03-24-2005, 09:39 AM
<b>How will we play the Great Game?</b> <!--QuoteBegin-->QUOTE<!--QuoteEBegin--><b>What the US was working on was to remove India's objections to a pipeline through Pakistan. Once this was achieved, they could push the alternative project, the Turkmenistan pipeline</b>. Somehow, in our obsession with Pakistan, and by becoming victims of our own loquaciousness and hectoring, we failed to see the direction in which things were headed.
The Americans waited until the cabinet decided to explore the possibility of the Iran project -- which signaled that India was open to a pipeline through Pakistan -- before registering their objections and reservations to the deal.
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Appeasing muslims/paki will cost Aiyar and congress some sleepless nights.
<!--QuoteBegin-->QUOTE<!--QuoteEBegin-->At the same time, a pipeline project through Turkmenistan will provide an outlet for the Central Asian energy reserves. This will end the near monopoly that the Russians have on the Central Asian energy reserves through the pipeline network that was built during the Soviet era.
The Turkmenistan pipeline will also allow US oil and construction companies to bid for the contract for laying the pipeline. This would not be possible in case of the Iran pipeline. Not only would the US oil giants gain from such a project, it will also help to pay for the US involvement in Afghanistan -- the classic cost-plus imperial strategy<!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd-->Reliance pushed for this deal, Why???
<!--QuoteBegin-->QUOTE<!--QuoteEBegin-->If anything, Pakistan has much more to gain by a pipeline from Turkmenistan through Afghanistan than through Iran. <b>Not only will such a project increase the leverage enjoyed by Pakistan inside Afghanistan and Central Asia, it will also give a huge boost to Pakistan's economy</b>. The entire Gwadar port project depends critically on the Central Asian trade.
For the Americans, tying the Gwadar port into the Central Asian trade and energy network will help in ousting the Chinese from developing a base on the mouth of the Persian Gulf. As things stand, the US will lean on both India and Pakistan to consider the Turkmenistan pipeline and give up the Iranian project
<!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd-->
<!--QuoteBegin-->QUOTE<!--QuoteEBegin-->India has for long harbored ambitions and pretensions of being a major player in the region and the world. This is perhaps India's big opportunity to move into the big league. But in order to do so, India will have to chart out its game plan very carefully and with cold calculation.<!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd-->
The Americans waited until the cabinet decided to explore the possibility of the Iran project -- which signaled that India was open to a pipeline through Pakistan -- before registering their objections and reservations to the deal.
<!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd-->
Appeasing muslims/paki will cost Aiyar and congress some sleepless nights.
<!--QuoteBegin-->QUOTE<!--QuoteEBegin-->At the same time, a pipeline project through Turkmenistan will provide an outlet for the Central Asian energy reserves. This will end the near monopoly that the Russians have on the Central Asian energy reserves through the pipeline network that was built during the Soviet era.
The Turkmenistan pipeline will also allow US oil and construction companies to bid for the contract for laying the pipeline. This would not be possible in case of the Iran pipeline. Not only would the US oil giants gain from such a project, it will also help to pay for the US involvement in Afghanistan -- the classic cost-plus imperial strategy<!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd-->Reliance pushed for this deal, Why???
<!--QuoteBegin-->QUOTE<!--QuoteEBegin-->If anything, Pakistan has much more to gain by a pipeline from Turkmenistan through Afghanistan than through Iran. <b>Not only will such a project increase the leverage enjoyed by Pakistan inside Afghanistan and Central Asia, it will also give a huge boost to Pakistan's economy</b>. The entire Gwadar port project depends critically on the Central Asian trade.
For the Americans, tying the Gwadar port into the Central Asian trade and energy network will help in ousting the Chinese from developing a base on the mouth of the Persian Gulf. As things stand, the US will lean on both India and Pakistan to consider the Turkmenistan pipeline and give up the Iranian project
<!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd-->
<!--QuoteBegin-->QUOTE<!--QuoteEBegin-->India has for long harbored ambitions and pretensions of being a major player in the region and the world. This is perhaps India's big opportunity to move into the big league. But in order to do so, India will have to chart out its game plan very carefully and with cold calculation.<!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd-->