How the US Occupied the 30% of Syria Containing Most of its Oil, Water and Gas

While gaining control of key resources for partitioning Syria and destabilizing the government in Damascus, the U.S.’ main goal in occupying the oil and water rich northeastern Syria is aimed not at Syria but at Iran.

Whitney Webb
By Whitney Webb
us troops in syria

After the U.S. launched “limited” airstrikes on Friday against Syria, U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley announced that the U.S. will maintain its illegal presence in Syria until U.S. goals in the area are fulfilled, opening the door for the U.S. occupation to continue indefinitely. While the U.S. military presence in Syria has

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Washington’s Pre-War Demonization Formula Is Targeting Iran, Again

U.S. Ambassador Nikki Haley’s grandiose performance in front of the UN on December 15 should send shivers down the spines of those who remember Colin Powell’s equally disturbing performance in the months leading up to the 2003 invasion of Iraq. This is just the beginning of the a new media campaign against Iran with regime change as the end goal.

Darius Shahtahmasebi
By Darius Shahtahmasebi
U.S. Ambassador to the U.N. Nikki Haley speaks in front recovered segments of a rocket the U.S. and Saudi Arabia allege came from Iran during a press briefing at Joint Base Anacostia-Bolling, Dec. 14, 2017, in Washington. (AP/Cliff Owen)

WASHINGTON (Analysis) -- The United States has had Iran in its crosshairs for decades and current media coverage indicates that US-Iranian relations are only getting worse. In 1953, the CIA overthrew Iran’s democratically elected leader, Mohammed Mossadegh, and replaced him with a brutal U.S.- and U.K.-backed dictator, Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi.

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Electric Car Drivers Are Not Trapped In Miami Beach With No Gasoline

Long lines and empty pumps have greeted many of the Florida residents fleeing north to escape the Hurrican Irma, but electric car drivers could make it Georgia on a single charge.

Juan Cole
By Juan Cole
A motorist fills up containers with gas as he prepares for Hurricane Irma, Sept. 7, 2017, in Miami. South Florida officials are expanding evacuation orders as Hurricane Irma approaches, telling more than a half-million people to seek safety inland. (AP/Alan Diaz)

Some people in South Florida are finding it difficult to flee Irma because they cannot fill their tanks up with gasoline. Many gas stations are shuttered. Others have extremely long lines. But people with electric cars such as a Chevy Bolt or Tesla 3 do not need gasoline. At least until the hurricane hits, they have electricity and can fuel

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U.S. Destabilizes Venezuela, Syria To Retain Hegemony In Global Oil, Gas Markets

The ongoing crises in Syria and Venezuela have been described by mainstream media as the result of failed leadership. In truth, their troubles are the result of U.S.-led regime change efforts masquerading as humanitarian aid to control both nations’ lucrative oil and gas industries.

Whitney Webb
By Whitney Webb
Kurdish fighters of the(YPG guard U.S. forces in the northern village of Darbasiyah, Syria, April. 29, 2017. (AP/ APTV)

CHILE (ANALYSIS) -- Separated by thousands of miles and embroiled in ostensibly unique conflicts – a “civil war” and a “political crisis,” respectively – the troubling situations in both Syria and Venezuela share more similarities than differences. These similarities owe largely to the fact that the ultimate end game for both crises is a change in

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4 Killed, 700 Arrested In Mexico Protests Following Neoliberal Reforms

Mexicans continue to rage against the president’s neoliberal reforms and high gas prices.

teleSUR
By teleSUR
Suspects are detained by state police after they were caught looting in Veracruz, Mexico, early Thursday, Jan. 5, 2017. (AP/Felix Marquez)

(REPORT) --- Protests over a double-digit hike in gasoline prices in Mexico continue in at least 22 states of the country, officials said on Friday, as they confirmed that the wave of violent lootings and blockades has left three people dead and at least 700 arrested. Business leaders estimate that some 1,000 shops and companies have been looted

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Abandoned Texas Oil Wells Seen As “Ticking Time Bombs” Of Contamination

Texas is among several states grappling with a surge of abandoned drilling sites and dwindling funds to clean them up.

Jim Malewitz
By Jim Malewitz
Ty Edwards, assistant general manager of the Middle Pecos Groundwater Conservation District, points to brackish water flowing from one of several flowing abandoned wells— originally drilled for oil, but later used for irrigation — that no state agency plans to plug. Rafael Aguilera for The Texas Tribune

IMPERIAL (REPORT) — Peculiar things can happen after folks drill deep into the earth — looking for oil, water or whatever — and leave a bunch of holes in the ground. Fluids can gurgle and leak, migrating where they don’t belong. In rare instances, land could even sink or collapse. The oddest unintended consequences tend to bubble up in this

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