U.S. places large bet on pipeline
American-backed plans to build a nearly 1,100-mile-long oil pipeline from the Caspian Sea to the Mediterranean are about to go from what skeptics once called a “pipe dream” to a reality.
Geopolitics & Military
Italy sent troops to Iraq to secure oil deal: report
ROME – Italian troops were sent to Iraq to secure oil deals worth 300 billion dollars, and not just for post-war humanitarian purposes, an Italian television report by RAI claimed on Friday.
USA plans to expand military presence in Azerbaijan, promises $100mil for Caspian guard
US Defence Secretary Donald Rumsfeld visited Azerbaijan (an Asian republic of the former USSR) on April 12th. It became Rumsfeld’s second visit to the republic in four months — that is why it can hardly be treated as a formal visit of no particular importance.
The Global Struggle for Energy
From Washington to New Delhi, Caracas to Moscow and Beijing, national leaders and corporate executives are stepping up their efforts to gain control over major sources of oil and natural gas as the global struggle for energy intensifies. Never has the competitive pursuit of untapped oil and gas reserves been so acute, and never has so much money as well as diplomatic and military muscle been deployed in the contest to win control over major foreign stockpiles of energy.
EU/US GM Trade War Escalates Over Corn
The EU has banned the import of US corn feed. The new embargo has further strained a trade relationship already tense over genetically modified food, Airbus subsidies, and the weapons embargo against China.
Peak oil is already here
Now that everyone agrees oil production is in decline, what’s next?
‘US invasion of Iraq was a resource war’
With the rapid decline of global oil supplies, the United States is heading for an economic crash unlike anything since the 1930s. And the collapse of the dollar will affect every nation on earth. (Heinberg in South Africa)
What’s the Real Price of Gas? (Interview with Michael Klare)
KLARE: …in 30 or 40 years, oil may be gone entirely and we have plenty of time to worry about that. But sooner than then… oil is not going to be as available as it used to be in the past. …the hardships from declining oil are with us now and they’re only going to get worse.
Expect oil at $150 in a decade, Soros colleague warns
“If you think the price of oil is going to $32 and staying there, let me know where the oil is coming from. I expect the price will be $100–$150 within the decade, and the bull run in commodities will come to an end when it reaches $110.” …alternative sources of energy “cannot happen fast enough,” said [Jim Rogers, co-founder with George Soros of the Quantum Fund].
Pipedreams To Prosperity
The Iran-Pakistan-India oil pipeline and its proposed extension to southwestern China will radically transform the relationship between these countries.
East: Ukraine, Russia Spar Over Turkmen Gas
A number of unpublished agreements purportedly signed between the governments of Ukraine and Turkmenistan for the purchase of natural gas have inflamed the conflict between Kyiv and Moscow over natural-gas deliveries from Turkmenistan.
Iran tries to win friends using its fuel reserves
Iran’s ruling clerics are meticulously arranging energy sales and building partnerships with influential countries, including China and India, as a way to win stronger friendships around the world.
