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As history has taught us, energy has been one of the main root causes of global conflicts. This tenet was again recentlyshowcased in the downfall of Iraq and Libya, and in the relentless Western haranguing ofIran andSyria.

Globally, Syria is a minor producer ofoil (making up roughly only 0.5 percent of the global oil output). However, the country is located strategically nearmajor oil and gas producers such as Iran, Iraq, Russia andJordan with its ownaccess to the Mediterranean andthe European Union markets.

This strategicenergy channel has created many opportunities for Syria in the past but also massive internal problems.

After the FirstWorld War, Syria cameunder the rule ofthe Ottomans due in part to this energy route. In the SecondWorld War, Syrian oil pipelines provided the majority of the fuel for the Allied Forces and became a major target of Hitler's attacks.

Later on, it fueledthe Israeli-Arab War and prompted the CIA to facilitate a coup d'etat as Washington at the time feared a Soviet-Arab blockwould have threatened Western multinational companies' presence in the areaand Saudi Arabia's oil export.

When the "civil war"in Syria startedin 2011, it was also due to none other than astruggle overthe natural gas market.

The current situation in Syriahas had profound implications for a number of countries involved in the prolonged conflict.

At the start, a clear line in the sand was drawn. On one side were Turkey, Qatar and Saudi Arabia, and on the otherSyria, Russiaand Iran.

What catalyzed the conflict was the signing of agas pipeline deal between Iran and Syria that would deliver Iranian gas from the Pars field into the EU markets.

Had there been no war, gaswould have flownuninterruptedly from a Shi'ite country (Iran) to another Shi'ite-influenced country (Syria) via another Shi'ite dominated countryin Lebanon and into Europe.

But complicating the situation were the above countries'Sunni adversaries, which at the time consisted of Qatar, Saudi Arabiaand Turkey.

If there'sanything that could rival the impact of economics in geopolitics, it's the competition between the different sects of Islam.

But it must be stressed thatthe conflict in Syria was never about the actual religion and its beliefs. It'salways been a fight overterritorial and resource domination.

Israel then threw their hat into the fray whenthey discovered a giant gas field in the Tamar region in 2012, prompting themto try to secure their own gas export into the EU markets.

Predictably, they chose toside with theSunni countries in the Syrian Wardue to their longstanding bitter enmity against Iran, Syriaand Lebanon.

Interestingly, Qatar,a gas-rich country isolatedby the Gulf Cooperation Council a few years ago, has shifted its energy alliance to Iran from Turkey and Saudi Arabia since they need a channelto export gasdespite their isolation,proving the adagethat moneytrumpsover everything, includingreligious affiliations.

Russia, anotherkey player in the conflict and the world's current diplomatic darling thanks toa seemingly endless series of Putin masterstrokes, also has much to play for.

As the Americans covertly attempt to moveSyria into their camp, so are the Russians, as they would be crippled economically by losingthe opportunity to be the EU's largest exporter of gas if Syria does not emerge as the victor in the current conflict.

It would be a travesty to not see the Syrian Warfor what it really is: leaders scheming to secure financial and geopolitical brownie points for their countriesat the expense of civilian bloodshed.

As they say, "it's nothing personal, just strictly business!"

Last Stand: Idlib

After eight years of constant warfare,Syria has reached a critical point. President Bashar al-Assad's army has held steadfast while driving out most of the foreign forces.

The last stronghold of Assad's adversaries is Idlib and a battle here could become a true bloodbath in every sense of the word.

Turkey and Russia had signed a demilitarized zone agreement (The Sochi Accord) for Idlib in 2018. Asimilar pact was reached for four regions in Syria in 2017. Assad has since taken three of those regions back,forcinga retreat of 70,000 insurgents into one concentrated zone inIdlib.

Idlib's demilitarized zone accord has always been seen as a temporary one and now Assad and his armyare attempting afinal push toliberate it.

Due to the high number of insurgents in Idlib, aninsurgent migration into Turkey, if Assad succeeds, is all but certain.

Turkey's president Recep Tayyip Erdoan's next decision could be pivotal. Ankara has given Assad's army until the end of February to retreat and abide by the accord, however, the likelihood of that happening is, let's say,less than microscopic.

As the conflict rages on, the petrodollar remainsthe sole kingmaker to decide ultimatelywho willsit on the global energy market throne.

There are two types of gases in the oil and gas industry, sweet and sour. The only certainty inthis war, which could be nearing its end, is that there will be a side that will taste the rancid sourness of defeat, andanother side who will savor the sweetness of triumph.

Rizvi Shihab is an oil and gas professionaland a member of Majelis Hikmah Alawiyah (Mahya), a Jakarta-based Islamic organization with a focuson spreadingmessages of peace and harmony.

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Energy and War: a Global Game of Chess - Jakarta Globe