I found this great analysis of the ongoing play by the West in general and the US, specifically to subjugate and exploit the many countries that we've gone to war against. It was just a response in a comment on BusinessInsider.com to a challenge by some random guy, but it was, in my opinion, brilliant. Here it is:
Read more: http://www.businessinsider.com/the-us-strategy-in-syria-2013-9#ixzz2e1gSRutz
One of the assets is labor so if you wish to search you will find that the Vietnamese are now busy sewing running shoes and other types of recreational gear. In this way we have conscripted them into the subordinated labor force, literally, for pennies. Also there are large ( gigantic) deposits of bauxite underlying the Central Highlands. Once burned over and subjected to decades of war the ability of the residual country to represent itself effectively is reduced to zero. US trainers are already active in Vietnam and the old US base at Cam Ranh Bay may be refurbished for the USN.
Prior to Khadaffy the largest US AFB outside the USA was Wheelus AFB in Libya and now we have that asset back as a future operational base for AFRICOM which has been embarrassed to remain based in Europe as no african country would cooperate. Further Libya can be used as a springboard for more war in the ME and Africa with seized Libyan weapons used to arm the recruits available for pennies a mercenary troops driven from a broken economy.
Libya also has extensive natural resources of oil and gas now delivered to our markets on our terms.
You saw Cyprus broken financially recently and now it can serve as a hub for the oil and gas industry where it sits about 100 miles off Syria. Also they are compelled to have their country used as a base of air attack against other countries in the region. Syria itself shares a coastline with Lebanon, Israel, Gaza and Egypt and enormous energy lies in this area. 100s of years of supply for Europe NOT under Russian control. An independent Syria acting in cooperation with Russia MIGHT impede these plans so we burn the country over, prostrate the population, break the economy, destroy the leadership, provoke a flood of refugees. Auction the remaining assets at a fraction of the value. You understand that since the Soviet Era Afghanistan contains trillions of dollars in minerals in proven deposits first proven by Soviet geological surveys. If continuous war can destroy the population leaving them bloody and exhausted all that wealth can move to global markets for the lowest possible price.
Iraq has been virtually ruined and the conflagration ignited by the US invasion still burns with a fierce flame. The process is not over and will continue until the whole people are beaten, bloody and barely sane. There are no guarantees but note that it took 20-25 years after the "defeat" of the US in Vietnam for the people there to understand that freedom meant sewing sneakers for pennies. Clear?