President Trump has indicated that he intends to keep US troops in Syria to maintain military control over oil in the country’s east, and wants a US oil company to take some of that oil while they’re at it.
The scheme is being endorsed by only a handful of officials, like Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC) who argues that it’s common sense to take Syria’s oil. More broadly, law professors and analysts are rejecting the idea, saying it is “immoral and possibly illegal.“
Emory Law professor Laurie Blank says that “international law seeks to protect against exactly this sort of exploitation.” Other analysts said convincing a big US company to operate there would be a “tough sell,” while both Exxon Mobil and Chevron denied all comment on the matter.
Understandably, some countries are also rejecting the idea that the US can just take oil militarily, with Russian officials accusing the US of “international banditry.” Russia is allied with Syria and understandably opposed to Syria losing its oil to an occupying power.
Denying Syria the Oil is a big part of the destabilization that started when H Clinton started shipping ton of weapons to terrorists in Syria.
With the absolute help of the Republicans, Just remember that John McCain was a frequent visitor to Syria and that he met up and was photographed with the recently dear departed Bagdadi in 2013.
I agree with you on this, Adriaan. With help from Republicans, especially John McCain. It was McCain who was a frequent visitor to Syria and that he met up and was photographed with Abu Bakr Al-Baghdadi and a few of his followers in 2013. Mike S. King of TomatoBubble.com – who just posted an article on Al-Baghdadi some 2 days ago – also mentioned the so-called raid as a hoax.
I also agree with Pat Dunne on the issue of Syria’s oil being a big part of the destabilization which started when H. Clinton started shipping tons of weapons to terrorists (including ISIS) in Syria,
By Lindsey’s Logic, we can all just show up at his house(s) with guns and claim it as ours. Then we can sell the properties and divvie up the cash…
Yep, sounds good. I’ll lock n load and meet you there!
This shoulda been done long ago.
..and Muricans think that it is “Russian propaganda” that makes them look bad. Hilarious….
If the US wants Syrian oil, it would be a lot cheaper to buy it.
The intent is not to buy but to sell the stolen oil for dollars. There is only one potential buyer nearby, namely Israel. Jordan? Not likely.
Turkey was buying the oil from ISIS, Erdogans son used it in his refineries!
What would Justin write?
Mmmm, I’ll take a stab at it…trump’s redeployment out of Turkey’s way, then added deployment to seize Syrian resources is further proof that trumps 4d antiwar plan is working. It would be working much better if liberals would just say nice things all the time about it.
In this Rogue Nation of US you need highly qualified “law professors and analysts” to figure out that it is “possibly” (really just possibly?) illegal and immoral to steal another country’s oil. How much longer will it take for this rotting, decaying corps of a country to finally disintegrate?
This depends on how long the 3% of American families who send their sons and daughters into the military cling to their false Idol of the US Military being a force for good in the world. There really is no telling how long it will take for that image to be shattered as possibly not one soldier enlisted has even bothered to read the constitution… bringing their knowledge of it to par with Constitutional Scholars like Obama.
Suppose that Exxon Mobile sends its personnel into Syria to get some oil from one or several wells. For free? Well no, at least there is the cost of the protection by our armed forces. Then there is that nasty conflict of interest. EM cannot give a drop of oil for free to the US government just as the owner of the land where the Johnson Space Center is today could not give that land for free to the Kennedy government. And then there still are the shipping costs.
Here is my prediction. By the time when the first barrel of Syrian oil stolen by the Trump administration is sold (most likely to Israel) the costs will have been greater than the income.
This is the most idiotic idea which President Trump has ever launched.
Keeping those tanks there is gonna be expensive:
“Logistics is the ball and chain of armored warfare.”
Heinz Guderian
I’m in full agreement with both you and Dieter Heymann, Joao Alfaite on this very subject. Keeping those tanks there will be very expensive.
“Logistics is the ball and chain of armored warfare.” ~ Heinz Guderian
Maybe the Democrats can add War Crimes to the Articles of Impeachment, because under US domestic law, and International treaty law the US cannot steal oil! It is a breach of the Geneva Conventions.
The least of the problems is — use of oil. How about illegal entry into a country with military force, interfering with that country’s ability to act against militants. It is very difficult to explain the germination of ISIS into areas controlled by US in both Iraq and Syria, and expanded from there.
The destruction of ISIS was on the ground — by Iraqi Army, Iraqi militias, Syrian Army and Syrian Sunni, Christian, Shia, Palestinian militias, as well as Turkey and their militias. ALL of them battled well funded and well armed ISIS -/ on the ground, where it counts. Getting ISIS out of Manbij and Raqqa was hardly a major feat as ISIS agreed to leave the town. Kurds lost most of their fighters in liberating Kobane, and in Iraq liberating Sinjar and Kirkuk.
It is essential to remember that US role was to assist with air power, and coordinate.
Why not stay above the fray and show leadership, not playing favorites and not talking to “bad guys”.
If the occupation is unlawful, so is the theft of the oil
No major oil company in the world will go in there and risk not only on the ground armed reprisal but internaitonal litigation.
Nevermind the legal issues ( like they care ). What I want to know is just how they intend to physically get the out out of there… Assad is to the East, Russia is straddling the border with Turkey, Iraq wants no part of the scheme and its a long way to Jordan through bandit country.
No, the purpose of this exercise is to deny Syria the oil.
united states of killer pirates for hire. israel: for u, free; u’re god’s chosen thieves, notwithstanding passe “thou shalt not steal, covet, or kill.”