Who Is Richard Armitage
And What Is His Interest In Afghanistan?

Armitage following Cheney
Strategy for Central Asia

"....for the foreseeable future oil will remain an essential commodity. Greater attention must therefore be given to increasing supplies of oil in ways that diversify supplies from areas other than the Persian Gulf. The most promising new source of world supplies is the Caspian region, which appears to contain the largest petroleum reserves discovered since the North Sea. This geopolitical crossroad, which includes Iran, Russia, and a number of newly-independent states struggling with post-Soviet modernization and dangers of Islamic extremism, demands more attention by American policymakers."
AMERICA’S NATIONAL INTERESTS
A Report from The Commission on America’s National Interests, July 2000
Co-authored by Richard Armitage et al [pdf]

"Will the United States be able to remold GUUAM into a useful organization? And why is the U.S. interested in a body that includes Georgia, Ukraine, Uzbekistan, Azerbaijan and Moldova?  At first glance, it might seem that Ukrainian President Viktor Yushchenko and his friend and counterpart in Georgia, Mikhail Saakashvili, are the main advocates of reviving GUUAM, an organization that proved to be a failure long ago. And they would deserve credit for this, if it were not merely a matter of public positioning. The real force behind the GUUAM revival is Washington. Last December, then Deputy Secretary of State Richard Armitage met with the ambassadors of GUUAM member-countries to discuss a single issue, reviving GUUAM. A decision was then made to hold a GUUAM-U.S. summit in 2005. The Bush administration evidently hoped the summit, which took place last Friday, would decide the future of this organization. Washington even sent its official representative, Ambassador Steven Mann, to attend the summit in Chisinau. Mann is America's special negotiator on Nagorno-Karabakh and conflicts in Eurasia, and is its special representative on energy issues in the Caspian Sea region. He also knows the regional situation well. He played a proactive role in the Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan oil pipeline project and in establishing the Caspian Pipeline Consortium, which is why the White House specifically chose him to inform the GUUAM members about U.S. interests in the region."
WILL THE U.S. BE ABLE TO MAKE USE OF GUUAM?
Novosti (Russia), 26 April 2005

What Is GUUAM and what does it have to do with oil? - Click Here

"Michael Klare, author of 'Resource Wars,' has suggested that the long-term Bush/Cheney plan is to establish a Pax Americana in Central Asia and secure the vast oil resources of the Caspian Basin.U.S. oil companies have been negotiating with the post-Soviet republics of Kazakhstan and Turkmenistan for access to the oil for years, but have been stymied by political instability in the region. Oil conglomerates were torn between two possible pipeline routes to Western markets: west through the war-torn Caucasus Mountains to Turkey, or south through war-torn Afghanistan to Pakistan and the Arabian Sea.... Backing the Caspian plan is none other than Vice President Dick Cheney, who, as CEO of Halliburton was successful in winning contracts from Caspian Sea states to be part of any future development. In 1994, Cheney helped to broker a deal between the oil company Chevron and the state of Kazakhstan when he sat on the Oil Advisory Board of that former soviet state. The Amarillo Globe-News reported on a 1998 talk to oil executives in which Cheney said that 'the current hot spots for major oil companies are the oil reserves in the Caspian Sea region. Former Soviet states Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan and Turkmenistan all are seeking to quickly develop their oil reserves, which languished during the years of Russian domination.' The stakes in that region could be as much as 200 billion barrels of oil and natural gas, he told the crowd."
Oil Omissions
Workingfor Change.com, October 18, 2001

"This spring, the company [Halliburton, previously run by Cheney] signed a major contract with the State Oil Company of Azerbaijan to develop a 6000-square-meter marine base to support offshore oil construction in the Caspian Sea, the Voice has learned. The base will be used to assist Halliburton's catamaran crane vessel, the Qurban Abbasov, in upcoming offshore pipe laying and subsea activities, according to a statement the company released May 15."
Dick Cheney's Pipe Dream
Village Voice, 19 October 2001

"The United States-Azerbaijan Chamber of Commerce (USACC) has just been established in Washington, D.C. Their goal is to promote and advance the development of business and commerce between the US and Azerbaijan. The Chamber will facilitate the entry of US businesses into Azerbaijan's market, serve as a liaison between them and the Azerbaijani government, as well as help Azerbaijani businesses connect to markets here in the US. The Chamber extends deep appreciation to the following companies which have contributed to its establishment: Amoco, BP America, Chevron, Exxon, Mobil, Occidental, Panalpina, and Unocal. Board of Directors [include].... Ambassador Richard Armitage, Armitage Asscociates.... John Imle, President, Unocal Corporation..."
Azerbaijan International, Spring 1996 (4.1)

"Richard Armitage, the current Deputy Defense Secretary, was another Iran-Contra player in Unocal's employ. A former Navy SEAL, covert operative in Laos, director with the Carlyle Group, Armitage is allegedly deeply linked to terrorist and criminal networks in the Middle East, and the new independent states of the former Soviet Union (Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, and Kyrghistan). Armitage was no stranger to pipelines. As a member of the Burma/Myanmar Forum, a group that received major funding from Unocal, Armitage was implicated in a lawsuit filed by Burmese villagers who suffered human rights abuses during the construction of a Unocal pipeline. (Halliburton, under Dick Cheney, performed contract work on the same Burmese project.)"
Players on a rigged grand chessboard: Bridas, Unocal and the Afghanistan pipeline
Online Journal, 6 March 2002

"When Cheney quit his job at the Pentagon, he landed the job as chief executive of Halliburton, bringing with him, his trusted deputy David Gribbin. The two substantially increased Halliburton's government business until they quit in 2000 when Cheney was elected vice-president, taking multi-million dollar golden parachutes with them. Since then, another former military office and Cheney confidante, Admiral Joe Lopez, former commander in chief for U.S. forces in southern Europe, took over Gribbin's former job of go-between the government and the company, according to Brown & Root's own press releases. Other close friends include Richard Armitage, the assistant secretary of state, who worked as a consultant to Halliburton before taking up his present job."
Cheney's Former Company Wins Afghanistan War Contracts
Corpwatch, 2 May 2002

"Richard Armitage, another possible appointee as defense secretary, also served under Cheney when he held that post."
Turkey concerned Bush might drop Baku-Ceyhan pipeline plan
Mideast Mirror 12/20/2000

Who's Really Running America - Meet Vice President Dick Cheney

Cheney Panics Over Sept 11 Congressional Investigation - 4 Feb 2002

'War On Terror' - Why They Are Really Doing It
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'The Special Relationship'
Armitage and the UK National Security Adviser
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