Bouthaina Shaaban, a top aide to Syrian President Bashar Assad, called for “popular opposition and operations against the American occupiers of our oil,” saying Syria must liberate itself from foreign occupiers.
Shaaban sought to clarify that President Trump’s talk of securing Syri’s oil fields really mean “he’s talking about stealing it,” and that the US has absolutely no right to take Syrian oil.
President Trump made it clear in October that his primary, and indeed sole military goal in Syria was to seize the oil. Since then, there is still no sign any US company is willing to participate in that plan, and analysts doubt the US could ever even break even on the effort.
It isn’t surprising that Syria would consider recovering the oil vital, after all it is the only reliable source of revenue to rebuild their economy around. At the same time, with 600 US troops at the oil, along with armored vehicles, it’s not clear that Syria has a realistic chance of recovering the area any time soon.
The goal of the US is not to seize the oil but to keep it from the Syrians. To get other people involved it helps a lot of course if you can promise them that they can get the benefits from that oil.
Putin does not need Syrian oil because he has plenty of the stuff at home. But will he back Assad on this one?
Eventually President Trump will have to withdraw the US troops from the oil fields. They are unwanted, unloved, and surrounded.
Of course no oil company is interested in that Syrian oil. Oil companies do not care who rules Syria and how as long as the ruler is predictable and firmly in the saddle. There is no shred of predictability in Syria.
The truth is — oil companies are by far more careful about the issue of ownership. They may not care about the form of government, but they care VERY MUCH about who owns energy assets, and whether they are likely to be taken to international court on ownership issue.
Since it is clear who owns Syria’s oil and for as long as the owner objects, no company will come in.
Oil fields need investment. They require major repairs.
Trump can cut a deal with Syria, leave the country with a deal for oil companies participation.
But at present, Trump does not care for this. He was forced to stay in Syria due to sheer panic following partial withdrawal. Since he does not want ideology to be the reason, nor ISIS as a major threat — he has this cringeworthy excuse to stay. Those who are making him stay — must take all the credit for this shining example of American “values” at work.
Nope. Trump takes the full blame since he thinks the president is constitutionally allowed to make this decision(it ain’t).
Everything is uncertain until after the 2020 election. Then, when Trump wins, if he wins, and he has nothing more at stake politically, he will be free to go “Full Trump”, at which point we may get to see what “Full Trump” means.
Frankly, with all the spectacle, I’ve not been able to assess with any confidence who the “real” Trump is. He’s been far more judicious in his ACTION than I had hoped. I thought he would be far tougher with those who attacked him so relentlessly. I thought — hoped, actually — that he would bring the wrath of god down on The Swamp, but he went all soft and go-along-to-get-along on me. Which naturally his adversaries took for weakness, and so continued attacking him unrelentingly.
He was patient — he waited out the ridiculous Mueller investigation, knowing as only he could know, that he was innocent — and he was judicious — ie went “soft” — with his Congressional adversaries — full on enemies, in my view. He could have taken full executive control of the DoJ and charged all the Congressional Iraq war enablers with ***WAR CRIMES***, slammed them with indictments and put the lot of them in orange jumpsuits. He didn’t do that, much to my disappointment, but opted for a more “accommodating” approach. He was surprisingly moderate. I thought (hoped, actually) he would be more of a bad boy than that.
So here we are, coming up on three years of Trump. The world hasn’t come to an end, and much to the disappointment of his enemies Trump is doing well and unscathed — except in Snowflake Fantasyland — while the Dems are failing and flailing in complete disarray.
(Last month saw the Horowitz Report, The Afghanistan Papers, & the OPCW scandal come crashing down on the heads of The Swamp, while the Durham “Death Star” Report tantalizes for a pre-election Stake-Through-the-Heart of Brennan et al, “in the land of Mordor, where the shadows lie.” )
Fabulous show! And I’m confident that the coming election season will prove yet again an unrivaled spectacle. I am so loving it!
Here’s hoping you all had yourself a Merry Little Christmas, and wishing for us all the Best New Year Ever!!!
MAGA!!! Nuke the frikkin’ Swamp!!! (Anyone care to join me in a deliciously feverish effort to have the 25th Amendment repealed?!)
MAGA!!! Nuke the frikkin’ Swamp!!!
So now that’s going to happen in his second term? Geez, I remember you promising all those toxic hires were to appease the neocon faction and were only temporary. And here we are 3 years in and he keeps replacing those swamp creatures with more swamp creatures. But I’m sure if he wins a second term you will be dreaming the same wet dream you seem to be having about Trump being anything different than his predecessors.
Genel Energy.
The oil may be partly for internal use -though Iran may be providing them with enough already -they can’t sell much anyway. I would think it os mostly about selling oil for money, sometimes in order to buy other oil products. The threat is still indirect and cautious. No sign of Syrian army challenging US directly.
You’re absolutely right, Dieter. Putin has loads of oil, so he doesn’t need Syrian oil. Will he back Assad on this one? I believe he will.
Yes, eventually, DJT will have to withdraw US troops from the oil fields, and eventually from Syria altogether .. They’re unwanted, unloved, and surrounded. The sooner they leave, the better.
This is being done of behalf of Israel. If Israel wants to steal oil like it does land let them put their own troops in eastern Syria, not ours.
A combat hardened army such as the Syrian Army cannot handle 600 US troops with armored vehicles? Am I missing something here???
The fact the US establishment wants nothing more than too destroy Syria for their Israeli/Saudi master’s and doesn’t need a single trooper on the ground to do so, just some excuse to unleash said destruction.
The troops and vehicles aren’t the problem, it’s the aircraft that protect them which could inflict a severe punishment on Syria.
Do the scorched earth scenario. No oil wells, no US Military and no more paid mercenaries. Blow them all up. They are doing no good giving Trump and his puppet masters a reason to stay. Scorch it… scorch it all. If US troops do not move out after warning them of this plan … Trumps fault, not Assad.
It could with help and air support from Russia. One could except US guarding the oil fields from ISIS, as long as it does not withhold the badly needed oil from Syria, which needs it for its rebuild of the country.
I wonder what those 600 troops mean. Could go somewhat like this
‘ah no, these 600 are only actual combat troops, not counting other people on the ground’
‘well actually, only our own combat troops, not counting subcontractors’
‘er, only permanent troops, anyone with a ‘transitional or temporary label’ isn’t counted.
After all , didn’t they have as many vehicles as they had troops??
There is another purpose beyond denial of resources to the Syrian people. The ulterior motive is to provoke an attack on the US forces by Syria or its allies to justify an escalation in hostilities by the US.
The American troops are sacrificial lambs for the War Party.
I wonder whether Trump would risk another costly war with Russia if the latter were to assist Assad by recovering their own oil fields. I don’t think so. Putin is biding his time probably knowing that the Americans will finally will have to withdraw. Is a matter of time.