Brazil’s Time Is Now: Petro Fields, Nuclear Padlocks, and A Yellow Submarine

“Brazil is becoming more aware of its place in the world and wants to be a player on the world stage.” A Brazilian Nuclear Submarine: The Improbable Dream? “Why not dream big and say that we want to reach the point where a nuclear submarine is a possibility?” — President Lula de Silva

French, Swedish and US defense companies pursuing a $4B deal to replace Brazil’s aging fleet of fighter jets are stepping up lobbying efforts... The intensification of the campaigns comes after Brazil’s likely announcement was pushed back from September to October at the earliest in order to ask “incredibly detailed” technical questions...

At stake is not only the right to supply Brazil with 36 modern fighters to replace its 12 outdated French Mirage jets from 2014 — but also a chance to carry a winner’s glow into a much bigger, 10-billion-dollar tender India has underway to buy 126 fighters...

...restless musings now taking place in the Brazilian armed forces: “Two-thirds of the air force’s planes are grounded due to lack of replacement parts. The air force does not have any medium-range-to-air and air-to-ground missiles, attack helicopters or the so-called ‘intelligent bombs’ which are part of the equiptment of its Chilean, Peruvian and Venezuelan counterparts.

Furthermore, only half of the navy’s combat ships are fit for their intended purpose. In the army the situation is no different. There is no money for ammunition, Brazilian tanks are all secondhand and most over 30 years old.” Does this sound like a country that could spend almost a billion dollars on nuclear submarine project, which will do nothing to upgrade or modernize the rest of the fleet?

One must wonder what will be the reaction in Buenos Aires, with an Argentine military still nursing its wounds over its defeat in the Falklands...

Posted In Bloggers Section: Blog Post includes: Sarah Palin FaceBook (First Cars, Now Foreign Oil) — Petrobras Tupi Petro Fields — Defense Talk (Lobbying For FAB Fighter Contract)— WSJ (Obama Underwrites Offshore Drilling) — WMD (Brazil’s Pursuit of a Nuclear Submarine Raises Proliferation Concerns)

Hidden Story here:

George Soros is a major, major investor in Brazilian oil drilling (Petrobras).

He pays the US democrat party millions to shut down US oil drilling (Soros' competetion).

THEN THIS WEEK GETS THE DEMOCRATS TO GIVE HIM A HUGE CHEAP LOAN TO DRILL FOR OFF SHORE BRAZILIAN OIL!

2 posted on 08/23/2009 7:09:03 AM PDT by FormerACLUmember (When the past no longer illuminates the future, the spirit walks in darkness.)

The $10B eximpbank loan will go to US contractors via petrobras. That's what eximp does lends money with strings so effectively the loan gets repatriated.....the receiving country then makes payments to eximp.

Hopefully Brasil won't bite on the arms deals since that's essentially exporting their standard of living off to the arms dealers.

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