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wisconsin_cur Moderator


Joined: May 10, 2007 Posts: 2740 Location: The Entropisphere
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Posted: Sat Jul 12, 2008 2:01 am Post subject: Russia using oil as a weapon? |
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Czech's see oil flow fall days after signing agreement to host missle defense radar
| Quote: | MOSCOW — Three days after the Czech Republic signed an agreement with the United States to host a tracking radar for an antiballistic missile system that Russia vehemently opposes, the authorities in Prague said the flow of Russian oil to their country was beginning to dwindle.
In a statement on Friday, Czech officials declined to link the reduced supply to the deal signed Tuesday in Prague. Still, though the flow of oil can vary for technical reasons, it was clear that the Czechs suspected a connection and intended to ask the Russians to explain the decline. |
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Concerned Light Sweet Crude


Joined: Sep 23, 2004 Posts: 1501
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Posted: Sat Jul 12, 2008 3:36 am Post subject: Re: Russia using oil as a weapon? |
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| wisconsin_cur wrote: | Czech's see oil flow fall days after signing agreement to host missle defense radar
| Quote: | MOSCOW — Three days after the Czech Republic signed an agreement with the United States to host a tracking radar for an antiballistic missile system that Russia vehemently opposes, the authorities in Prague said the flow of Russian oil to their country was beginning to dwindle.
In a statement on Friday, Czech officials declined to link the reduced supply to the deal signed Tuesday in Prague. Still, though the flow of oil can vary for technical reasons, it was clear that the Czechs suspected a connection and intended to ask the Russians to explain the decline. |
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Business As usual wouldn't you say?
Iran gets sanctions for building nuclear power plants. Czech get goodies from the US and Russia applies what penalty it can.
Real politik. _________________ "Once the game is over, the king and the pawn go back in the same box."
-Italian Proverb |
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dissident Heavy Crude


Joined: Apr 08, 2006 Posts: 389
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Posted: Sat Jul 12, 2008 4:46 am Post subject: Re: Russia using oil as a weapon? |
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They can buy oil on the open market like everybody else, the poor dears. Also, this is a prime example of the contextless propaganda BS spewed by the western media. The only Russian oil pipeline that reaches the Czech republic is Druzhba, it supplies primarily Poland and Germany:
EIA Link
While the US installs real elements of an offensive strategic nuclear capability on Russia's footstep, assorted western twits bleat about "Russian oil weapons". It doesn't take much to put you clowns on the crusading warpath (e.g. Iraq) so why all the effort shouting about the big bad Russian threat to your freedom. You obviously believe the whole world is one big Iraq that you can push around and have no consequences to deal with. If it is OK for the USA to have sanctions on Cuba, it is more than OK for Russia to put sanctions on all states that are real threats to its existence. |
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wisconsin_cur Moderator


Joined: May 10, 2007 Posts: 2740 Location: The Entropisphere
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CarlosFerreira Heavy Crude


Joined: Jul 02, 2008 Posts: 362 Location: Espinho, Porto, Portugal
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Posted: Sat Jul 12, 2008 5:03 am Post subject: Re: Russia using oil as a weapon? |
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Russia has been keen to keep total control over its resources, nad Gazprom is a prime example of that state of affairs. I wouldn't be at all shocked if they did squeeze the Czech Republic's supply somewhat.
But truth is, the Czechs can, indeed, buy theur oil from someone else! Thus, these news are somewhat a crap, no doubt.
If Russia was bombing the radar sites, like the Israelis have done in the past (in Iraq) and are probably considering right now (in Iran), I can't think what the western press would be saying. |
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Fishman Intermediate Crude


Joined: Aug 11, 2005 Posts: 663 Location: Eastern NC
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Posted: Sat Jul 12, 2008 8:06 am Post subject: Re: Russia using oil as a weapon? |
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| So dissident, if the Czech choose not to be Russia's butt buddy AGAIN the evil US is to blame? You must have been been born after 1990 or have a serious aversion to history. The folks I've talked to from Poland, Romania, and Albania say their countrymen would do anything to defend themselves from falling under Russia again. The protesters are almost all young folks who have never had the KGB peering at them. |
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Twilight Expert


Joined: Mar 02, 2007 Posts: 2971 Location: UK
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Muckingfess Heavy Crude


Joined: May 26, 2008 Posts: 113 Location: Texas
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Posted: Sat Jul 12, 2008 1:57 pm Post subject: Re: Russia using oil as a weapon? |
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Interesting article on PO and the US military.
article _________________ A man should never wear a hat that has more character than he does. |
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dissident Heavy Crude


Joined: Apr 08, 2006 Posts: 389
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Posted: Sun Jul 13, 2008 4:41 am Post subject: Re: Russia using oil as a weapon? |
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| You are really cute, Fishman. Defense in this case is transparent newspeak for offense. It is also kind of peculiar how all of these supposedly insecure eastern Europeans don't have a problem with Germany. Following your logic they should all be running around installing missile systems in case WWII and WWI gets repeated. |
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dissident Heavy Crude


Joined: Apr 08, 2006 Posts: 389
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Posted: Sun Jul 13, 2008 5:08 am Post subject: Re: Russia using oil as a weapon? |
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Since we're on the subject of what the Czechs want (according to Fishman to save themselves from the great Russian evil threat that is always ready to be unleashed), let's take a look at opinion polls:
Angus-Reid Link
There are 7 Czechs who oppose the missile radar for every 2 that support it. Since this US strategic nuclear element has little support in the Czech Republic the government is using taxpayer money to propagandize it:
| Quote: | | ...an estimated 15 million crowns of public money to promote the US radar base. The campaigners plan to hold a march through Prague on the 15 March. Opinion polls consistently indicate that a majority of Czechs appose the Bush administration’s plan to locate an anti-missile radar system in the Czech Republic |
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Russian_Cowboy Heavy Crude


Joined: Feb 16, 2005 Posts: 251 Location: Siberia of Canada
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Posted: Mon Jul 14, 2008 2:32 pm Post subject: Re: Russia using oil as a weapon? |
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To sum it up, the Czechs do not want to be either Russian or American puppet.
As far as using oil and gas to buy friends and punish enemies goes, Russia has been doing it for a long time. A good example of this policy is selling natural gas to friendly regimes at discounted prices. The price of Russian nat.gas for Belarus has been and still is lower than that for Ukraine. _________________ We do not inherit the Earth from our parents, but borrow it from our children - Antoine Saint Exupery |
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gmin Tar Sands


Joined: Feb 05, 2006 Posts: 96
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Posted: Mon Jul 14, 2008 3:44 pm Post subject: Re: Russia using oil as a weapon? |
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| Russian_Cowboy wrote: | To sum it up, the Czechs do not want to be either Russian or American puppet.
As far as using oil and gas to buy friends and punish enemies goes, Russia has been doing it for a long time. A good example of this policy is selling natural gas to friendly regimes at discounted prices. The price of Russian nat.gas for Belarus has been and still is lower than that for Ukraine. |
US gives and cuts aid to, imposes sanction agaisnt, a lot of countries to "promote human rights, defend democracy, fight totalitarian regime" all the time. Food, energy, and medicine have all been used for exerting influence, yet US has never been shy about it.
Russia really need to improve her "packaging skills". Many other eastern countries have similar difficulties. Maybe eastern people are just not good at hypocrisy, or that they don't care? since the media is controlled by the west, serves the west and consumed by the west. |
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Russian_Cowboy Heavy Crude


Joined: Feb 16, 2005 Posts: 251 Location: Siberia of Canada
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Posted: Mon Jul 14, 2008 9:36 pm Post subject: Re: Russia using oil as a weapon? |
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| gmin wrote: | | US gives and cuts aid to, imposes sanction agaisnt, a lot of countries to "promote human rights, defend democracy, fight totalitarian regime" all the time. Food, energy, and medicine have all been used for exerting influence, yet US has never been shy about it. |
The US thinks it has a moral authority/right to do so because it is spreading and defending democracy all over the world. And that democracy is the best known form of society. This view has been and still is shared by a lot of people outside of the US, however their pool is dwindling.
The same excuse was used for Russian imperialism as well. In the Russian case, one only needed to substitute "democracy" with "communism". In 1945, the Communist Party nearly won popular vote in Italy without Soviet occupation of the country and only the Catholic Church prevented Italy from becoming another "Soviet satellite" just like the other countries of the Eastern Europe. However the communist ideology is now completely bankrupt and Russia has nothing to back her imperialism with besides her petro-money.
Of course, the Russian government-controlled mass media have had some success in brainwashing its population into believing some stupid lies. Examples of these lies are that evil nazi-parading Eastern European countries buddied up with the US and together they are threatening Russia or that Russia has always pampered people she conquered whereas evil unhuman western countries always exterminated all other cultures and that Native American reserves are death camps where native people are being exterminated by evil whites. To find out what latest achievements of Russian government propaganda are just read "dissident's" posts. But of couse, almost nobody outside Russia believes this balooney. And nobody will.
P.S. The Russians are not "eastern people". At least, not all of them. The closest match would be the Africans. This is why Russia is sometimes called "Northern Nigeria". _________________ We do not inherit the Earth from our parents, but borrow it from our children - Antoine Saint Exupery |
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