Secret Agent: Rumsfeld Sneaks Off to Baku

[chlamor]

Secret Agent: Rumsfeld Sneaks Off to Baku

by Ward Harkavy

Unreported in U.S. press, he stalks oil and Iran in Azerbaijan

Crude crossroads: Azerbaijan is not only a major oil producer and port but also sits in a strategic and volatile place on the Caspian, bordered not only by its bitter enemy Armenia but also by Russia, Iran, and Georgia.


Hardly any country on the planet sits in a more crucial spot than the harsh dictatorship of Azerbaijan, so that's probably why Don Rumsfeld sneaked off to its rowdy capital, Baku, earlier this week.

Do you hear the neocons beating the oil drums of war?

<snip>

Analysts' views on the chances for a U.S. military presence in Azerbaijan coincide with shifts in Pentagon plans for deployment of U.S. forces. In a February 2004 visit to Uzbekistan, for example, Rumsfeld outlined the concept of "operating sites" in Asia that would allow the U.S. and its allies "to periodically and intermittently have access and support." In times of crisis, these "sites," usually manned by small groups of personnel, could be expanded to handle larger numbers of troops and supplies.
The Azeri writer is not just out there on his own. A story in the April 11 Wall Street Journal, "Search for Crude Comes With New Dangers," focused on how the hunt for oil is likely to get more and more dangerous, and naturally Azerbaijan came up. (Sorry, you probably have to subscribe to get the story. But you should subscribe. Just skip the foolish editorial pages.)

http://www.energybulletin.net/5409.html

http://villagevoice.com/blogs/bushbeat/archive/images/rumsfeld,-ilham-aliyev-aug0-thumb.jpg