Posted on 05/06/2006 8:55:19 AM PDT by Ernest_at_the_Beach
The United States has outlined an ambitious energy project to develop the energy sources of the ex-Soviet republics of Central Asia.
The plan would develop a regional power grid from Kazakhstan to India.
The grid would feed the growing energy needs of India, Pakistan and Afghanistan, and help integrate the economies of Central and South Asia.
The far-reaching plan would also reduce Central Asia's reliance on routes through Russia for its energy exports.
The US Assistant Secretary of State, Richard Boucher, presented the plan to committee in Congress.
He explained how the development of a power grid through Afghanistan would enable the energy-rich nations of Central Asia to sell electricity to energy-poor India and Pakistan.
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We want to give South Asians access to the vast and rapidly growing energy resources in Central Asia
Richard Boucher
US Assistant Secretary of State
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The impoverished mountainous republics of Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan both want to develop their large hydro-electricity potential.
Kazakhstan, with abundant oil and gas, is rapidly becoming a top energy producer while Turkmenistan has some of the world's largest gas reserves.
India and Pakistan have both been seeking ways to import Central Asian oil, gas and electricity to fuel their expanding economies.
Historic ties
Even Afghanistan now needs more energy as its war shattered economy begins to recover.
Mr Boucher said the opening up of Afghanistan meant that it should now be seen as a bridge not an obstacle between Central and South Asia.
Historically, Central Asia always had close ties with Afghanistan and India until they were broken by Soviet isolationism imposed by Moscow.
But continuing insecurity in parts of Afghanistan has long prevented the rebuilding of economic ties. Now American officials and other observers say the best way to reintegrate Afghanistan and to improve stability in the entire region is to boost economic integration.
Under President Vladimir Putin, Russia has been increasing its efforts to recover lost economic influence in Central Asia, but US policy has long been to wean the Central Asian republics away from their old reliance on Moscow.
Heh, heh. Pissing off the Russians, one step at a time.
Why do I hear somewhere in the shadows,
"....and we're going to NEED MORE of your Great American Know-How AND $$$$$ if "WE" are to make this a reality Uncle Sap!...er...I meant GREAT Uncle Sam!!!...."
What's this now about " Energy " development overseas??
Can YOU say, " Six Bucks a gallon for gas!! "
This is throwing, " Think GLOBALLY, but act LOCALLY " right out the window!!
( And I'm almost finished with my third -$2,000 Katrina Credit Card and there are STILL 3 more races left in Belmont!!)
DAB
Poor countries are poor for reasons...mostly because they're inhabited by corrupt governments and a populace that just sits and rotates on their thumbs because they figure sooner or later, the United States will come along and bail out their cesspool with money taken from American taxpayers!
Tax dollars at work - overseas.
Ah, excuse me? It just may be time for the engineers to figure out how to protect the American power grid against attack, rather than spreading ourselves so thin around the globe. My grandmother used to say, "charity begins at home", so home will not depend on charity, I think.
What about us?
We've got to develop the power grid in India, so that all those outsourced companies will have sufficient energy to stay outsourced. Of course, its necessary to use our tax dollars to do this, as the situation is too unstable for businesses to risk their own capital, even though their executives reap the benefits of third world labor costs.
I believe the response is: " Shut up, keep working, and pony up your tithes, slave. "
Oh, hush. It's a strategic move in the war against Islam to cement relations with some Muslim allies (every time the West fought a major war with Islam before, there have been a few Muslim states, mercinaries, etc. that sided with the West against their coreligionists, why should this time be different?) and with India.
All of the countries involved are allies in the current war, and are natural allies in the next one I anticipate (us, them, the Japanese and probably the Russians, against China--yes, the Russians, look at the geopolitics of it: Russia is playing balance-of-power politics now, but as long as China has a totalist state, Russian and Chinese interests are in conflict in the long run).
Makes sense to me....
First off, sir - DO NOT tell me to 'hush' as if I were an infant or deficient in some manner. My pixels carry just as much weight as yours.
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It's a strategic move in the war against Islam to cement relations with some Muslim allies
No! Really? How exactly do you manage a 'was against Islam' with 'Muslim allies' anyway?
Could you please give me a statistic on how many countries, having begun as allies, became enemies? How many countries have we helped only to have that help turned on our own people?
Is there anything to prevent it's happening again?
(Good grief, man...betraying the US has almost become an art form!)
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and are natural allies in the next one I anticipate (us, them, the Japanese and probably the Russians, against China--yes, the Russians, look at the geopolitics of it: Russia is playing balance-of-power politics now, but as long as China has a totalist state, Russian and Chinese interests are in conflict in the long run)
I anticipate World War 3 as well, and submit that the entire thing had a good possibility of being avoided if we'd minded more of our own business.
The Founders had a REASON for the advice *avoid foreign entanglements*.
>>US plans major Asian power grid ~<<
So who is gonna pay for this and what is it gonna cost?
I think it is meant to help the people over there and I would think they would pay....we might help in planning...for a fee ...
1. Reduces Russian influence in the region.
2. Reduces Chinese influence in the region. Recall that China is actively seeking to gain access to gas and oil resources in Central Asia.
3. Increased cooperation between countries in the region should bring about more stability in the region and should increase US influence in the region. It will also make it harder for terrorist groups like Al-Queda to operate there.
As far as the cost goes, the actual building of the transmission lines could proceed fairly quickly & cheaply. One of the great unheralded success stories of the rebuilding of Iraq has been the incredible rebuilding of the power infrastucute that occurred in the first year of the occupation. It really isn't that hard anymore to build a power grid if you have engineers who know what they are doing. The main impediments to building new transmission lines in the US are the legal and environmental roadblocks. The Sierra Club and Greenpeace will probably find it difficult to operate in Central Asia.
As far as the cost, while the US will certainly put up some money, most of the money could be loaned through the World Bank or some other similar agency. To prevent the countries from defaulting on their loans, there would be the transmission grid and power plants that could be used as collateral.
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