Originally Posted by DWB

Let me start by saying that it took 15 years just for all nations just to agree to the pipeline in the first place. So the amount of time the USA has been there with boots on the ground is irrelevant. Things obviously move at a much slower pace in that region of the world. Construction was supposed to begin this year. Who knows if it will because of security issues over there, but that was the date I last read on it.

There is a trillion dollars in the ground to be mined (they have some of the largest untapped mines in the entire world). There are billions of dollars to be made selling oil to India and Pakistan though the pipeline. The USA has a stake in the bank that is financing it, the USA has a stake in the company building it, the USA has a stake in the mining, and none of it will happen until there is no threat to destroy these projects there and they have in infrastructure there to make it all happen. I doubt they counted on it taking so long but the fact that we're still there should clue you in that they are willing to go the distance on it.

It's not rocket science. Just simple facts that it is clearly a long term investment. And would they spend 15 years and 1000s of American lives to do it, the answer is a big loud yes. They would waste 10,000 American lives if they had to. Soldiers are expendable. Resources are finite.

There is a ton of information about this out there. All factual. The only big "if" or "when" is due to security which seems to be getting worse, not better.