From Phantom Report
By F William Engdahl
''On January 20 Britain’s Prime Minister David Cameron announced his
country’s curious resolve to dedicate itself to deal with “the terrorism
threat” in Mali and north Africa. Cameron declared, “It will require a
response that is about years, even decades, rather than months, and it
requires a response that…has an absolutely iron resolve…” [1] Britain in its colonial heyday never had a stake in Mali. Until it won independence in 1960, Mali was a French colony.''
''Mali itself, like much of Africa is rich in raw materials. It has large
reserves of gold, uranium and most recently, though western oil
companies try to hide it, oil, lots of oil. The French preferred to
ignore Mali’s vast resources, keeping it a poor subsistence agriculture
country. Under the deposed democratically-elected President Amadou
Toumani Toure, for the first time the government initiated a systematic
mapping of the vast wealth under its soil. According to Mamadou Igor
Diarra, previous mining minister, Malian soil contains copper, uranium,
phosphate, bauxite, gems and in particular, a large percentage of gold
in addition to oil and gas. Thus, Mali is one of the countries in the
world with the most raw materials. With its gold mining, the country is
already one of the leading exploiters directly behind South Africa and
Ghana. [6]
Two thirds of France’s electricity is from nuclear power and sources of
new uranium are essential. Presently, France draws significant uranium
imports from neighboring Niger.''
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Showing posts with label oil. Show all posts
Showing posts with label oil. Show all posts
Friday, February 1, 2013
Wednesday, December 12, 2012
''War for oil: China reaps the benefits of America's 10 year conflict in Iraq''
gotta blame the neo-cons for this........................From Examiner.com
By Kenneth Schortgen Jr
''When President Bush invaded Iraq in 2003 under the guise of terrorism and weapons of mass destruction, many Americans held the belief that our soldiers were going to war in the Middle East region for the primary purpose of protecting our oil interests, just as we have done for decades. While little of that oil has actually been provided to the U.S. through our democratizing of Iraq, the lives of thousands of American serviceman now appear to have died so that China could reap the benefits of the newly installed government.''
read more
By Kenneth Schortgen Jr
''When President Bush invaded Iraq in 2003 under the guise of terrorism and weapons of mass destruction, many Americans held the belief that our soldiers were going to war in the Middle East region for the primary purpose of protecting our oil interests, just as we have done for decades. While little of that oil has actually been provided to the U.S. through our democratizing of Iraq, the lives of thousands of American serviceman now appear to have died so that China could reap the benefits of the newly installed government.''
read more
Monday, December 10, 2012
''China grabs Mideast oil as U.S. power dips''
From UPI
''China is muscling into Iraq's oil sector as Baghdad grapples with defections by international majors like Exxon Mobil and Chevron of the United States and France's Total.
This is part of Beijing's drive to secure oil and natural gas resources in the Middle East and Africa as U.S. influences wanes.
China's clout in Iraq, along with other parts of the Middle East, including Saudi Arabia, is bound to increase as the Americans' diminishes.''
''China is muscling into Iraq's oil sector as Baghdad grapples with defections by international majors like Exxon Mobil and Chevron of the United States and France's Total.
This is part of Beijing's drive to secure oil and natural gas resources in the Middle East and Africa as U.S. influences wanes.
China's clout in Iraq, along with other parts of the Middle East, including Saudi Arabia, is bound to increase as the Americans' diminishes.''
Thursday, December 6, 2012
''China’s Oil Quest Comes to Iraq''
From The Diplomat
''A lot of attention has been paid in recent years to energy-hungry China’s billion-dollar bids on oil fields in Canada and the Asian giant’s reliance on oil from countries like Iran and Sudan to fuel its growing economy. But its growing interest in another major oil producer has gone largely unnoticed, and if current trends continue, that Middle Eastern country could become the world’s next “oil superpower,” with China, not the West, acting as both Iraq’s main partner and top beneficiary of its rich resources in what some now call the B&B trade axis (Beijing and Baghdad).''
read more
''A lot of attention has been paid in recent years to energy-hungry China’s billion-dollar bids on oil fields in Canada and the Asian giant’s reliance on oil from countries like Iran and Sudan to fuel its growing economy. But its growing interest in another major oil producer has gone largely unnoticed, and if current trends continue, that Middle Eastern country could become the world’s next “oil superpower,” with China, not the West, acting as both Iraq’s main partner and top beneficiary of its rich resources in what some now call the B&B trade axis (Beijing and Baghdad).''
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''The Folly of Energy Independence''
From The American Interest
By Gal Luft & Anne Korin
''The United States stands on the cusp of a global strategic advantage of huge significance. It is now within our grasp to cut the Gordian knot of energy policy, transforming our economic prospects in a fairly short period. Seizing this advantage does not require or depend on an esoteric technological breakthrough. It does not require allied assistance. It does not require a great deal of citizen sacrifice, discipline or patience. It does not require new taxes or convoluted cap-and-trade schemes. It merely requires that the Administration and the U.S. Congress get their collective head straight for once about a policy area in which politically ecumenical futility has been the norm for nearly forty years.''
read more
By Gal Luft & Anne Korin
''The United States stands on the cusp of a global strategic advantage of huge significance. It is now within our grasp to cut the Gordian knot of energy policy, transforming our economic prospects in a fairly short period. Seizing this advantage does not require or depend on an esoteric technological breakthrough. It does not require allied assistance. It does not require a great deal of citizen sacrifice, discipline or patience. It does not require new taxes or convoluted cap-and-trade schemes. It merely requires that the Administration and the U.S. Congress get their collective head straight for once about a policy area in which politically ecumenical futility has been the norm for nearly forty years.''
read more
Wednesday, December 5, 2012
''China warns India against South China Sea oil exploration''
From The Hindu
''China has said that it “opposes any unilateral energy exploration” in the South China Sea, in response to Monday’s statement by Navy Chief Admiral D.K. Joshi saying that the Indian Navy was prepared to protect its interests and deploy its forces in the contested waters.''
read more
''China has said that it “opposes any unilateral energy exploration” in the South China Sea, in response to Monday’s statement by Navy Chief Admiral D.K. Joshi saying that the Indian Navy was prepared to protect its interests and deploy its forces in the contested waters.''
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''The New Great Game''
From Phantom Report
''Canadian filmmaker Alexandre Trudeau’s documentary titled The New Great Game: The Decline of the West & the Struggle for Middle Eastern Oil, is a timely and thought-provoking work on the events surrounding the oil-producing regions of the Arabian peninsula.
Circulating around the region, from the Shatt Al Arab to the Suez Canal, he gives a lens eye view of current history by focusing on countries like Yemen, Saudi Arabia, Iran, Somalia, Egypt, Israel, Bahrain and Libya, where recent happenings have threatened the flow of oil. India, China and the USA too figure in the film, representing outside powers which have a stake in the oil resources of the Middle East.''
''Canadian filmmaker Alexandre Trudeau’s documentary titled The New Great Game: The Decline of the West & the Struggle for Middle Eastern Oil, is a timely and thought-provoking work on the events surrounding the oil-producing regions of the Arabian peninsula.
Circulating around the region, from the Shatt Al Arab to the Suez Canal, he gives a lens eye view of current history by focusing on countries like Yemen, Saudi Arabia, Iran, Somalia, Egypt, Israel, Bahrain and Libya, where recent happenings have threatened the flow of oil. India, China and the USA too figure in the film, representing outside powers which have a stake in the oil resources of the Middle East.''
Friday, November 30, 2012
''Indigenous Protests Grow as Ecuador Auctions Amazon Oil Blocks''
From Upside Down World
Quito, Ecuador – ''Hundreds of indigenous people gathered outside the Marriott Hotel in Quito today at the VII Annual Meeting of Oil and Energy where the Ecuadorian government announced the opening of the XI Round, an oil auction in which 13 oil blocks went on sale covering nearly eight million acres of rainforest in the Amazonian provinces of Pastaza and Morona Santiago near the border with Peru.''
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Quito, Ecuador – ''Hundreds of indigenous people gathered outside the Marriott Hotel in Quito today at the VII Annual Meeting of Oil and Energy where the Ecuadorian government announced the opening of the XI Round, an oil auction in which 13 oil blocks went on sale covering nearly eight million acres of rainforest in the Amazonian provinces of Pastaza and Morona Santiago near the border with Peru.''
read more
Wednesday, November 21, 2012
''The Secret War Between China and the US for Africa's Oil Riches''
From OilPrice.com
By Zachary Fillingham
''In the struggle to secure energy resources, the great powers consider all states to be fair game. Indeed, this is precisely what characterizes American foreign policy in the modern era. When it comes to economic and geopolitical interests, Washington seldom differentiates between democratic leaders and despots, especially when those interests involve oil. Currently, the stakes are high in the rush to secure oil resources and nowhere is this more evident than in the Sino-American rivalry in Africa. Both states are competing to secure their share of oil supplies in order to quench their addiction to the coveted ‘black gold.’''
read more
By Zachary Fillingham
''In the struggle to secure energy resources, the great powers consider all states to be fair game. Indeed, this is precisely what characterizes American foreign policy in the modern era. When it comes to economic and geopolitical interests, Washington seldom differentiates between democratic leaders and despots, especially when those interests involve oil. Currently, the stakes are high in the rush to secure oil resources and nowhere is this more evident than in the Sino-American rivalry in Africa. Both states are competing to secure their share of oil supplies in order to quench their addiction to the coveted ‘black gold.’''
read more
Tuesday, November 20, 2012
''Iraq would favor CNPC, Lukoil bids for Exxon oil stake'
From Aswat al-Iraq
''Iraq
would favor bids by Russia's Lukoil and China’s CNPC if they decided to
buy Exxon Mobil's stake in the super-giant West Qurna-1 oilfield, a
senior oil ministry official said on Friday.
A
sale of the stake to either company would significantly strengthen the
position of Russian or China in exploiting Iraq's oil reserves, the
world's fourth biggest.
"During two
separate meetings with executives from CNPC and Lukoil, Iraq informed
the companies that it favours their contribution to purchase Exxon's
share in West Qurna-1 oilfield," the official told Reuters.
Baghdad
said it had received "positive signals" from both companies that they
will consider making an offer for the $50 billion project, which Exxon
wants to pull out of to focus on its deal for exploration blocks in
Iraq's autonomous Kurdish region.''
Monday, November 19, 2012
''The Four Horsemen Behind the Oil Wars''
From Veterans Today
By Dean Henderson
''A tidal wave of mergers at the turn of the millennium transformed Sampson’s Seven Sisters – Royal Dutch/Shell, British Petroleum, Exxon, Mobil, Chevron, Texaco and Gulf – into a more tightly controlled cartel which, in my book Big Oil & Their Bankers…, I term the Four Horsemen: Exxon Mobil, Chevron Texaco, BP Amoco and Royal Dutch/Shell.
By the late 1800’s John D. Rockefeller had become popularly known as “the Illumination Merchant” during a time when oil was powering the reading lamps of every American household. Rockefeller figured out that it was the refining of oil into various end products and not actual crude production which held the key to control of the industry.
By 1895 his Standard Oil Company owned 95% of all refineries in theUSwhile expanding operations overseas. Summing up his attitude towards his new oil monopoly, Rockefeller once stated, “The day of combination is here to stay. Individualism is gone never to return.''
read more
By Dean Henderson
''A tidal wave of mergers at the turn of the millennium transformed Sampson’s Seven Sisters – Royal Dutch/Shell, British Petroleum, Exxon, Mobil, Chevron, Texaco and Gulf – into a more tightly controlled cartel which, in my book Big Oil & Their Bankers…, I term the Four Horsemen: Exxon Mobil, Chevron Texaco, BP Amoco and Royal Dutch/Shell.
By the late 1800’s John D. Rockefeller had become popularly known as “the Illumination Merchant” during a time when oil was powering the reading lamps of every American household. Rockefeller figured out that it was the refining of oil into various end products and not actual crude production which held the key to control of the industry.
By 1895 his Standard Oil Company owned 95% of all refineries in theUSwhile expanding operations overseas. Summing up his attitude towards his new oil monopoly, Rockefeller once stated, “The day of combination is here to stay. Individualism is gone never to return.''
read more
Sunday, November 18, 2012
''The people of the pipeline''
Book Review From RedPepper
''The Oil Road brings to life the story of how crude oil moves from the Caspian to northern Europe. The authors follow the route of the Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan (BTC) pipeline from Azerbaijan to Turkey. But their journey does not end there as they cross the Alps, following the Transalpine Pipeline that brings Caspian oil into the heart of Europe’s refineries and cities.''
read more
''The Oil Road brings to life the story of how crude oil moves from the Caspian to northern Europe. The authors follow the route of the Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan (BTC) pipeline from Azerbaijan to Turkey. But their journey does not end there as they cross the Alps, following the Transalpine Pipeline that brings Caspian oil into the heart of Europe’s refineries and cities.''
read more
Saturday, November 17, 2012
''How BP's historic Deepwater Horizon fine will be paid by the US military''
taxpayers will pay BP's fine.........From The Guardian
''BP is the largest fuel supplier for the US department of defense, with contracts worth $2.2bn a year, according to the Wall Street Journal. Slocum points out that a convicted felon in the US is disqualified from receiving government contracts, yet BP, which he calls a convicted corporate felon, continues to receive more from the US military in yearly profits than it will be required to pay out in fine installments over the next five years.''
read more
''BP is the largest fuel supplier for the US department of defense, with contracts worth $2.2bn a year, according to the Wall Street Journal. Slocum points out that a convicted felon in the US is disqualified from receiving government contracts, yet BP, which he calls a convicted corporate felon, continues to receive more from the US military in yearly profits than it will be required to pay out in fine installments over the next five years.''
read more
''US Mint ‘Gold Disks’ Made for Oil Payments to Saudi Arabia''
proof that the saudi's got a gold kicker for their oil........time to rewrite the history books...............From CoinLink
''In Saudi Arabia, gold coins have always been important in the monetary system. For years, in fact, paper money was unacceptable, and to pay royalties to the government, Aramco once flew kegs of both gold and silver coins to jiddah. In 1952, when the Saudi Arabian Monetary Agency (SAMA) was formed, the first coin issued was a Saudi sovereign – a gold coin equal in weight and value to the British sovereign – that was later demonetized and today sells for about $124.''
''To collectors, however, the most interesting Saudi gold coins weren’t coins at all; they were “gold discs” Similar to coins, they were minted by the Philadelphia Mint in the 1940’s for Aramco, and bore, on one side, the U. S. Eagle and the legend “U. S. Mint, Philadelphia, USA” and, on the other side, three lines on the fineness and weight. They looked like coins, they were used as coins, but, technically, they weren’t coins.''
read more
''In Saudi Arabia, gold coins have always been important in the monetary system. For years, in fact, paper money was unacceptable, and to pay royalties to the government, Aramco once flew kegs of both gold and silver coins to jiddah. In 1952, when the Saudi Arabian Monetary Agency (SAMA) was formed, the first coin issued was a Saudi sovereign – a gold coin equal in weight and value to the British sovereign – that was later demonetized and today sells for about $124.''
''To collectors, however, the most interesting Saudi gold coins weren’t coins at all; they were “gold discs” Similar to coins, they were minted by the Philadelphia Mint in the 1940’s for Aramco, and bore, on one side, the U. S. Eagle and the legend “U. S. Mint, Philadelphia, USA” and, on the other side, three lines on the fineness and weight. They looked like coins, they were used as coins, but, technically, they weren’t coins.''
read more
''Saudi Arabia-Brief History''
a wealth of information from this link...............From MongaBay
''Abd al Aziz ibn Abd ar Rahman Al Saud, the first king of Saudi Arabia, had not gained control of the western part of the country when he granted the first oil concession in 1923. A British investment group, the Eastern and General Syndicate, was the recipient. The syndicate gambled on the possibility that it could sell the concession, but British petroleum companies showed no interest. The concession lapsed and was declared void in 1928.
Discovery of oil in several places around the Persian Gulf suggested that the peninsula contained petroleum deposits. Several major oil companies, however, were blocked from obtaining concessions there by what was known as the Red Line Agreement, which prohibited companies with part ownership of a company operating in Iraq from acting independently in a proscribed area that covered much of the Middle East. Standard Oil Company of California (Socal), which was not affected by the Red Line Agreement, gained a concession and found oil in Bahrain in 1932. Socal then sought a concession in Saudi Arabia that became effective in July 1933.''
read more
''Abd al Aziz ibn Abd ar Rahman Al Saud, the first king of Saudi Arabia, had not gained control of the western part of the country when he granted the first oil concession in 1923. A British investment group, the Eastern and General Syndicate, was the recipient. The syndicate gambled on the possibility that it could sell the concession, but British petroleum companies showed no interest. The concession lapsed and was declared void in 1928.
Discovery of oil in several places around the Persian Gulf suggested that the peninsula contained petroleum deposits. Several major oil companies, however, were blocked from obtaining concessions there by what was known as the Red Line Agreement, which prohibited companies with part ownership of a company operating in Iraq from acting independently in a proscribed area that covered much of the Middle East. Standard Oil Company of California (Socal), which was not affected by the Red Line Agreement, gained a concession and found oil in Bahrain in 1932. Socal then sought a concession in Saudi Arabia that became effective in July 1933.''
read more
Friday, November 16, 2012
''Iraq official: Exxon seeks exit deal this year''
From Yahoo News
''Exxon upset Baghdad last year when it agreed to hunt for oil in Iraq's self-ruled Kurdish region.
The
Kurds and the central government disagree over how to develop Iraq's
vast oil reserves. Baghdad wants to manage the resources nationwide, but
the Kurds insist the constitution allows them to sign deals on their
own.
That disagreement
continued to play out Friday, with Abdullah saying that Iraq has warned
Russia's Gazprom that it must decide whether to keep its own deals with
the Kurds or give up rights to develop the 100 million barrel Badra
field in central Iraq.
Gazprom agreed to develop two oil deals in the northern Kurdish region in August.
Iraq needs foreign investment to develop its natural resources after decades of war, U.N. sanctions and neglect.''
Thursday, November 15, 2012
''Warning from OPEC over US oil production''
From The National
''The head of Opec warned yesterday that if predictions that the United States will surpass Saudi Arabia as the world's biggest oil producer continue, the result will be a reduction in investment by his members that will hit oil consumers.
''The head of Opec warned yesterday that if predictions that the United States will surpass Saudi Arabia as the world's biggest oil producer continue, the result will be a reduction in investment by his members that will hit oil consumers.
Tuesday, November 13, 2012
''Big Oil in the Arctic Council?''
From IsnBlog
''Drilling for oil is almost always risky business. Deposits are rarely found in convenient places and drilling is expensive. Even if alternative energies are slowly taking over the energy market, most experts agree that we still need oil. As current wells dry up, therefore, we must also drill in new, more challenging places, like the Arctic seas.
The US Geological Survey estimates that the Arctic holds ninety billion barrels of undiscovered oil. This is almost three times annual global consumption and could be as much as thirteen percent of the world’s undiscovered reserves. The vast majority of Arctic oil, however, lies offshore – protected by fierce weather conditions that make drilling almost impossible, or at least very dangerous.''
read more
''Drilling for oil is almost always risky business. Deposits are rarely found in convenient places and drilling is expensive. Even if alternative energies are slowly taking over the energy market, most experts agree that we still need oil. As current wells dry up, therefore, we must also drill in new, more challenging places, like the Arctic seas.
The US Geological Survey estimates that the Arctic holds ninety billion barrels of undiscovered oil. This is almost three times annual global consumption and could be as much as thirteen percent of the world’s undiscovered reserves. The vast majority of Arctic oil, however, lies offshore – protected by fierce weather conditions that make drilling almost impossible, or at least very dangerous.''
read more
Monday, November 12, 2012
''IEA sees OPEC output rising by more than 10 million b/d by 2035''
From Platts.com
"Oil production in OPEC countries as a group is poised to grow significantly over the longer term reflecting their large resource base and relatively low finding and development costs, though short-term market management policies will probably continue to constrain the rate of expansion of supply," the IEA said.''
read more
"Oil production in OPEC countries as a group is poised to grow significantly over the longer term reflecting their large resource base and relatively low finding and development costs, though short-term market management policies will probably continue to constrain the rate of expansion of supply," the IEA said.''
read more
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