Afghanistan: Between Pipelines and ISIS-K, the Americans Are Still in Play

Afghanistan: Between Pipelines and ISIS-K, the Americans Are Still in Play

Something quite extraordinary happened in early November in Kabul. Taliban interim-Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi and Turkmen Foreign Minister Rashid Meredov got together to discuss a range of political and economic issues. Most importantly, they resurrected the legendary soap opera which in the early 2000s I dubbed Pipelineistan: the Turkmenistan-Afghanistan-Pakistan-India (TAPI) gas pipeline. Call it…

The Pipeline and the Poison

The Pipeline and the Poison

Pipeline politics, like electoral politics, knows no limits. With Nordstream 2’s completion on schedule to happen around the same time Donald Trump will ‘appear to be re-elected,‘ the amping up of anti-Russian rhetoric and political pressure was to be expected. The poisoning of Russian President Vladimir Putin’s supposed chief critic, Alexei Navalny, is the latest…

“Israel” Will Never Let Iran Build a Pipeline to Syria Unless Russia Is Involved

“Israel” Will Never Let Iran Build a Pipeline to Syria Unless Russia Is Involved

It’s impossible to imagine any realistic scenario where “Israel” would sit back and let its number one enemy strengthen its influence in the region unless Russia was involved as a stakeholder for keeping Iran in check. *** Iran is reportedly exploring the possibility of building a pipeline across Iraq to Syria to complement the plan that…