By F. William Engdahl While the Obama Administration is preoccupied with keeping an increasingly unhappy EU firm on further economic sanctions against Vladimir Putin’s Russia, Putin is busy outflanking an increasingly desperate Washington. Rather than fixate on the deliberate US and NATO provocations in Ukraine, Russia is deepening its strategic ties with the other Great Eurasian … Continue reading
By The World Bank Judging by the futures market, where the price of oil for delivery in August 2015 is US$56 per barrel, there is little optimism about a recovery in oil prices. With cheap oil looking like it is here to stay, the latest Quarterly Economic Bulletin offers a breakdown by country of the … Continue reading
Seen from Asia, the ghastly crisis in Europe looks and feels like a galaxy away. So as I was back from the Middle Kingdom to the austerity-ravaged, stagnated collection of dysfunctions also known as NATOstan, I decided to stop midway, in the City of Cities, for a moment of reflection. . By Pepe Escobar Via … Continue reading
By Jill Shankleman One in five African states produce hydrocarbons, and most of these are heavily dependent on oil and gas revenues to finance their governments and generate foreign exchange. Further, an emerging group of East African states are waiting on international oil companies to develop new oil and gas reserves. But Africa’s record using … Continue reading
Cutting-edge research from British universities has confirmed a belief long held by conspiracy theorists, realists and hawkish neoconservatives alike: oil drives foreign intervention and war. Foreign governments are 100 times more likely to intervene in civil wars if the troubled state is home to hydrocarbon reserves, according to a new report by academics from the … Continue reading
By William Camacaro and Frederick B. Mills Introduction: A Decisive Battle is at Hand In a speech outside the Miraflores palace on January 17, 2015, upon his return from a twelve day trip abroad, President of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela Nicolas Maduro Moros addressed an expectant crowd of well wishers. Seizing the moment in … Continue reading
Plunging oil prices, even as low as $30 per barrel, won’t offset the world’s largest-listed oil company, Rosneft’s investment and development plans, according to the company’s VP. “The company can weather $30 per barrel prices, but problems with the Russian budget will arise,” Rosneft Vice president Viktor Ishayev told reporters at a press conference in Khabarovsk. … Continue reading
By BNE Russia plans to build a giant liquefied natural gas (LNG) terminal on its Baltic coast that could disrupt efforts to construct a pan-regional facility to serve Latvia, Lithuania and Estonia. Russian gas giant Gazprom said on January 22 that it will build an LNG terminal at the sea port of Ust-Luga. The facility is planned to be capable of … Continue reading
Loretta Napoleoni: Little will change after death of King Abdullah, but the Saudis cannot sustain low oil prices for much longer; they have lost control of ISIS; and their big fear is revolution. . Video: An interview with Loretta Napoleoni, an Italian journalist and political analyst whom is an expert on the financing of terrorism and is known … Continue reading
By IMF Even with the sharp oil price decline—a net positive for global growth—world economic outlook is still subdued, weighed down by underlying weakness elsewhere, says the IMF’s latest WEO Update. Global growth is forecast to rise moderately in 2015–16, from 3.3 percent in 2014 to 3.5 percent in 2015 and 3.7 percent in 2016 … Continue reading