Silicon Investor (SI) -- The First Internet Community

STOCKTALK

We've detected that you're using an ad content blocking browser plug-in or feature. Ads provide a critical source of revenue to the continued operation of Silicon Investor. We ask that you disable ad blocking while on Silicon Investor in the best interests of our community. If you are not using an ad blocker but are still receiving this message, make sure your browser's tracking protection is set to the 'standard' level.

Gold/Mining/Energy : Precious and Base Metal Investing -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: Stephen O who wrote (30633)	9/9/2004 3:57:08 PM
From: seventh_son	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 39344

Well, from what I've read, the Russians have been strengthening ties with Iran recently, particularly now that the US is in Iraq. Both would like to keep the US from gaining influence in their area of the world, and control over oil reserves and oil pipelines is a key consideration. As you might know, the US has military bases in many central Asian countries right now, such as in Georgia and Uzbekistan, with the official purpose of enabling attacks against terrorists, but certainly a factor in being based there, in the backyard of both Russia and Iran, is that these countries have oil reserves and provide an oil pipeline link to Turkey helping guarantee oil flow through US-friendly countries in future years. Interestingly enough, I read in articles published in antiwar.com that the same group in the Pentagon that spearheaded the war on Iraq also support Chechen nationalists such as were affiliated with terrorists in North Ossetia. The depth of intrigue is quite incredible; in a bizarre twist, the same association of people have ties to the Iran-Contra affair and are accused of helping spy for Iran through Chalabi at the same time as they try to lead the US into war with Iran. Now the Russian media is being fed with stories, probably with the encouragement of their government, that Chechens are hiding in western-friendly countries -- ie. Georgia and perhaps Uzbekistan and the other -stans that the US has been forming military ties with, and Russia may use it as an excuse to try to destabilize these countries and remove them from US influence. Well the above is a bit off topic, but all I can say is that things seem to be in danger of spiraling out of control both in the Middle East and Central Asia -- and all this is likely bad news for the world economy and good news for gold.