Listening to MSNBC’s show, Morning Joe, this morning, a reporter by the name of Scahill was speaking about the use of covert operations by this President, quoting Cover Ops sources in saying that they had a free hand under this President, much more than the previous Administration. One of those covert operations had been to support the so-called Arab Spring, especially in Libya. Why? Well, come to find out, the rebels whom we have been supporting minutely, have started to suggest that China, Russia and Brazil will lose out on expected oil contracts, where as the West will gain. Brazil is a major emerging market; Russia is starting to come alive again; and China, well, we all know about China.
Italy’s Foreign Affairs Ministry has confirmed that the Italian oil company Eni SpA, the biggest foreign investor in Muammar Gaddafi’s Libya, has sent a technical team to assist production re-launch.
…
But other major oil producers are cautious about joining the race back to Libya. BP said on Monday that it would return to Libya to continue its exploration program “when conditions allow,” Agence France-Presse reported.
Still, analysts believe that oil giants could be the actual beneficiaries in postwar Libya, especially the countries that have shown the most support for the opposition. The Libyan opposition has hinted that some business contracts will be preferred if they win.
“We don’t have a problem with Western countries like the Italians, French and UK companies,” Abdeljalil Mayouf, information manager at the Libyan rebel oil firm Agoco, told Reuters. “But we may have some political issues with Russia, China and Brazil.”
This could mean that countries that have been calling for the Libyan conflict to be resolved through negotiations might see the loss of billions of dollars in oil contracts. US and European oil giants, meanwhile, might have the market left to themselves and perhaps new players like Qatar. (here)
What? Well, remember this, always:
Who did they thank?
U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Susan Rice, British Prime Minister David Cameron, French President Nicolas Sarkozy and U.S. President Barack Obama.
So, what did we do? We supported the rebels against the Dictator while China didn’t. We did so without going into their country, except for 1 Trillion which we spent on missiles and the such. What is our benefit? No loss of life, ‘democracy’ in Libya, more oil contracts for the West, and none for China, Russia, and the up and coming economic powerhouse that is Brazil.
As a Democrat and an American, woot!, but as a Christian and one who watches history from a seat of arrogance, not liking where this is going.
Related articles
- China, Libya and the cost of doing business (blogs.mcclatchydc.com)
- China looks to protect its assets in a post-Gaddafi Libya (guardian.co.uk)
- Western oil giants seek Libya deals as Brics lose. (thetruthiswhere.wordpress.com)
- China urges Libya to protect oil investments (telegraph.co.uk)
Joel L. Watts holds a Masters of Arts from United Theological Seminary with a focus in literary and rhetorical criticism of the New Testament. His interests include exploring the role of mimesis in human civilization, specifically in the study of religion and media, as well as science fiction and the way in which it has allowed mythology to be explored in light of scientific discoveries of the past century. He is the author of Mimetic Criticism of the Gospel of Mark: Introduction and Commentary (Wipf and Stock, 2013) and a co-editor and contributor to From Fear to Faith: Stories of Hitting Spiritual Walls (Energion, 2013).
Website: → Unsettled Christianity
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So we are the bad guys for supporting the liberation of people and for the people of Libya are angry at those who wanted to keep their tyrant in power? We never asked Brazil, China or Russia to not support the action, in fact we implored them to support it! Hardly the actions of the Machiavellian West as your opening paragraph tries to insinuate.Sorry, but just as Biblical studies can be abused by conspiracy theories and amateur comment-box venting so can international relations.
Erlend, while I appreciate the attempts at insults, they are unwarranted. I’m not really sure where you are getting the idea of a ‘conspiracy theory.’ I think it is a marvelous tactic move, with limited bloodshed, and no bloodshed by non-Libyans.
I am not saying we are the ‘bad guys’ on anything. I support the actions of a people to overthrow a dictator, although history shows that it rarely leads to a real democracy. I am saying, however, that this is not an action I want to see repeated – because it has been, in the Cold War, and it led to terrible results.
Jeremy Scahill is great. His book “Blackwater” is on my to-read list.
You can follow him @jeremyscahill on twitter.
I do not in any way support our involvement with Libya. They are/were a sovereign nation, and we had not compelling national interest to cause us to be involved.
In the end we will find ourselves regretting this, just as we will regret Iraq and Afghanistan. The trillions of dollars that are being spent in these unconstitutional wars have helped put our economy in the tank.
I find it interesting that oil comes up in almost all of these issues, too…
I agree with Jason, since we see eye to eye on foreign policy much of the time.