of Afghanistan as a kind of fulcrum upon which the world balance of power tips. But from close up, Afghanistan tends to look less like a fulcrum or a domino or a stepping-stone than like a vast expanse of desert waste with a few fly-ridden bazaars, a fair number of feuding tribes and a lot of miserably poor people.
Click to expand...
 
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