A Caspian Alternative to OPEC

Wall St Journal ^ | 11-7-01 | Brenda Shaffer

[SJackson]

BAKU, Azerbaijan -- As the U.S. struggles to maintain its global coalition against terrorism, it finds itself bending over backwards to not offend the Saudis. Although Saudi Arabia bears some responsibility for the rise of Islamist radicalism, and is only offering lukewarm support for the anti-terror campaign, it appears to be immune from criticism because of American dependence on its oil and gas. The U.S., it is believed, can't afford to get tough with its main energy supplier. Or can it? One way to help diminish dependence on Saudi Arabia is to focus on oil from the Caspian Sea.

[Milosevic2]

Check out the facts - yes the WSJ & Co. are desperate ...

[stboz]

We must produce our own energy. Nuclear, wind, solar, hydro, oil and gas. Without our own, we are subject to the whims of medieval thinkers like the House of Saud and their cousins. Let them return to desert and tents.

[stboz]

Oops. Forgot coal. Sorry coal miners.

[Voronin]

I know you are smiling!

VRN

[Kermit]

We have three US drilling sites that right now are being keep off table: ANWAR, Great Lakes and Florida Gulf Coast. We are keeping the new design nuclear plants off the table. We should go to the Saudis and tell them that if they don't play ball, as soon as 10 years, we will shut down the Persian Gulf, then all they'll have is their investments to live off. Their people aren't going to be too happy about this. We can survive without Saudi oil, but they can't.

Hell, this doesn't even consider the possibility of simply taking their oil, after all, we found it, we developed it.

[conway]

I've read wherethere is enough oil in the Caspian region to supply the world for the next 500 years at the present rate of consumption. A little known fact is the buying of Stansard oil by Shell on 9/12. Possibly getting prepared for the pipeline through Afganistan?

We left Sadam in power so we could keep his oil off the market. No Sadam, no sanctions.

We helped Afgainstan defeat Russia for the same reason. Higher prices for oil. A cash strapped Russia would have sold oil and we would be paying .25 cents a gal, for gasoline.

[Eric in the Ozarks]

Good idea !

[unending thunder]

"I've read wherethere is enough oil in the Caspian region to supply the world for the next 500 years at the present rate of consumption"

You must have read that in the National Enquirer. There have been more dry drills than anywhere else in the world. If you want to just look at history of and share price of Atlantic Caspian Oil (Ticker ACA on London SE)headed by Cedric Brown who ran the UK State Gas co. British Gas. There is a very good rough Guide to Azerbaijan paid for by Mobil. Also violence and corruption have chased a lot of Western companies out of Baku. Mafia rules. The Ceyhan pipeline is a Turkish dream. Clinton was present when agreement signed in Istanbul - kiss of death on that one.

[weikel]

there is a lot of oil in baku it was hitler's objective when he got army group south killed off in stalingrad and the caucausas.

[1Old Pro]

So, Azerbaijan and Kazakhstan are pro-American states, awash with oil, non-coordinated with OPEC, and begging to have their oil flow westward. Does this sound too good to be true? It is. One glitch is the continuing Nagorno-Karabagh conflict.

Doesn't sound like this glitch couldn't be overcome.

[dirtboy]

there is a lot of oil in baku it was hitler's objective when he got army group south killed off in stalingrad and the caucausas.

By Hitler's standard it was a lot of oil (since he only had Ploesti) and he had the means to take it by land. By our modern standards, it isn't that much - estimates of total reserves have steadily dropped over the last few years.

[sinkspur]

Your link is basically a bizarre, ungrammatical chat site.

"The Hand of God" indeed.

[Voronin]

Finding new sources of oil or alternate sources of energy won't stop these wars over oil and it won't stop US oil investments with the Royal House of Saud. No matter how much energy we've got, our politicians in Washington and the oil industry lobby are going to demand more and think of new reasons why we don't have enough. Caspian oil draws crowd of ex-Washington heavyweights.

Considering the time scale for the construction of the Baku-Ceyhan pipline is rather optomistic and its capacity, it is unlikely that Caspian energy will make a significant dent in Middle East oil for quite a while (if it's not the equivalent of 'vapour ware'). The political effect is disproportionate to the economic effect and we also have to remember that there a quite a number of local political problems in the way too. The current events in Georgia could throw a spanner in the works....

VRN

[conway]

That is such good info. Thanks

[conway]

That is such good info. Thanks