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Azerbaijan: Mafia State
by Soraya Sepahpour-Ulrich
Global Research , March 17, 2012
A 2009 U.S. embassy political dispatch
compared Azerbaijani President
Ilham Aliyev to a mafia crime boss. An apt comparison given that
Aliyev and the Azeri political elite have been living under the
protection of the Capo Crimini
- Israel . The protection
does not come cheap; and the manufacture of the recent lie -- the
arrest of 22 Azerbaijani citizens
allegedly `trained in Iran ' to carry out terrorist acts against the
U.S. and Israel , is the latest protection payment.
Capo Crimini's protection is noteworthy. Aliyev, a corrupt dictator
who came to power through election fraud in 2003, managed to make his
rounds in Washington in 2006, including a private meeting with
President Bush, thanks to the full weight
of the
Israeli lobby in Washington . The promotion of the Azeri cause in
Washington by the Israeli lobby (which included lobbying against
Armenians), reinforced the notion that `the way to Washington leads
through Jerusalem '1 while benefitting various players - to the
detriment of some others.
Although much of Israel 's oil comes from Azerbaijan , Israel was more
interested in the control of the oil. With this in mind, despite the
fact that oil companies in the Caspian region favored the much shorter
and cheaper oil pipeline that would transit Iran, Israel relentlessly
pushed for the alternate, more expensive and impractical
Baku-Tblisi-Cehan pipeline which pipeline had over 1000 miles of it
going through mountainous territory bypassing Russia and Armenia.
This expensive venture also served to send the message to Turkey that
alliance with Israel pays off.
Lord Browne, former chief executive of BP, was quoted as saying that
the whole scheme was launched in the interest of Israel.2 Brenda
Shafffer who was
instrumental in promoting the pipeline, put it this way: `There's
growing demand in Asia . If Israel is clever about it, it could market
this not only commercially but also politically in a way that could
improve regional security
and
stability." ( JTA, NY , Oct 21, 2005). Shaffer is also of the opinion
that Caspian oil (specifically non-OPEC members Azerbaijan and
Kazakhstan ) makes Saudi Arabia and the OPEC cartel nervous because
they do not coordinate their policies with the cartel.
These plans were made possible thanks to the aftermath of September
11. 9/11 changed everything - as a leading Azeri foreign policy
specialist opined: "But the situation changed after Sept. 11, with
American presence in Central Asia, Georgia and Azerbaijan ," he
explains. "Our being under the shadow of America means Russia and Iran
will not meddle. We are able to be more courageous." (Greene, Richard
Allen. Jewish Telegraphic Agency. New
York
:Apr 29, 2002. p. 4)
More courageous, perhaps but the newfound courage lacks rationale and
the needs of the people of Azerbaijan have been neglected. Asim
Mollazadeh, first Chairperson of the Party for Democratic Reforms
prominent Azeri opposition candidate, states that Azerbaijan receives
only 10 percent of oil loyalties. He argues that with 42 percent of
the country living below poverty lines, the oil income
does
not trickle down.3 A heavy price to pay for Washington to feign
welcome to the Azeri dictator.
In 2002, JTA reported that Israel 's ambassador to Azerbaijan had a
favorite local joke: "Are you Jewish? No, I just look intelligent."
(JTA Apr 29, 2002). Insulting as the joke may be, inarguably, actions
which alienate the Russians, compete with Saudis, and magically pull
`22 Iran-linked terrorists' out of a hat do not `look intelligent'.
Soraya Sepahpour-Ulrich has a Master's degree in Public Diplomacy from
USC Annenberg for Communication and Journalism and USC School of
International Relations. She is an independent researcher and writer
with a focus on U.S. foreign policy and the role of lobby groups in
influencing US foreign policy.
Notes
1 Netty C. Gross; `The Azeri Triangle', The Jerusalem Post, July 10,
2006, p. 24
2 Cited by Andrew l. Killgore, `Ideology Trumps Economic Efficiency, as The
Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan Pipeline Opens', The Washington Report on Middle East
Affair, Aug 2005, Vol. 24, iss. 6, p.32
3 Netty C. Gross; `The Azeri Triangle'
Soraya Sepahpour-Ulrich is a frequent contributor to Global Research.
Global Research Articles by Soraya Sepahpour-Ulrich
by Soraya Sepahpour-Ulrich
Global Research , March 17, 2012
A 2009 U.S. embassy political dispatch
compared Azerbaijani President
Ilham Aliyev to a mafia crime boss. An apt comparison given that
Aliyev and the Azeri political elite have been living under the
protection of the Capo Crimini
- Israel . The protection
does not come cheap; and the manufacture of the recent lie -- the
arrest of 22 Azerbaijani citizens
allegedly `trained in Iran ' to carry out terrorist acts against the
U.S. and Israel , is the latest protection payment.
Capo Crimini's protection is noteworthy. Aliyev, a corrupt dictator
who came to power through election fraud in 2003, managed to make his
rounds in Washington in 2006, including a private meeting with
President Bush, thanks to the full weight
of the
Israeli lobby in Washington . The promotion of the Azeri cause in
Washington by the Israeli lobby (which included lobbying against
Armenians), reinforced the notion that `the way to Washington leads
through Jerusalem '1 while benefitting various players - to the
detriment of some others.
Although much of Israel 's oil comes from Azerbaijan , Israel was more
interested in the control of the oil. With this in mind, despite the
fact that oil companies in the Caspian region favored the much shorter
and cheaper oil pipeline that would transit Iran, Israel relentlessly
pushed for the alternate, more expensive and impractical
Baku-Tblisi-Cehan pipeline which pipeline had over 1000 miles of it
going through mountainous territory bypassing Russia and Armenia.
This expensive venture also served to send the message to Turkey that
alliance with Israel pays off.
Lord Browne, former chief executive of BP, was quoted as saying that
the whole scheme was launched in the interest of Israel.2 Brenda
Shafffer who was
instrumental in promoting the pipeline, put it this way: `There's
growing demand in Asia . If Israel is clever about it, it could market
this not only commercially but also politically in a way that could
improve regional security
and
stability." ( JTA, NY , Oct 21, 2005). Shaffer is also of the opinion
that Caspian oil (specifically non-OPEC members Azerbaijan and
Kazakhstan ) makes Saudi Arabia and the OPEC cartel nervous because
they do not coordinate their policies with the cartel.
These plans were made possible thanks to the aftermath of September
11. 9/11 changed everything - as a leading Azeri foreign policy
specialist opined: "But the situation changed after Sept. 11, with
American presence in Central Asia, Georgia and Azerbaijan ," he
explains. "Our being under the shadow of America means Russia and Iran
will not meddle. We are able to be more courageous." (Greene, Richard
Allen. Jewish Telegraphic Agency. New
York
:Apr 29, 2002. p. 4)
More courageous, perhaps but the newfound courage lacks rationale and
the needs of the people of Azerbaijan have been neglected. Asim
Mollazadeh, first Chairperson of the Party for Democratic Reforms
prominent Azeri opposition candidate, states that Azerbaijan receives
only 10 percent of oil loyalties. He argues that with 42 percent of
the country living below poverty lines, the oil income
does
not trickle down.3 A heavy price to pay for Washington to feign
welcome to the Azeri dictator.
In 2002, JTA reported that Israel 's ambassador to Azerbaijan had a
favorite local joke: "Are you Jewish? No, I just look intelligent."
(JTA Apr 29, 2002). Insulting as the joke may be, inarguably, actions
which alienate the Russians, compete with Saudis, and magically pull
`22 Iran-linked terrorists' out of a hat do not `look intelligent'.
Soraya Sepahpour-Ulrich has a Master's degree in Public Diplomacy from
USC Annenberg for Communication and Journalism and USC School of
International Relations. She is an independent researcher and writer
with a focus on U.S. foreign policy and the role of lobby groups in
influencing US foreign policy.
Notes
1 Netty C. Gross; `The Azeri Triangle', The Jerusalem Post, July 10,
2006, p. 24
2 Cited by Andrew l. Killgore, `Ideology Trumps Economic Efficiency, as The
Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan Pipeline Opens', The Washington Report on Middle East
Affair, Aug 2005, Vol. 24, iss. 6, p.32
3 Netty C. Gross; `The Azeri Triangle'
Soraya Sepahpour-Ulrich is a frequent contributor to Global Research.
Global Research Articles by Soraya Sepahpour-Ulrich