Terry Etam: The axis of the world is shifting.
Here in the weird West, where we set aside our vast wealth, bountiful resources, technological prowess, best-in-history medical/safety establishments, and other assorted existential victories to get into fistfights about whether more racism will eliminate racism and who can go to the bathroom where, we are used to watching ancient conflicts take place on the other side of the world, shaking our head, and wondering either “Why can’t they all just get along” or “Well that’s unacceptable, better step in.”
The weird west has long gotten involved in many of these conflicts because of, well, o-i-l. It’s been that way since the 1950s, probably longer; the west’s insatiable thirst for hydrocarbons has driven a lot of international shenanigans and weird relationships. Recall that after a gang of terrorists hijacked four planes and flew them into the US’ most fundamental landmarks on home soil, and that more than half of those terrorists were from Saudi Arabia, the US promptly and expectedly retaliated – by invading two other countries, and going for tea with Saudi Arabia. Kind of transparent, that one.
But that established hydrocarbon-based camaraderie is fading fast, and it doesn’t look like the West has a game plan in response. That’s about as far as I’ll wade into geopolitics because the whole mess is grossly complicated (who hates who again this week?), other than to point out how rapidly things are changing and how that is impacting the energy world.
More: Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman (MbS) is no longer worried about pleasing the United States as his relationships with other global superpowers including China and Russia have strengthened.
Meanwhile US oil production is just below all time highs. Hmmmmmm
Not relevant….U.S. Strategic Oil Reserves are WAY down and the velocity of U.S. oil production is what counts. Crude stocks are falling and US total crude oil inventories (both commercial and the Strategic Petroleum Reserve) have fallen to a 36-year low, dropping below the previous bottom set in 2001 via Bloomberg. Hmmmmm
Thanks to Alan S for yet another raft of sins, aka lies by omission.
First ignoring higher demand. Or that the US WAS energy self-sufficient.
Or that oil production was ramped up under Donald Trump.
And that it’s fallen since he left office. Or that imports are again rising.
Or that given AS, or is it BS ignores the draining of the SPR.
Why would that be necessary if oil production is at or near its highs?
Or have record exports as gas prices accelerate?
While turning down pipelines? Only bowing to pressure, aka lost voter support, recently.
Begging Saudi Arabia who just gave Biden the finger (why again do we buy oil from terrorists?), as they now embrace China.
Enabling the pariah state terrorist financing Iran to gain power, now with SA (fellow terrorist?) help, instead isolating Israel.
Or that John Gill Quid Pro Joe and his radical racists do everything to kill off production, his weakness endangering world peace.
Progressivism. Taxation. Inflation. War. Rinse off blood, re-stir to simmer then boil, grabbing political power along the way.
A recipe for WW3 with intellectually lazy and logical incurious types like BS who wouldn’t know context it if bit them in the butt.
Nice collectivist work if you can get it. If there’s a problem, just indict your opposition. Just in case stack the courts and DAs.
Don’t want to present arguments you will lose on logic and voter support, just fake the issues as settled and arrest the dissidents.
“As a backbone or framework for this whole discussion, keep in mind that low gasoline prices are of paramount importance to US politicians. They trump everything. No matter what tub is being thumped or what policy is being terror-drilled into the minds of citizens (climate emergency, for example), it will be dropped like a hot potato if it means higher gasoline prices.”
Yep. ‘Murican politicos are so paranoid about high gasoline prices, Terry, that they are willing to point the finder at anyone else but themselves as the cause of…high gasoline prices.
Horse feathers & bull pucky…
“finger”
Weird West is an understatement. Here in Alberta the NDP plans to teach Somali curriculum in Alberta schools should it get elected in May.
https://www.westernstandard.news/news/ndp-plans-to-introduce-somali-curriculum-to-alberta-schools-if-elected/article_8dbe7a2e-c812-11ed-a640-a3b7b3078aba.html
Maybe we should reduce the population to 500 million. I’ll watch and keep out of the way.
While the west enjoys the cultural and economic vandalism of end-stage democracy (Alexander Tytler) led by elected sociopaths addicted to manufactured crises as a distraction from imminent bankruptcy and offering planetary salvation through energy ignorance and pseudo-environmental pieties, the rest of the world prefers the pursuit of prosperity. Good on them.
The House of Saud used to hate commies because they’re Godless. And I do mean hate.
They wouldn’t do business with them.
I guess they figure the Americans are increasingly pretty much the same?
“Go woke go broke” that includes post national states. The greater world outside of the western nations has said “no thanks, we’ll go another way from here on”.
Cackles Harris has be sent to Africa to shore up support against China’s growing relationships by making LGBTwhatever the central theme of her visit – spoiler – it ain’t going very well.
This ones a good example:
https://twitter.com/i/status/1641792298823417860
“Leaders in Ghana, Zambia, slam US for ‘undemocratic’ meddling, amid VP Harris’ tour of Africa”
“US Vice President Kamala Harris on her African tour in Ghana this week, that LGBT rights were a human rights issue.
Bagbin dismissed Harris’ remarks. “These things should not be tolerated. That is undemocratic! What is democracy? That somebody else would have to dictate to me, as to what is good and what is bad? Unheard of!” Bagbin said on Tuesday”
https://www.sott.net/article/478899-Leaders-in-Ghana-Zambia-slam-US-for-undemocratic-meddling-amid-VP-Harris-tour-of-Africa