Explosives on Detroit-Bound Airplane

[DoYouEverWonder]

For a guy from a well off family, didn't anyone ever teach him about wearing clean underwear? Especially, if you're going on an airplane and you want to stash you explosives in them?



I thought he took out the explosives to mix them together? I didn't know he was trying to set his own balls on fire. Tell me this guy wasn't drugged?

[tron]

was he a big jerry lee lewis fan?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4bB5xL577r4

[Maddy]

This morning KOMO tv was talking about racial profiling, and how much any of this stuff helps. This is a really good "reason" for the gov't to clamp down even further. "No one was watching! We have to watch more!" How blatant could they get? And few people will actually get what they're saying. They'll think its a good thing, and welcome Big Brother with opened arms.

[Wombaticus Rex]

This whole incident -- especially the aftermath -- is a personal high water mark for me.

I have never felt so alienated from the culture around me as I have these past few days, seeing the TV, hearing people talking.

I did get into it once, couldn't help myself...this lady was talking about how "scared" she was and I had to ask how often she takes flights anywhere. She got offended enough to confirm my suspicions.

This seems like a significant high water mark for the Terror Factory, too, but I know that's just me seeing things wrong. After this, I know for sure they don't even need an actual attack to start the social synthesis process....but that's been true for a long time, now that I think back to all the other non-event FBI-groomed "terror plots" of the past decade.

[Pele'sDaughter]

Oh, so this is what it was all about!


http://tinyurl.com/ychyau3


Key House panel chairman calls for confirmation of blocked TSA chief
By Jordan Fabian - 12/29/09 09:29 AM ET

A chairman of a key House committee late Monday called for the confirmation of President Barack Obama's choice to helm the Transportation Security Administration, a nominee blocked by a Republican senator.

Homeland Security Committee Chairman Bennie Thompson (D-Miss.) said the confirmation is a crucial step in preventing another attempted terrorist attack such as the one on Christmas Day.

"The TSA needs a permanent administrator," Thompson said in a statement. "Erroll Southers, an experienced, highly-qualified nominee, continues to be held up in the Senate by someone who obviously puts process ahead of progress."

Sen. Jim DeMint (R-S.C.) has placed a hold on Southers's nomination and has said he wants answers from Southers on whether he'll support unionizing TSA workers. DeMint views unionization as a potential threat to the agency's ability to swiftly perform security upgrades at airports, and has described the failed attack in Detroit as an example of why unionization of TSA should not be allowed.

But Thompson says that the agency needs an administrator to run at full capacity.


"If TSA is to become the kind of nimble, responsive organization the American people deserve in times like this, it will need a Senate-confirmed administrator," he said. "If nothing else, the events of last week highlighted this lack of leadership."

DeMint's hold has come under greater scrutiny after authorities said 23-year-old Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab attempted to detonate an explosive aboard a Northwest Airlines flight bound for Detroit from Amsterdam. The Nigerian man was subdued by passengers and crew after the detonator failed to properly set off the explosive.


As part of the inquiry into the attack, government officials and congressional committees will examine why airport security measures failed to prevent Abdulmutallab from boarding the plane with explosives.


Thompson also called for the confirmation of the Customs and Border Protection administrator who he says plays a "key role" in homeland security matters. There is no hold on that nomination.

[Maddy]

Brilliant, Pele'sDaughter! I was waiting to see what was going to come of this one. This is why I can't even have an opinion on anything immediately any longer - there's always the other shoe waiting to drop. >.<

Homeland Security Committee Chairman Bennie Thompson (D-Miss.) said the confirmation is a crucial step in preventing another attempted terrorist attack such as the one on Christmas Day.

[Uncle $cam]

Long live FATHER! Long live INGSOC!

Now their reporting someone set up cam/video equipment and record ed the whole flight!? Including the attempted blooper in the bloomers?

I'm so sick of this Derren Brown bullshit, I smell propagenda once again, I can't put my finger on it, but it seems too compartmentalized... remember, the method of propagenda has as it's sole purpose to herd you into a certain one way channel of thought, sort of like sociologist Thorstein Veblen's "trained incapacity", his theory works like this, authority figures train their members or practitioners to see certain aspects of a problem, but in so doing those practitioners become trained to not see other aspects of the same problem.

Which gives them an out*. In this case the authority being the media, and you (the general audience), i.e., the masses, being in the role of the practitioner('s) who gets escorted into an Gedankenexperiment, linguistic thought trap, in other words, herding you into no other avenue but one, their truth.

Is anyone here familiar with the concepts and the idea of 'nowcasting', or 'hindcasting'; am I grasping at spooks?

*In other words, 'plausible denialability' or "blameless cupidity" also a Veblenism; lastly, by 'them' I mean a both the media, and the protagonist's of this tragicomedy.

[AlicetheKurious]

Just a thought, but could there be an extra bonus that to the Anglican ear, al-Queda, al-Quida, al-Qaeda has never been able to been spelled right? Nobody agrees on it's spelling and nobody knows really how to spell it. I've never seen such a short word quite like it.

Well since it's an Arabic word there's no 'right' spelling... but it looks like Qaeda is now standard and Qaida the variant. I do think the fact that it's short and exotic makes it a good SMERSH. That's why every terrorist outfit has to be described as "an Al-Qaeda affiliate".

Al-Qaeda, literally ‘the database,’ was originally the computer file of the thousands of mujaheddin who were recruited and trained with help from the CIA to defeat the Russians.

Yeah totally. That's what I was saying. Can't go around yet with a name like "Farmer Jim's Discount Terrorist Operations". "Al-Qaeda" has cache because it still remains exotic and unknowable to the westerner's ear.

The reason it can't be spelled in English is that there's no letter for the sound of the Arabic letter ain (it sort of sounds like when the doctor uses a tongue depressor and asks you to say "aaaah".) It's usually transliterated as an extra "a" -- so al qaeda would normally be spelled "al qaada."

Not to be pedantic, but al qaada, however it's spelled, is an Arabic word that means "the base", not "the database". The database would be translated as "al qaada lel maaloomat". The basis of my thinking would be "al qaada le tafkeeree", the military base would be "al qaada al aaskariya" and so on. It also can mean a get-together or small party, literally "a sitting" -- if I invite someone over for drinks, I invite them to come over for a "qaada". "Al qaada" can also mean "basis", as in "on this basis, I've decided to...". It can have all the meanings of "home base". It also means "seat", as in "car seat" or even "toilet seat." In other words, it's a word that is amazingly versatile and commonly used for all sorts of unrelated things.

Whether intended or not, the very fact that the word is an extremely commonly used one, can make it very easy to create spurious connections between innocent people being taped having innocuous conversations, and "al Qaeda".

[seemslikeadream]

I imagine they won't be delaying that vote on the Patriot Act much longer.

[cptmarginal]

http://www.veteranstoday.com/modules.ph ... e&sid=9951

When nothing adds up, its time we starting looking at what we know. Our recent terrorist, now dubbed "the crotch bomber" is another dupe. He could have been working for anyone, drugged, brainwashed or simply influenced, maybe by crazy Arabs, maybe by the Mossad, maybe by the CIA. We only know the game is falling apart.

We do know a couple of things. Dad, back in Nigeria, ran the national arms industry (DICON) in partnership with Israel, in particular, the Mossad. He was in daily contact with them. They run everything in Nigeria, from arms production to counter-terrorism. Though Islamic, Muttalab was a close associate of Israel. He has been misrepresented. His "banking" is a cover. Next, what do we know about the two Al Qaeda leaders Bush had released, the ones who planned this?

According to ABC news, the Al Qaeda leaders running the insurgency in Yemen were released from Guantanamo, although two of the highest ranking known terrorist there, without trial.

Guantanamo prisoner #333, Muhamad Attik al-Harbi, and prisoner #372, Said Ali Shari, were sent to Saudi Arabia on Nov. 9, 2007, according to the Defense Department log of detainees who were released from American custody.

Both of the former Guantanamo detainees are described as military commanders and appear on a January, 2009 video along with the man described as the top leader of al Qaeda in Yemen, Abu Basir Naser al-Wahishi, formerly Osama bin Laden's personal secretary.

With all the hoopla about trials in New York, not a word is said when top level terrorists are released to Saudi friends of the Bush family who let them go. We are now fighting these two Bush friends in Yemen. They are running a major insurgency there. We have been using Cruise missiles and our jets to attack their bases in the last weeks.

From the second link:

Members of the National Assembly have expressed different opinions on the alleged invitation of Israeli intelligence agency to train the country's security operations under a secret security pact.

Former Chairman House of Representatives Committee on National Security and Intelligence, Rep Abdullahi Farouk (PDP, Kebbi State), said Nigeria does not need Mossad or any foreign intelligence organisation to train the country's security agents because Nigeria has the best security training institution in the country.

However, the Chairman of the Senate Committee on National Security and Intelligence, Senator Nuhu Aliyu, said he supports the alleged security pact with Israeli. He said "They (Mossad) are professionals and they are here to help train our own intelligence agents. I don't see anyway by which their presence in the country pose any threat to our National Security."

Speaking with Daily Trust in an interview, Rep Farouk said "You see, this question demeans Nigeria which is a big country. You need to know that in this continent Africa, Nigeria is the country that is providing security training for other nations and I don't think this issue will even arise. We have the best defence academy in Nigeria and it is even a degree awarding institution; the NDA Kaduna. They are also training people from other continents. So, I do not want to believe this; I think that is trash".

Ha. The BBCseems to have got its information about "Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula" from two outfits called SITE Intelligence and Intelcenter. The former is based in Maryland and run by an Israeli spy called Rita Katz, the latter based in Virgina and run by Ben Venzke. At the moment Intelcenter has a helpful wall chart for sale on its front page, showing a link analysis of "al-Qaeda Activity in Yemen".

Same old indeed.

Wasnt that IntelCenter the same organization that released some doctored "Al-Qaeda" videos time back?
(sourced via Prisonplanet, but seems the gist of the story is correct)
http://www.sott.net/articles/show/137751
IntelCenter and As-Sahab logos added at same time, indicating Pentagon linked "middleman" is directly releasing Al-Qaeda videos

I find any reference to these sorts of private intelligence firms suspicious to the max. The Nigeria (and apparently also India) connection is interesting, and the context of the battle with MEND and right over in Somalia the business with the pirates - which we've seen this about:

Somali pirates guided by London intelligence team

The Somali pirates in the Gulf of Aden and Indian Ocean are directed to their targets by a "consultant" team in London, according to European military intelligence.

Pirate groups have "well-placed informers" in London who are in regular contact with control centres in Somalia where decisions on which vessels to attack are made. These London-based "consultants" help the pirates select targets, providing information on the ships' cargoes and courses.

In at least one case the pirates have remained in contact with their London informants from the hijacked ship, according to one targeted shipping company.

The pirates' information network extends to Yemen, Dubai and the Suez canal.

Somalia is right next to Yemen. The US recently held AFRICOM war games simulating Nigeria & Somalia.

http://uruknet.com/?p=m56992

In addition to U.S. military officers and intelligence officers, "Unified Quest 2008" brought together participants from the State Department and other U.S. government agencies, academics, journalists, and foreign military officers (including military representatives from several NATO countries, Australia, and Israel), along with the private military contractors who helped run the war games: the Rand Corporation and Booz-Allen.

One of the four scenarios that were war-gamed was a test of how Africom could respond to a crisis in Somalia — set in 2025 — caused by escalating insurgency and piracy. Unfortunately, no information on the details of the scenario is available.

Far more information is available on the other scenario — set in 2013 — which was a test of how Africom could respond to a crisis in Nigeria in which the Nigerian government is near collapse, and rival factions and rebels are fighting for control of the oil fields of the Niger Delta and vying for power in the country which is the sixth largest supplier of America's oil imports.

The list of options for the Nigeria scenario ranged from diplomatic pressure to military action, with or without the aid of European and African nations. One participant, U.S. Marine Corps Lieutenant Colonel Mark Stanovich, drew up a plan that called for the deployment of thousands of U.S. troops within 60 days, which even he thought was undesirable....

As the game progressed, according to former U.S. ambassador David Lyon, it became clear that the government of Nigeria was a large part of the problem. As he put it, "we have a circle of elites [the government of Nigeria] who have seized resources and are trying to perpetuate themselves. Their interests are not exactly those of the people."

Hmm

Son of an elite Mossad-connected Nigerian goes to prestigious London engineering school and gets hooked up with al-Qaeda, then goes on airplane in obvious dupe manner and almost seems to purposely elicit mind-control speculation.

As it says in this article - Wealthy, quiet, unassuming

Another significant factor is the report that the bomber was an engineering student at University College London. Dr Leivesley said that al-Qa'ida was recruiting people with engineering qualifications as well as highly placed scientists, particularly in the nuclear field.

Why does that ring so familiar?

[AlicetheKurious]

Guantanamo prisoner #333, Muhamad Attik al-Harbi, and prisoner #372, Said Ali Shari, were sent to Saudi Arabia on Nov. 9, 2007, according to the Defense Department log of detainees who were released from American custody.

Both of the former Guantanamo detainees are described as military commanders and appear on a January, 2009 video along with the man described as the top leader of al Qaeda in Yemen, Abu Basir Naser al-Wahishi, formerly Osama bin Laden's personal secretary.

With all the hoopla about trials in New York, not a word is said when top level terrorists are released to Saudi friends of the Bush family who let them go. We are now fighting these two Bush friends in Yemen. They are running a major insurgency there. We have been using Cruise missiles and our jets to attack their bases in the last weeks.

Actually, the insurgency in Yemen is by the long-oppressed and marginalized Huthi tribes, who are Shi'ites and therefore infidels and therefore mortal enemies of the fanatically Sunni "al Qaeda". There is far more evidence to link the US-allied governments of both Yemen and Saudi Arabia to "al Qaeda" than the insurgents.

The sudden and otherwise inexplicable emergence of "al Qaeda" in the Yemen rebellion seems designed to give it a brand identity so that the American public knows who the bad guys are without having to deal with too much confusing information.

P.S. In Egypt and Saudi Arabia, the "al Qaeda" angle is played down, and we are told that the Yemen rebellion is part of Iran's strategy to de-stabilize and take over the Arab countries.

[IanEye]

_ _ _
No Drama?

TPM Reader MC chimes in from the airline terminal ...

I'm flying today and got to the ft. Lauderdale airport and through security in under 15 minutes. All the TSA staff are serious and doing their job efficiently and thoroughly, but no one, including passengers appears panicked or upset. I don't think it is that we are 'used to' terror threats- it is a distinctly different feel that the US is doing what it needs to and not creating a fear. Its as though the president has a handle on it and is steering us straight, albeit, rough patch of water- not hyperventilating and flapping wildly. Its as though an adult is leading this country finally... and it feels good.

I would not want to publish MC's email without noting that a lot of people, overwhelmingly but I don't think exclusively Republicans, are seeing the same pattern but with a very different reaction. But the difference is striking.

Yes, the Bush team reflexively took every new terror incident -- often just an arrest long before anything was actually planned -- as a lever to juice another few percentage points in approval ratings.

But it was never just that. Even beyond the immediate political manipulation there was always a drive to push the country back into a 'high-fear' climate, with a presidential statements, always with some new leaked intel to dramatize the threat, even what you might call the iconography of terror -- color coded threat levels and the like. (And look, the fear is grounded in reality. There were under 300 people on the plane. But it was on approach for landing, so probably over an area of concentrated population. So it's not inconceivable the toll of dead could have approached the number that died on 9/11.)

That had a lot of political plusses for the administration, as noted. But it's a basic mindset issue too -- the idea that a climate of fear and heightened anxiety or aggression is a strength. In our office we have a World War II poster from the UK which reads "Keep Calm and Carry On". Very mid-century British. Very Obama and not very Bush.

I'd like to think that everyone finds the difference refreshing, as MC does. But I'm not so sure. I suspect it will break down largely along party lines -- not because Republicans are reflexively hostile to Obama, and Democrats the opposite, but because the different mindsets are actually what forms the basis of the partisan and ideological identification.

http://www.talkingpointsmemo.com/archives/2009/12/no_drama.php

_ _ _

[DoYouEverWonder]

Guantanamo prisoner #333, Muhamad Attik al-Harbi, and prisoner #372, Said Ali Shari, were sent to Saudi Arabia on Nov. 9, 2007, according to the Defense Department log of detainees who were released from American custody.

Both of the former Guantanamo detainees are described as military commanders and appear on a January, 2009 video along with the man described as the top leader of al Qaeda in Yemen, Abu Basir Naser al-Wahishi, formerly Osama bin Laden's personal secretary.

With all the hoopla about trials in New York, not a word is said when top level terrorists are released to Saudi friends of the Bush family who let them go. We are now fighting these two Bush friends in Yemen. They are running a major insurgency there. We have been using Cruise missiles and our jets to attack their bases in the last weeks.

Actually, the insurgency in Yemen is by the long-oppressed and marginalized Huthi tribes, who are Shi'ites and therefore infidels and therefore mortal enemies of the fanatically Sunni "al Qaeda". There is far more evidence to link the US-allied governments of both Yemen and Saudi Arabia to "al Qaeda" than the insurgents.

The sudden and otherwise inexplicable emergence of "al Qaeda" in the Yemen rebellion seems designed to give it a brand identity so that the American public knows who the bad guys are without having to deal with too much confusing information.

P.S. In Egypt and Saudi Arabia, the "al Qaeda" angle is played down, and we are told that the Yemen rebellion is part of Iran's strategy to de-stabilize and take over the Arab countries.

The US has been waging war in Yemen for months now. They desperately need an excuse to justify already being there.

So why does the Obomba admin want to shift the attention to Yemen? Maybe because Afghanistan is a no win, never ending battle and Yemen will be quick and easy? Now that Obomba needs to prove he's got the nads to be CIC, might as well pick an easier target. That's my guess regarding what this latest charade is all about.

[chump]

I felt this was an obvious false flag the first time I heard it on the news. The articles above were well worth reading, as usual: One of the reasons I think this site is the best on the net. However, while I do feel somewhat enlightened by what I have learned, and that it is important that these stories are investigated and reported, everything I've read just fills in the details of what I knew from the start. What can I do?

Sorry, today, I am experiencing the boomer headache phase of what I hope will be a brief malaise. I don't feel like doing nothin'. My addled brain tells me that, as usual, multiple agendas are being forwarded; in addition to the usual watch this hand while I smack you with other. My aching head is also suggesting that my time would be better spent perfecting my own positive agenda and less time trying to figure out theirs.

Nevertheless, flipping through the news channels, I saw that the Flight 583 story was almost constantly on just about every one of them. Indeed, I think it was Heidi Ho on CNN asking if we have the resources to go into Yemem and go after some of those Al Qaida terrorists cells that are located there.

I also heard, "Whatever it costs, that is what we have to do."

Later I had the TV on for a not so great debate, moderated by that other pillar of journalism Rick Sanchez, on whether or not we should do more racial profiling. I love the way they use the term 'we' when the news channels have those discussions. You know - like 'we' are making the decision. Yada, yada, yada...

I have yet to see any mention of the Sharp Dressed Man.

[AlicetheKurious]

So why does the Obomba admin want to shift the attention to Yemen? Maybe because Afghanistan is a no win, never ending battle and Yemen will be quick and easy? Now that Obomba needs to prove he's got the nads to be CIC, might as well pick an easier target. That's my guess regarding what this latest charade is all about.

No, I've been wanting to write something about that but can't seem to find the time. It's about Israel and a pipeline project that is absolutely crucial to Israeli plans, the Baku-Tblisi-Ceyhan (BTC) Pipeline. In a nutshell:

The BTC originates in the oil-rich Caspian Basin and goes through Eastern Europe to Turkey, then down to Israel's Red Sea ports of Haifa and Ashkelon, from which tankers will transport the oil and gas through the Red Sea and on to markets in China, India and the rest of Asia. At least, that's Israel's plan. It's already been built up to Turkey, and the time is ripe for phase 2:

1. Remember "A Clean Break: A New Strategy for Securing the Realm"? The basic theme of this document written by zionists for Benyamin Netanyahu, was that Israel needed to make a "clean break" from its dependence on the U.S. As Justin Raimondo summarizes,

The realm being Israel, and the unique group that produced it characterized by their centrality in pushing for war with Iraq. Led by Richard Perle, the "Clean Break" group consisted of James Colbert, Charles Fairbanks Jr., Douglas Feith, Robert Loewenberg, David Wurmser, and Meyrav Wurmser.

All of these august personages, but especially Perle, can claim the dubious credit of having co-authored what the late Gen. William E. Odom ruefully referred to as the greatest military disaster in American history. …

… in "A Clean Break," …the case is made that Israel is in a rut: Israel is endangered by an inability to break out of its settler-colony isolation, and, in the process, renew the Zionist project internationally. … A new aggressiveness is called for, the Perle group argued, a clean break with the passivity of the past. They recommended a policy of regime-change throughout the immediate vicinity of Israel:

“Israel can shape its strategic environment, in cooperation with Turkey and Jordan, by weakening, containing, and even rolling back Syria. This effort can focus on removing Saddam Hussein from power in Iraq – an important Israeli strategic objective in its own right – as a means of foiling Syria’s regional ambitions.”

Perle and Co. urged Netanyahu to strike out in every direction. First, go north, they advised:

“Syria challenges Israel on Lebanese soil. An effective approach, and one with which Americans can sympathize, would be if Israel seized the strategic initiative along its northern borders by engaging Hezbollah, Syria, and Iran, as the principal agents of aggression in Lebanon.”

Syria is deemed the penultimate prize, a ripe apple waiting to fall from the tree. All that’s required is a little vigorous shaking. Lurking behind these dominoes, however, is Israel’s chief antagonist, Iran, the current target of the Israel lobby’s campaign to gin up yet another war in the Middle East. ...

"A Clean Break" contains an undertone of hostility to the U.S., which is seen as being put in an impossible position of mediating between irreconcilable foes. U.S. "intervention" in internal Israeli affairs is subtly bemoaned, and this fits in nicely with the theme of economic independence and a phasing out of economic aid – although they aren’t quite ready to give up military aid until such time as Israel’s armaments supply can be assured. In any case, the clear implication of all this is to reduce U.S. influence and allow the Israelis to unleash their full military power in a bid to "shape the regional environment in ways that grant Israel the room to refocus its energies back to where they are most needed."

Elbow room – or Lebensraum?

Of course, any war Israel involves itself in will drag in the United States, its principal patron and protector. In this, America is truly an empire of unique type – one that has been taken hostage by one of its own satellites. That, at least, is the intention, and, so far, the plan seems to be working.

The endgame is a general war against Israel’s principal enemy in the region: Iran. The Lobby is already gearing up to make the new president miserable until he finally caves. What we have to look forward to in the next four years is lots of aggressive "diplomacy," to be followed by even more draconian economic sanctions and the looming threat of war.

Israel is following the "Clean Break" plan almost to the letter, shedding its old role as a dependent settler-colony under continuous siege. In Gaza – and, be assured, throughout the Middle East – Israel is asserting its new role as regional hegemon in a multi-polar world. Israel, not the U.S., is taking the initiative and leading its great ally and "protector" around by the nose, with the Lobby serving as an effective rein on any sudden spasms of self-interest. Link

2. In other words, Israel is using America's military muscle to "shape the environment" to allow Israel to make the final clean break from its dependence on the U.S. In this endeavor, the BTC pipeline is vital. A huge elephant in the room that is rarely mentioned is Israel's increasingly dominant role in the former soviet countries surrounding the Caspian Sea, especially Turkmenistan and Azerbaijan, but also Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan. A team of Mossad agents / businessmen led by billionaire oil tycoon Yosef Maiman has rapidly expanded Israeli control over some of the region's most important or promising oil fields. At the same time, the Israeli state has used generous military sales and training and favorable trade agreements with these regimes to bring them into the Israeli sphere of influence.

While Israel has been very successful in that respect, especially during the 1990s when Yeltsin's Russia was also basically under the Israeli thumb, this changed with the ascent of Vladimir Putin who turned out to have a dangerously independent vision for Russia, from the Israeli point of view. The Russian government has been fighting to regain control over its former soviet satellites, rightly perceiving that they represent Russia's vital security interests, not only militarily but also economically.

Russia has not only been trying very hard to counter Israeli influence over its former satellites, even offering to buy up their major oilfields, it's been a strong opponent of the BTC pipeline, instead promoting its own pipelines and trying very hard to increase its own influence with Turkey. Turkey, as the major transit point, has become the major prize in a game with very high stakes for both Israel and Russia, and also for Iran, which supports local resistance movements and thus represents a major practical obstacle to the Israeli project.

The crisis in Georgia last year must be seen in the context of this epic chess game to exert global power through control of the strategic routes through which fuel will be transferred to Asian markets.

Please take a minute to look at this map (I can't post it here because it's too big). Click to zoom in, then use your finger to trace the route of the BTC: starting in Baku, Azerbaijan, go to Georgia and then on to Turkey. From Turkey, trace the pipeline's route along the Mediterranean. Note that before it reaches Israel, the pipeline must pass either through the Mediterranean, right along Syria and Lebanon, or, as Israel would prefer, overland right through Syrian and Lebanese territory. Then, after it reaches the Israeli ports, it must go down right through the Red Sea -- in other words, in order to be viable, this oil route passes through a gauntlet comprising Jordan, Egypt and Saudi Arabia, then Sudan, Somalia and Yemen.

Jordan, Egypt and Saudi Arabia are not a problem: they are already under very tight Israeli control. Saudi Arabian firms have even been allowed to make huge joint investments with Israeli firms in large oil fields, particularly in Azerbaijan, giving them a large stake in the success of Israel's project. That leaves Syria, Lebanon, Sudan, Somalia and Yemen yet to be "pacified" and sewn up tight, before the Israeli plans can be safely implemented, to control oil and gas supplies to major Asian markets, especially India and China. That is why the countries that happen to stand in Israel's way along the BTC pipeline route will remain very high on the American military agenda, regardless of the impact on American interests.