 | Winchester Lets Brown Have Both Barrels | The Oil Drum: Europe | European Energy Conference, Aberdeen 22nd February 2008 |  |
150 comments on Chavez vs ExxonMobil war escalates
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150 comments on Chavez vs ExxonMobil war escalates
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From Reuters’ “UPDATE 3-Venezuela threatens to stop US oil sales over Exxon”
Is America’s increasing dependence on foreign oil supplies raising to the forefront another great American tradition, litigation?
Unfortunately, diplomacy and negotiation, the stuff of real politique has not been the U.S.’s strong card lately. So back to the law courts.
Don’t worry folks about $4-$5/gallon oil. The corporate lawyers will earn extra earnings to cushion the blow. At least for themselves.
Chevez is not a sterling icon of “rule of law” and “diplomatic niceties” either. The pathologies of Bush and Chevez mirror each other. One armed with neo-con rhetoric. The other with neo- socialist gibberish. On the stage of world history, in a bizarre and twisted way, the two presidents are made for each other.
Too bad. Like in most family squabbles between contesting willful relatives, it’s everyone else who has to cope with the mess.
Do I think Bush would send in the Marines to settle the question or keep oil flowing? Nothing would surprise me. As I say above, real politique has not been Bush's strength.
Sending the Marines into Caracas might have the same result as sending the Marines into Baghdad. OTOH, it might be a marginally smarter move than attacking Iran. At this point nothing that this administration might do would surprise me...even nuclear war.
Chevez is pressing hard so he might have some real cards...or, he might be bluffing. Does anyone know what sort of treaties, if any, were signed between Iran and Venesuela? What effect would a cut off of Venesuelan oil have on the US economy? Could we get enough oil from elsewhere to make up for the loss from Venesuela? Could Joe Sixpack be convinced that his job loss and rising prices were caused by Chevez? Do we have enough troops (not committed to Iraq/Afganistan and other bases) to take over Venesuela and insure oil flow is not impaired by insurgents? If Exxon wants their investments back will China want their investments in Venesuela back after a possible US invasion? I have a lot more questions...Just asking.
If the USA wants to Invade Venezuela then it must institute the draft. This is a non-starter.
As the American economy collapses, more disenfranchised uneducated southerners will hand their lives over to the American military machine anyway.
With a draft, presumably young people of all social standings would be eligible for warfare, increasing the anti-war pressure from their concerned parents.
National service in America would have resulted in fewer wars.
And of course our old standby immediate citizenship if you join the army.
I happen to agree national service esp if it had a large humanitarian component would have been a good thing in the US. Even if it became a pork barrel I'd have rather seen us building bridges and roads than selling arms.
It's a good thing oil isn't subsidized like ethanol. Sarcasm off.
River, about insuring the flow of oil from Venezuela, I imagine someone here will be able to quote chapter and verse as to how much oil flowed from Iraq before the US invasion and how much is flowing in 2008, five years later.
But from this:
https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/print/iz.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Invasion_of_Iraq
If Greenspan was correct about 5 million barrels a day in that statement then Bush should be given a medal for reducing the amount that could be shut off from 5 million barrels a day to a mere 1.6 million a day.
Will he be even more successful in Venezuela? Good question!
Hussein NEVER had a navy to give him even a method of controling the Staits of Hormuz, thereby revealing Greenspan's level of knowledge of such things.
Point well missed karlov1 :)
I was not commenting on your main point; rather, it was Greenspan's ignorance, which I made clear enough.
karlof1, I think CrystalRadio was agreeing with you - saying Greenspan missed the main point too. The happy face at the end gives it away.
Thanks Zadok, but sorry, I'm not that deep, karlov was right about Greenspan but I just wanted to say to him that Greenspan was immaterial to the point I wished to make which was about the effect an invasion of Venezuela would have on oil exported to the US. But that was a right good interpretation of yours I wish I had thought of it, anyway here we all are, being right ... neat!:)
If Sadam were a Bismark, he would have not stopped at Kuwait but continued across another 400 miles of undefended desert and occupied Ghawar. That would have made much more sense than trying to control the Straits of Hormuz which is the other side of Iran.
Obviously, if he had done that, we would all be eating out of his hand right now and he would have been sanctified by the Pope himself.