Energy costs

M K Bhadrakumar's latest in the Asia Times is a must read.

He takes a look at the many changes of late in the energy game in Central Asia, the Turkmenistan/China pipeline, the recent re-rapprochement between Turkmenistan and Russia, and now a Turkmenistan/Iran pipeline that was just inaugurated by a visit of Ahmadinejad to Ashgabat.

So far, our paper of record, the NYT has failed to take note either of the latter pipeline, or the visit, as all their energy seems wrapped up in forecasting the demise of the Iranian regime, and all the tunnels the Iranians are digging.

The US is pursuing a strategy in Central Asia that was devised by Cheney, military occupation leading to capture of the energy resources of the region, and the Middle East as well. That strategy is pretty well defunct, unless another escalation is in the works, but its military component continues, hiding behind the mask of anti-terrorism. Fettered Leader's inability to propose any policy changes in the past year, and seemingly the future, compounds Cheney's errors and the huge costs they've incurred.