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To me it is interesting there are viable jihads along geographic areas where there is either oil and gas or pipeline export regions. This tells me that the Saudis - maybe with a wink and a nod from the USA and some western countries - were truing to destabilize oil/gas and pipeline countries after the collapse of the Soviet Union.
The saudis and emirates want the pipeline but syria, iraq, or iran are in the way. The Russians dont want the competition but before Putin they werent going to stand in the way. We were the only ones with enough muscle to clear the way yet something really big had to happen for the.American people to rally behind going to war. It’s pretty much that simple. Unlikely they will get their pipeline now.