Syria: a civil war (closed)

[wm]

Nothing to do with Chinese interest in Syrian oil, huh? Or the Syrian ballistic missile programs?

Syrian oil production for export is a pittance, and their primary customer outside the country is the EU. According to US EIA, China is a partner with India in a joint production venture that includes the Syrians (50% interest) and the Dutch via Shell Oil (32%). So the Chinese may get about 9% of the revenues from this venture if they have a 50-50 split with India in Himalaya Energy Syria. If China is backing Syria over oil, it is more likely doing so to appease Iran, which at about 1/12 (.4 of 4.8MM bbl/day) of China's total bbl/day imports is a distant third largest source for Chinese oil imports after Saudi Arabia and Angola at about 800K BBls each/day(again according to US EIA)

And what would the Chinese do with a bunch of modified old SCUDs and SS-21s? North Korea is much closer as a source for tactical SRBM/MRBM development if the Chinese needed or wanted an outside source.

As if a collapse into anarchy and total civil war would not spill over into the Middle East and affect US interests there. Read my lips ... O... I... L.

IMHO, a concern associated with regime change or anarchy in Syria that is bigger than US/Western oil imports would by Iran's loss of its primary staging base for its crusade against Israel. I submit that Iraq, Saudi Arabia, and Turkey would not be too greatly affected by further bloodshed or, as you described it, anarchy and total civil war in Syria, nor would the rest of the smaller Persian Gulf oil-producing states. But who knows what trouble the IRGC and its surrogates like Hezbollah might kick up across the region?

BTW, Dayuhan's post hit while I was writing mine. We aren't in cahoots or channeling for each other as far as I know. What we seem to share from our locations that are almost half a world apart is a desire for facts and good arguments rather than bombastic rhetoric and eristic expositions.