For the geographically-impaired
One casualty of the Bush administration’s ambiguous attempts to mollify Turkey over the issue of clamping down on Kurdish insurgents in northern Iraq may well be Washington’s larger agenda of isolating Iran.
Ankara and Tehran have signed $1.5 billion in agreements providing for the joint construction of three 2,000-megawatt thermal power plants — two in Iran and one in Turkey, and several hydroelectric plants in Iran with a total 10,000-megawatt capability. The agreements also provide for upgrading electrical power transmission lines between the two countries. Under terms of the agreement, Ankara will import 3 billion to 6 billion kilowatt hours of electrical energy annually…
The agreement comes in direct contradiction to Washington’s policy of further isolating Iran over its controversial uranium enrichment program…
During last week’s joint news conference in Istanbul with Iranian Energy Minister Parviz Fattah, Guler said, “The signing (of agreements) will continue. Our efforts are continuing…Our improving ties may annoy some circles but they will harm no one. They have to accept that.”…
Washington has nothing to offer Ankara in the energy sphere except criticism. The Erdogan government, as a necessity, has accordingly moved national energy concerns ahead of placating U.S. foreign-policy initiatives.
It’s thrilling to watch that skilled neocon diplomacy in action.
Most national economies rely on developing rail systems for goods traffic – especially capital goods. The efficiencies of scale even include diminished environmental questions. So, it’s no surprise either to see Turkey and Iran finalizing the last significant link between Europe and south Asia.
Regardless of the whining from Uncle Sugar.
http://tinyurl.com/2kuha6
So developing non-nuclear energy is at odds with the policy of shutting down nuclear weapons programs?
Meanwhile… every other industrialized country in the world, even the oil rich tyrannical goverments are running head first to secure energy supplies that DO NOT include oil.
They are doing this because they know that oil production has peaked. When Iran is trying every way possible to build anything that generates power without oil, that should be an obvious warning sound to all.
They will not give up nuclear power, they cannot afford to. If it gives them the bomb, well that is an added bonus to them. But they have to have it for energy security.
Now.. Why is the US not doing anything to fix our oil problems?
#3 BS – “Now.. Why is the US not doing anything to fix our oil problems?”
You mean like drilling in ANWAR or off the coast of Florida or California or building new refineries of new nuclear plants or building a wind farm off the coast of Massachusetts?
I dunno, maybe environmentalists wanting us to maintain our dependence on foreign oil. Maybe the Kennedy clan doesn’t want their view blocked.
steve-o
>When Iran is trying every way possible
Iranian President Rafsanjani, even if an Israeli counterattack wipes out our country, Israel will be eliminated, and they will have destroyed but a small part of the Muslim world.
#4
Look at the estimated reserves for Anwar and the daily consumption rate of the US. Anwar is a VERY short term gain measured in days of oil. I am not saying we should not exploit it, or at the very least keep it for when oil is REALLY scarce, but it will not help the US in an oil crunch for any appreciable amount of time.
Look, put aside any environmental aspects and examine the production rates of oil worldwide and in the US. Production has hit a plateau, and demand is increasing. It is time to look long and hard about nuclear, wind, tidal, hydro, etc. and start building electrical capacity that is less dependent on oil.
Oil’s greatest use by mankind is arguably the us of oil as transportation fuel. We should be conserving oil for transportations use as long as possible. There are a few workable alternatives to generating electricity without oil, but no viable alternatives TODAY for transportation without oil.
There are only so many countries left that we can invade to control the oil supplies. We had better start building.
On the map, it looks like Turkey is kissing Iran’s ass.
Uh-oh. Now that it’s been revealed that Iran put the kibosh on their nuclear weapons program in 2003, I guess Little King Georgie is mad as a pickle. ( http://tinyurl.com/38lozb – free subscription to the NYT required; for non-subscribers, the first line is “A new assessment by American intelligence agencies concludes that Iran halted its nuclear weapons program in 2003 and that the program remains on hold, contradicting an assessment two years ago that Tehran was working inexorably toward building a bomb.”
What’s he going to use now as an excuse to bomb that I’m-A-Dinner-Jacket motherfucker?? God damn peacenik Iranias! No fair!
#8
I would not go so far as to say the Iranians are peaceful.. After all he has been calling for Israel to be wiped off the map.
I would say though that everyone needs to get past the oh-no iran is making a bomb scare and look to why they are pushing for nuclear power.
If you think about that, the answer it MUCH MUCH scarier than a single atomic weapon.
light reading: http://www.theoildrum.com
>>After all he has been calling for Israel to
>>be wiped off the map.
Plenty of groups have called for (or want) Israel to be wiped off the map. We don’t like them, but we don’t go to war with them.
The Chimp in Chief needs something to stir up the BLOOD LUST among his core constituency, something like those dreaded WEAPONS OF MASS DESTRUCTION that Saddam had.
It’s one thing if the only problem were that Iran’s not pursuing nuclear weapons; Dumbya could just lie about that, like he lied about Saddam’s WMDs. Now that HIS OWN GUMMINT has come out and said that Iran isn’t pursuing nuclear weapons, that a whole nother kettle of fish.
After all, isn’t going to war what being POTUS is all about?
http://tinyurl.com/2s8wey
Pakewww! Pakewww! Argghhhh, ya got me!!
#6 bs – I agree. At least some people are listening since my brother wants to put up a wind farm.
#10
“The Chimp in Chief needs something to stir up the BLOOD LUST among his core constituency, something like those dreaded WEAPONS OF MASS DESTRUCTION that Saddam had.”
I agree. I think it is an attempt to fabricate a case for war solely to gain control of the oil fields and or to keep Iran from moving away from the petrodollar…or both.
My guess is that we have seen only the first of many wars over the monetary basis for oil sales. If the US dollar loses it’s last bastion? of strength, the us dollar will be worthless. The US will do ANYTHING to prevent this (short of actually fixing the problem). As the dollar gets weaker, the chances of OPEC ditching the dollar for the euro becomes greater, and like a rat in a cage, the US will become VERY unpredictable and unstable in regards to how it uses its military might.