Tensions are rising rapidly over the imminent oil exploration around the Falklands. Yesterday Argentina accused Britain of “whipping up the spectre of war” after the British Prime Minister Gordon Brown, insisted the Falkland Islands were being properly protected to allow oil and gas exploration. “We have made all the preparations necessary to make sure the … Read More
War
As violence starts again, Shell off-loads Nigerian assets
Things are hotting up in the Niger Delta again and once again Shell finds itself at the centre of the vortex of violence and conflict. On Saturday the company had to shut three oil flow stations in the Delta region after a pipeline was sabotaged by armed gun-men. It was the same day as Nigeria’s … Read More
“Spend as much on climate change as war”
When the Nobel Peace Prize committee decided earlier this year to award the prize to President Obama, they could not have envisaged that it would be in the same month as he sent 30,000 more troops to war. Giving the peace prize to the Commander in Chief of American forces involved in two brutal and … Read More
The “mother of all sell-outs”
UPDATE 6/24: The Wall St. Journal has an interesting article on this. Way back in November 2002, as the build up to the war in Iraq gathered pace, then British Prime Minister Tony Blair appeared on the Arabic Service of Monte Carlo radio, in an address targeted at the Iraqi people. “The idea that this … Read More
1,000 Reported Dead in Nigeria on Eve of Shell AGM
Tomorrow is the Shell AGM: the show case of the company’s year. Shell will be under fire from investors over corporate pay, but its record in Nigeria should be the real reason the company is in the spotlight. In the Hague, the main venue for Shell’s main AGM, the oil company’s top brass will be … Read More
Russia Warns of Oil Wars in the Arctic
A true addict does not know that it is addicted. It does not know when to seek help. It cannot tell when its actions move from the sublime to the ridiculous. It cannot tell it is time to wean itself off a lethal product before it self-destructs. Russia threatening war in the Arctic over oil … Read More
British End Combat in Iraq but Stay to Defend the Oil
So the war is over – for the British at least. The Iraq war formally ended for British forces yesterday as British forces handed control of the oil-rich Basra area to U.S. commanders and prepared to ship out most of its remaining 4,000 troops. The end came early, but of course the end of combat … Read More
Welcome to the “Oil War”
So finally it comes to this… The Niger Delta is at “war”. Yesterday, the region’s most prominent militant group, MEND declared an “oil war”, warning all oil workers to evacuate the delta immediately. This morning, true to their word, MEND (the Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta) attacked a Shell flow station in … Read More
Bush’s Iranian legacy
Poor old George. He doesn’t quite get it. He doesn’t quite understand that what he does with his right hand impacts what he does with his left. Take the thorny issue of Iran. There is increasing speculation that Bush wants one major shot at Iran before he leaves office. Writing in the New Yorker this … Read More
Climate Change “May Put World at War”
Climate change could cause global conflicts as large as the two world wars but lasting for centuries unless the problem is controlled, a leading think tank has warned. The Royal United Services Institute, based in the UK, said a tenfold increase in research spending, comparable to the amount spent on the Apollo space programme, will … Read More