US-Created “Syrian Opposition” Led by Big Oil Rep

A year ago, it was reported that Libya’s new NATO-installed prime minister, Abdurrahim el-Keib, was in fact a long-time US resident, having taught at the University of Alabama and was formally employed by the Petroleum Institute, based in Abu Dhabi, UAE and sponsored by British Petroleum (BP), Shell, France’s Total, the Japan Oil Development Company, […]

Fracking Industry Keeps Eye on Obama; EPA Report Could Doom its Future

The drilling process that has brought U.S. energy independence within reach faces renewed scrutiny from the Obama administration and an uncertain future in many states. Oil and gas industry leaders remain enthusiastic yet cautious that hydraulic fracturing, commonly known as “fracking,” will be fully embraced by the newly re-elected President Obama and state leaders. Fracking […]

Iran Accepts Payment in Gold to Get Around Sanctions

Yet another reason the US government hates gold, unlike dealing with paper money in bank accounts, there is no way they can stop international trade in gold and it is difficult to track gold movements. WSJ reports: Turkey on Friday acknowledged that a surge in its gold exports this year is related to payments for imports of […]

Saudi dynasty faces generational choice

Two royal deaths and two cabinet reshuffles in just over a year have edged Saudi Arabia’s ruling family toward a tough decision: turning to a new generation after 60 years of rule by sons of the founding patriarch. The succession beyond King Abdullah – the fifth of Ibn Saud’s sons to reign and who is, […]

German military analysis of peak oil now available

Complete English translation of German military analysis of peak oil now available Last week the Bundeswehr posted an English version (112 pgs) of their extraordinary analysis of peak oil. The original German document (125 pgs) was approved for public release last November, yet neither the complete German version nor the partial English translation has attracted […]

Putting a price tag on war with Iran

An all-out U.S. war with Iran, including an invasion by American troops, would cost the global economy close to $2 trillion in the first three months and could go as high as $3 trillion, according to a Washington think tank. A full-scale ground operation to dismantle Iran’s nuclear program is unlikely but the scenario is […]

Iran’s president welcomes Hamas-Israel ceasefire

Iran’s president welcomed the ceasefire between Hamas and Israel, but expressed reservations about its effectiveness, said a Pakistani television station, which interviewed him on Thursday. “President (Mahmoud) Ahmadinejad said the cruelty in Gaza should unite Muslims. He said he welcomes the ceasefire between Hamas and Israel, but he seems to not be very optimistic about […]

Iran Accuses Saudis of Searching for Oil in “Prohibited” Gulf Areas

Iran Tuesday accused Saudi Arabia of searching for oil in what it called a “prohibited” offshore zone in response to Riyadh’s earlier allegations that Tehran had violated its airspace. The statements are likely to revive fears of a flare up between the Persian Gulf’s arch-foes and coincide with the military escalation in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict […]

Bahrain Cracks Down on Freedom

The ruling Al Khalifa monarchy is one of the world’s most brutal dictatorships. It’s also a valued US ally. Bahrain is home to America’s Fifth Fleet. Imperial priorities matter most. Washington backs Bahraini harshness. State terror is policy. Murder, torture, lawless imprisonments, and daily atrocities get tacit support. Bahrain ruthlessly wages war on freedom. Fundamental […]

Family Planning and State of World Population Control 2012

She sat loosely on a very short wall, joint by two corners to a wall on a very small house in one of Monrovia’s slum communities—Clara Town.   Probably not being fully aware of the presence of few visitors, who have shown up before her house. The visitors, including health practitioners from Planned Parenthood Association […]

Kenya: Family planning will make economic sense

This year’s United Nations State of the World Population report released last week demonstrates quite dramatically the economic benefits of family planning. It argues, quite rightly, that investing in family planning makes economic sense both at individual and national levels. With a well-planned family, there will be less competition for resources and hence more to […]

Did oil decide the last three American elections?

Was the most recent American election outcome determined by the presidential debates, changing demographics, voter views on issues, Hurricane Sandy (and the president’s reaction to it) or voter turnout? Probably all of these contributed to the result. Energy was actually one of the issues discussed during the campaign, particularly domestic production of oil and natural […]

Iran Set to Double Nuclear Fuel Capability

Israel’s ‘red line’ could be hit in June, the point when Iranians have enough 20%-enriched uranium to produce a warhead Iran has finished installing nearly 3,000 nuclear-fuel production machines at its underground military facility near the holy city of Qom, providing Tehran the capability to double its production of medium-enriched uranium in the coming months, […]

What’s Next In The Middle East?

What’s Next In The Middle East? While the missiles, planes and rockets fly over Gaza and Israel, both Hamas and the Israeli government have been engaged in a battle of social media. Hamas:   And Israel: It is a battle to shape the perceptions of the rest of the world. The IDF appears so far to […]

Palestinians shoot down Israeli F-16 fighter jet in Gaza: Israel Re-escalates: Mobilizes 75,000

Earlier today, air raid sirens went off in Tel Aviv, and even Jerusalem was supposedly in danger of a missile attack: hardly the deescalation Israel was hoping to see. Sure enough, the ball is in Bibi’s court and he wastes not time: NETANYAHU CONVENING MINISTERS TO APPROVE RESERVES CALL-UP; TV ISRAEL PLANNING TO CALL UP […]

U.S. Escalation Against Iran Would Carry High Cost for Global Economy

The world economy would bear substantial costs if the United States took steps to significantly escalate the conflict with Iran over its controversial nuclear programme, according to the findings of a Federation of American Scientists’ (FAS) special report released here Friday. Based on consulations with a group of nine bipartisan economic and national security experts, […]

Geopolitics: As the North American Shale Revolution Unfolds

Every modern industrial nations requires affordable energy to run its industry, commerce, and to keep its citizens comfortable within their homes. For the last few decades, energy consumers in the western world have lived under the threat of having their energy supplies cut off, by belligerent suppliers in OPEC, Russia, and other bullying dictatorships. Preliminary […]

There Will Be War In The Middle East

The military action that we are watching in the Middle East right now is just a preview of coming attractions.  Tensions in the region are rising with each passing day, and all sides have been anticipating future conflicts and preparing for war for decades.  It would be wonderful if everyone could sit down, forgive each […]

BP to pay record criminal penalty in US spill settlemen

BP will pay a record criminal penalty to resolve some of its liability for the 2010 Deepwater Horizon disaster in a deal to be announced by the U.S. Justice Department as soon as Thursday, a source told Reuters. The source familiar with discussions did not disclose the actual amount of BP’s payment but said it […]

Israel responds to Hamas attacks with campaign of airstrikes

The Israeli military commenced what government officials are calling a “widespread campaign on terror sites and operatives in the Gaza Strip, chief among them Hamas and Islamic Jihad targets” after suffering nearly a week of rocket attacks on Israeli territory. The Israel Defense Forces opened Operation Pillar of Defense with an airstrike on a car […]

Iran aims for baby boom, but are Iranians in the mood?

Before Somayeh can have the second child she and her husband have been talking about, they must first consider the expense. “Baby food, clothes, doctors, the hospital – it all costs a lot of money. Which we can’t afford at the moment,” she said, speaking to Reuters by phone from inside Iran. Like many countries, […]

Iraq Citizens Can Swap Food Rations for Cash

Iraq’s government will allow citizens to choose whether to receive cash handouts instead of food rations, State Minister Ali Al-Dabbagh said. The Cabinet has also taken steps to prevent speculation on food prices and to ensure the safe delivery of the cash handouts, Dabbagh, the official government spokesman, said in an e-mailed statement today. The […]

Iran repelled unidentified plane from its airspace

Iran repelled an unidentified aircraft violating its airspace, it said on Friday, after Washington reported a U.S. surveillance drone was shot at by Iranian warplanes last week. Defense Minister Brigadier General Ahmad Vahidi appeared to be referring to the U.S. drone which the Pentagon said had not entered Iranian territory. The incident has underlined the […]

Obama Administration Shuts Down Oil Drilling Out West

The Interior Department on Friday issued a final plan to close 1.6 million acres of federal land in the West originally slated for oil shale development. The proposed plan would fence off a majority of the initial blueprint laid out in the final days of the George W. Bush administration. It faces a 30-day protest […]

Gasoline Rationing Comes To New York

New York City and both of Long Island’s counties have ordered a temporary gasoline-rationing system – starting Friday morning – in which people there can buy fuel only on certain days, depending on their license-plate numbers. The moves, designed to reduce wait times and lines at gas stations in the area, come more than a […]

A Tribute to Roscoe Bartlett

Here in the Washington DC area and around the nation, election day was a constant stream of poll results, election updates, and pundit analysis. But missed by many was the contest in Maryland’s 6th district, where Roscoe Bartlett – the second-oldest serving member of the US House of Representatives – was denied his bid to […]

China’s congress reveals ‘an elite from another planet’

Beneath the glowing red star, and in front of a giant hammer and sickle, China’s Communist party delegates gathered on Thursday to begin handing over control of the country that is home to a fifth of the world’s population. On Tuesday US citizens re-elected Barack Obama after a tightly fought contest. Now the world’s second […]

Iranian jets fire on U.S. drone

Two Iranian Su-25 fighter jets fired on an unarmed U.S. Air Force Predator drone in the Persian Gulf last week, CNN has learned. The incident raises fresh concerns within the Obama administration about Iranian military aggression in crucial Gulf oil shipping lanes. The drone was in international airspace east of Kuwait, U.S. officials said, adding […]

Qatar and UAE look to bolster defence systems

Countries request sale of up to $7.6bn in Lockheed Martin Corp missile-defence systems to counter perceived threats. Qatar and the United Arab Emirates have requested the sale of up to $7.6bn in Lockheed Martin Corp missile-defence systems to counter perceived threats and lower their dependence on US forces, the Pentagon announced. The Defence Security Cooperation […]

US Energy Independence Can Be Created

US Energy Independence Can Be Created Written by Paul Stinson The US government can create an appropriate level of energy independence by causing up to four million barrels per day of additional transportation and heating fuels to be produced from North American energy sources by auctioning long-term financial hedges (Contracts for Difference) to firms offering […]

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