$100 billion "deal of the century" -we won't be invading Iran anytime soon

[donsu]

http://www.atimes.com/atimes/Middle_East/FK06Ak01.html


China Rocks the Geopolitical Boat

Speaking of business as unusual. A mere two months ago, the news of a China-Kazakhstan pipeline agreement, worth US$3.5 billion, raised some eyebrows in the world press, some hinting that China's economic foreign policy may be on the verge of a new leap forward. A clue to the fact that such anticipation may have totally understated the case was last week's signing of a mega-gas deal between Beijing and Tehran worth $100 billion. Billed as the "deal of century" by various commentators, this agreement is likely to increase by another $50 billion to $100 billion, bringing the total close to $200 billion, when a similar oil agreement, currently being negotiated, is inked not too far from now.

-snip-


It is perhaps too early to digest fully the various economic, political and even geostrategic implications of this stunning development, widely considered a major blow to the Bush administration's economic sanctions on Iran and particularly on Iran's energy sector, notwithstanding the Iran-Libya Sanctions Act (ILSA) penalizing foreign companies daring to invest more than $20 million in Iran's oil and gas industry.

While it is unclear what the scope of China's direct investment in Iran's energy sector will turn out to be, it is fairly certain that China's participation in the Yad Avaran field alone will exceed the ILSA's ceiling; this field's oil reservoir is estimated to be 17 billion barrels and is capable of producing 300 to 400 barrels per day. And this is besides the giant South Pars field, which Iran shares with Qatar, alone possessing close to 8% of the world's gas reserves. To open a parenthesis here, until now Tehran has been complaining that Qatar has been outpacing Iran in exploiting its resource 6-1. In fact, Iran's unhappiness over Qatar's unbalanced access to the South Pars led to a discrete warning by Iran's deputy oil minister and, soon thereafter, Qatar complied with Iran's request for a joint "technical committee" that has yet to yield any result.

For a United States increasingly pointing at China as the next biggest challenge to its Pax Americana, the Iran-China energy cooperation cannot but be interpreted as an ominous sign of emerging new trends in an area considered vital to US national interests. But, then again, this cuts both ways, that is, the deal should, logically speaking, stimulate others who may still consider Iran untrustworthy or too radical to enter into big projects on a long term basis. Iran's biggest foreign agreement prior to this gas agreement with China was a long-term $25 billion gas deal with Turkey, which has encountered snags, principally over the price, recently, compared with Iran's various trade agreements with Spain, Italy and others, typically with a life-span of five to seven years.
-snip-
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[Tesibria]

1. but....

Bush has a mandate ... he's got political capital (translate: our soldiers) and he's gonna USE it. He didn't wait for China last time -- why should he now?

------------------
"Rage" store: www.cafepress.com/tesibria.com
blog: www.democracyiscoming.com (explains purpose of rage store)

[UL_Approved]

2. Upheaval deluxe

If this goes through, the world oil market will undergo serious changes. If this is successful, the world will have two superpowers again. Who knows, we could be in another cold war soon.

[Xipe Totec]

3. What Happened to you, China? You used to be Cool!

Who said that? :eyes:

[acmavm]

4. Jeez, how ironic would it be if the country to put the kibosh on bush*s

plans for Iran would end up being China?

I know that this is probably sick in some way, but this has me laughing. I think the unelected fraud may find out that there are going to be some MAJOR impediments to his plans for taking over the Middle East. In fact, I am waiting for the news that more and more Middle Eastern countries cut deals with Russia and China, and maybe even the EU and freeze the current cabal out of the oil business in the Middle East.

It's as plain as the nose on the world's collective face what the bush* cabal's plans are for the Middle East. And they aren't going to roll over and let it happen. They're going to form alliances with major world powers as well as developing their own nuclear weapons. And there ain't a frigging think that bush* can do about it but stamp his feet and scream that he has a 'mandate' to change the world.

[Xipe Totec]

5. Does anyone remember the China Spy Plane Incident?

At the start of Chimpy's hegemony?

6 April, 2001

The nearly week-old U.S.-China standoff over the EP-3 dominated editorial pages overseas. While a few outside China were cautiously optimistic that intensive diplomacy and expressions of regret by top U.S. officials may have "opened a positive, more encouraging phase in the crisis," China's official media remained focused on the necessity for a formal apology. Commentators in China, Hong Kong and Taiwan saw the spat as indicative of China's enhanced standing as a world power. From Europe, writers worried that diplomatic efforts could be hindered by internal jockeying for power in both Beijing and Washington, with "hawks" in both capitals "exerting pressure for a 'tough line' without compromise." Meanwhile, a contingent from East and South Asia, Africa and the Americas used the "spy plane" case to air longstanding grievances about the "arrogance" of the "world's sole superpower" and its parochial definition of human rights. Highlights follow:

http://www.fas.org/news/china/2001/china-010406d.htm

[BeHereNow]

14. ROLF...a mandate from

a few IGNORANT, ARROGANT citizens of the world.
Fleas to be brushed aside with the flick of a few
electronic banking switches.
Bush is a uniter indeed!
He has united the rest of the planet in destroying
us; like China and Russia were going to take this
lying down.
Sorry, but I plan to RELISH the delicious unfolding
of the blowback that the dumb fucks in this
country have wrought upon themselves.
I want to see all those monster trucks sitting
idol in their driveways because their
pompous idiot owners can't afford to fill
up the gas tanks. Drive those Hummers
straight to bankruptcy hell while you
drown in credit card debt- you did it to yourselves
because you were SOOO afraid af Gay people and
a woman's right to choose-you will sow as you reap
you FALSE x-tians.

Everyone else:
Get whatever money you have left OUT of
US currency...
bhn

[BeHereNow]

17. I think it is DIVINE justice.

Memo to all the Lemmings:
Now wasn't it worth it too pay a few pennies
less for toilet paper at your local Walmarts?
Too bad all your local economies were destroyed
because you were stupid enough to let Walmart
takeover your communities?
Well, at least you wont have to worry
aoubt Gay people getting married and
women having abortions while you savor
your dog food dinners and split your prescription medications
because you can't afford them.
At least you will still have Fox news to watch.
BWAHAHAHA-
bhn

[Robert Oak]

6. China PNTR trade agreement worse mistake in 100 yrs

Gee, wiz, what a surprise.

After the US gave away our industry to China, gave away our high tech jobs, our intellectual property, our manufacturing expertise, enabled them to peg their Yuan to the US dollar plus buy up our debt...

and now this.

Ya know...of all of the cold war propaganda going on when I was a child..
the stuff about China is true.

It's a totalarian regime, represses it's people, enslaves them in their factories and America gave away the farm to them.

With this move alone, they sunk America.

Lenin wrote about the entire technique, summed up:
"
They will furnish credits which will serve us for the support of the Communist Party in their countries and, by supplying us materials and technical equipment which we lack, will restore our military industry necessary for our future attacks against our suppliers. To put it in other words, they will work on the preparation of their own suicide."

[livinbella]

7. good summary

[PurityOfEssence]

9. Since you mentioned Lenin...

Let's not forget this quote: "The Capitalist will sell you the rope with which you hang him."

Sadly, this sweeping Madmandate makes us all a little more conservative, whether we like it or not. Those of any sense know that they are more in peril, and will thus consider their personal financial security more of a priority. Truly, this is an evocation of Libertarianism at it's worst: we have to have failures of products for them to be swept from the marketplace (prevention and regulation being rape of the individual) and the truth is that more than ever since the end of the Gilded Age, we are nothing but commodities.

The beat goes on.

At least they'll show themselves for the brutes they truly are, and at least the fundies will revolt at least somewhat.

[BillZBubb]

8. That is ironic!

The PNAC was set up to prevent just that--other power's getting control of middle eastern oil--especially China. Looks like the Repug fanatics are a day late and a dollar short as usual.

[natrat]

10. sweet

china's leaders are smart; they deserve good things for there people

[orwell]

11. The Dumping

To some of us who have been watching China's recent rapid rise into a global economic superpower these recent pacts comes as no surprise. They are well aware of what the real goal in Iraq and Afghanistan was, to provide the pinch point on their swiftly growing industrial base with their oil supply lines running through Washington DC.

They simply had to do this, as does Russia, but do it with as little fanfare as possible.

The Dim Son and NeoCons, in their colossal arrogance forced China's hand. Unfortunately for the American economy, the US has no alternative to China's cheap industrial labor. It is China that holds the pinch point, because American capitalism and neoliberalism depends on cheap labor.

The chickens will come home to roost when China plays the final trump card, the massive dumping of dollar denominated assets.

This isn't over by a long shot.

[bemildred]

12. Well, I think if Kerry got in, they would have tried to work it out.

Now, I think it could get really ugly.

[gardenista]

13. Just the opposite. Bush motivated to disrupt the "unholy alliance"

Bush cannot let China get control of the beloved oil that rightfully belongs to Jesusland.

[missouri dem]

15. Bingo

Iran will be the next target of the empire.

[harpo]

18. agreed

[LTRS]

16. Great - let China become the enemy instead of liberals

You know, when the Soviet Union fell and the cold war ended that was when rethugs began their all out war on their country's own citizens. This people simply MUST have someone to hate, and when we became the world's only super power they began to look inside the country to see who they could demonize and despise. China is a better match for them than us.