How can we convince Saudi Arabia to pump more oil when it reaps the profits of pumping less? The Saudis never tire of asserting that their role as "guarantor" of oil stability is reason enough to get protection by Western armies against ayatollahs and Iraqis. Yet, they cannot be imposed upon to pump more when the very health of those Western economies teeters under quintupling oil prices. In addition to oil industry knowledge that Saudi Arabia can immediately increase production by 20 percent, it can keep on doing so into the foreseeable future. The country sits atop the world's largest proven reserves of oil, conservatively estimated at 500 billion barrels. Only Iraq's reserves come close to that in the Gulf region and the Iraqis, amidst war and chaos, are indeed producing all they can and plan to up it. By contrast the Saudis, along with Kuwait and the United Arab Emirates, who are so-called allies, are literally holding oil back. Twice this year, Saudi Arabia delivered a royal nyet to President Bush's pleas for more oil on behalf of American consumers whose tax dollars -- and soldiers -- were deployed to rescue those allies from Saddam Hussein's claws. Bush, too, was told by King Abdullah to take a walk. To be sure, a proper working of world economies depends on the laws of supply and demand, but this is not a crisis of too much demand. It is one of holding oil back under the active leadership of friendly Saudi Arabia and OPEC, with the full complicity of such foes as Iran and Venezuela. (...) A follow-up can be delivered in inimitable Bush style like: "Hey King, time to fork it out. You've got it. We need it. What do you not understand?" In a famous historic deal struck just after World War II on an American destroyer, President Roosevelt and King Abdulaziz al-Saud pledged America would help the Saudis find and produce their oil and protect them in return for fair and secure supplies. The meeting is recorded in abundant grainy documentaries and numerous official documents. America and the West have kept their end of that deal for 60 years. Neocons might argue it is time for payback. Crazy as they can be sometimes, they may argue to some sympathy that the health of world economies, indeed world order, demands cheaper oil. One sure way of doing this is by invading and occupying Saudi Arabia's Eastern Province, the mother of all oil reserves.
The Saudis never tire of asserting that their role as "guarantor" of oil stability is reason enough to get protection by Western armies against ayatollahs and Iraqis. Yet, they cannot be imposed upon to pump more when the very health of those Western economies teeters under quintupling oil prices.
In addition to oil industry knowledge that Saudi Arabia can immediately increase production by 20 percent, it can keep on doing so into the foreseeable future. The country sits atop the world's largest proven reserves of oil, conservatively estimated at 500 billion barrels. Only Iraq's reserves come close to that in the Gulf region and the Iraqis, amidst war and chaos, are indeed producing all they can and plan to up it.
By contrast the Saudis, along with Kuwait and the United Arab Emirates, who are so-called allies, are literally holding oil back. Twice this year, Saudi Arabia delivered a royal nyet to President Bush's pleas for more oil on behalf of American consumers whose tax dollars -- and soldiers -- were deployed to rescue those allies from Saddam Hussein's claws. Bush, too, was told by King Abdullah to take a walk.
To be sure, a proper working of world economies depends on the laws of supply and demand, but this is not a crisis of too much demand. It is one of holding oil back under the active leadership of friendly Saudi Arabia and OPEC, with the full complicity of such foes as Iran and Venezuela.
(...)
A follow-up can be delivered in inimitable Bush style like: "Hey King, time to fork it out. You've got it. We need it. What do you not understand?"
In a famous historic deal struck just after World War II on an American destroyer, President Roosevelt and King Abdulaziz al-Saud pledged America would help the Saudis find and produce their oil and protect them in return for fair and secure supplies. The meeting is recorded in abundant grainy documentaries and numerous official documents.
America and the West have kept their end of that deal for 60 years. Neocons might argue it is time for payback. Crazy as they can be sometimes, they may argue to some sympathy that the health of world economies, indeed world order, demands cheaper oil. One sure way of doing this is by invading and occupying Saudi Arabia's Eastern Province, the mother of all oil reserves.
Holy shit, these people are insane. When the capital development of a country becomes a by-product of the activities of a casino, the job is likely to be ill-done. — John M. Keynes
So, it might make some sense to use an Iraqi Shia puppet government to launch a proxy war to "liberate our Shia brethren". Too bad Iran is the enemy, they're Shia too.
So, it might make some sense to first take on iran, replace its regime with a friendly Shia leadership, and then use the two Shia puppet governments of Iran and Iraq to take on Saudi Arabia.
Sounds like a plan the neocons would support? When the capital development of a country becomes a by-product of the activities of a casino, the job is likely to be ill-done. — John M. Keynes
The Corporatists seem more than happy to take their shots at Obama. Rest assured there's plenty more where those came from. Conservatives want live babies so they can raise them to be dead soldiers. - George Carlin
