Oil, Gas, Wars, Pipelines, America, Russia, Georgia, South Ossetia : The Turkey Factor

As all regular readers will already be well aware, we absolutely abhor all war.

However, we have to admit that the recent South Ossetia related spats twixt Russia and Georgia may, in the grand scheme of several recent politico-military 'sorties', not be all bad news. For the wider world, that is.

A great deal of distracting drivel regarding the return of an East-West 'cold war,' is curently being spouted, while most in the media are either too shy (or seriously too shortsighted) to even discuss something else: "the balance of power."

Well, we're certainly not shy. We never were and we never will be.

Anyone who honestly believed that 21st century Russia was a 'push over,' is/was sorely mistaken. Also, anyone who thought Turkey was already well and truly bought and paid for, by the West, is soon set for some surprises. In our own (not so), humble opinion, that is.

Even a quick glance at the above pipeline map should serve to show all & sundry the strategic importance of modern secular Turkey.

When push comes to shove Turkey will take sides with whoever it deems necessary to look after itself and it's people.

The west needs Turkey far more than Turkey needs the west.

What's more, it appears that America still hasn't realised that though one can bully all of the people some of the time and some of the people all of the time, no one can bully all of the people all of the time - not even the US.

Therefore, we're awaiting with interest, to say the least, further 'future developments'.

(BIG SNIP)

A U.S. official in Turkey said three U.S. military vessels were heading through Turkey's Bosporus, a strait that connects the Mediterranean with the Black Sea, to deliver aid to Georgia. Two of the ships were leaving Crete on Thursday. He declined to be named because he was not authorized to give that information to media.

Since Aug. 19, the United States has delivered aid to Georgia's capital, Tbilisi, on 20 flights.

Read the rest of this remarkably revealing, 'Associated Press' report right here.

Think about it. Would you really fall fowl of a big burly, next door neighbour who could, at a single stroke, all too easily pull all of your energy plug(s)?

We damned well doubt it.

(Cross posted at 'appletree')