My Government Went to Afghanistan And All I Got Was This Stupid Pipeline

A Timeline After September 11

September 27, 2001: Two weeks after the attacks, U.S. Special Activities Division of the CIA deploys ground operatives and Predator drone planes within Afghanistan

October 8: Operating Enduring Freedom (bombing campaign) begins in Afghanistan.

October 10: U.S. Ambassador to Pakistan Wendy Chamberlain meets with Pakistani oil minister to discuss reviving trans-Afghan pipeline

December 24: Former Unocal consultant/ex-Taliban Hamid Karzai becomes interim Afghan president

December 31: Former Unocal consultant/National Security Council member Zalmay Khalilzad named U.S. Special Envoy to Afghanistan and likely future U.S. Ambassador to Afghanistan

February 8, 2002: Khalilzad signs intent letter with Turkmenistan President Sapamurat Niyazov for Turkmen-Afghan section of pipeline in Ashkhabat, Turkmenistan March 7: Karzai signs intent letter with Pakistan leader General Pervez Musharraf in Islamabad, Pakistan

May 31: Karzai, Musharraf and Niyazov sign memorandum of understanding in Islamabad seeking corporate investment in trans-Afghan pipeline

June 10: Loya jirga, bypassing King Zahir Shah, names Karzai transitional Afghan president for two years

July 19: Japanese Senior Vice Minister announced Japanese government interest in financing trans-Afghan pipeline

August 9: Russian energy company Gazprom announces one-month agreement to analyze Afghan oil and natural gas reserves

August 12: Asian Development Bank commits $1.5 million for feasibility study

September 20: ADB meets in Manila to discuss trans-Afghan pipeline funding

—Ted Rall