US Eyes African Riches

Latino Insurgent Analysis by Michael A. Deliz


While the world's attention is focused on the Middle East/Central Asia Region. The battle for Africa's oil, between the US and China, has been raging mostly unnoticed by almost everyone. This has not exactly been hidden from the public as much as it has simply been ignored by it, and by the mainstream media's unbelievable inability to piece together what Africa means to the future of the United States' global strategy.

October 1, 2007 marked the first day of active operation for the U.S. African Command (AFRICOM), and it is expected to reach full capability by September of 2008. The establishment of this new unified command of Department of Defense signals an escalation by the United States in its campaign to keep China out of the continent.

"African oil is of national strategic interest to us, and it will increase and become more important as we go forward."-U.S. Assistant Secretary of State Walter Kansteiner III

Theresa Whelan, Deputy Assistant Secretary Of Defense For African Affairs, however stresses AFRICOMs less-imperialistic cover story for being in Africa:

"What we're seeing is more and more drugs being moved through Africa via maritime routes, arms being moved; there's trafficking in persons through maritime routes," she said. "And then of course there's piracy, which is influencing or impacting negatively on international shipping," Whelan added. She also noted the environmental security is "very important for the continent (Africa) economically."

Ok, suddenly the United States, the country which has stonewalled every single international attempt to discuss environmental issues and was just recently found censoring the Climate Change report, suddenly it cares about Africa's environment. And we are supposed to believe that this concern is so great as to need the development of an entirely new branch in the Department of Defense.

Here's an alternative interpretation: The United States is acting upon the 2002 recommendations of the African Oil Policy Initiative Group, AOPIG, here is their full report (in pdf): African Oil Policy

And here is an excerpt:

As a consequence of the impending interplay of U.S. energy security interests and African economic developmental goals, the United States is on the verge of an historic, strategic alignment with West Africa. With projections of over 2.5 million barrels a day in African oil to the American market by 2015, the ambitious goals of the Bush administration’s national energy policy for major diversification of oil supply are within reach. The shift in global energy patterns characterized by massive new production levels in Russia, the Caspian Basin, South America, and West Africa, is contributing to America’s reevaluation of its global alliance system. Within this context, AOPIG believes that West Africa is being projected onto center stage in global affairs.

The implications are simple, where there is a US Regional Command, there will be conflict, and that command is usually never the solution.

[From BBC] Biofuels 'crime against humanity'

[Editor's Note: This story is of particular interest to me for two reasons; first, this is exactly what Fidel Castro wrote about a few months ago in Where have the bees gone. Also this is impotant because its a growing trend urged on by the success of Brazil's sugar ethanol fuel production which has made it relatively energy independent. In other words the fact that the UN & the IMF are in agreement with Castro should tell some doubters that we may be facing a problem.]

By: Grant Ferrett at BBCNews
A United Nations expert has condemned the growing use of crops to produce biofuels as a replacement for petrol as a crime against humanity.

The UN special rapporteur on the right to food, Jean Ziegler, said he feared biofuels would bring more hunger. The growth in the production of biofuels has helped to push the price of some crops to record levels.

Mr Ziegler's remarks, made at the UN headquarters in New York, are clearly designed to grab attention. He complained of an ill-conceived dash to convert foodstuffs such as maize and sugar into fuel, which created a recipe for disaster.

Food price rises

It was, he said, a crime against humanity to divert arable land to the production of crops which are then burned for fuel. He called for a five-year ban on the practice.

Within that time, according to Mr Ziegler, technological advances would enable the use of agricultural waste, such as corn cobs and banana leaves, rather than crops themselves to produce fuel. The growth in the production of biofuels has been driven, in part, by the desire to find less environmentally-damaging alternatives to oil.

The United States is also keen to reduce its reliance on oil imported from politically unstable regions. But the trend has contributed to a sharp rise in food prices as farmers, particularly in the US, switch production from wheat and soya to corn, which is then turned into ethanol.

Mr Ziegler is not alone in warning of the problem. The IMF last week voiced concern that the increasing global reliance on grain as a source of fuel could have serious implications for the world's poor.

Story from BBC NEWS:HEREPublished: 2007/10/27 06:37:26 GMT

Cuba's Peak Oil Story: Lessons to be learned for those who will listen

When the Soviet Union collapsed, Cuba's economy crashed as their primary source of oil suddenly disappeared. Cuba entered what was termed as the "Special Period". During this period, roughly the entire decade of the 1990s, Cuba was forced to reinvent its economy as well as its society. The economic problems were largely the result of the lack of oil, which was then exacerbated by American policies to exploit this period to bring about the final collapse of Fidel Castro's government.

American measures such as the Helms Burton Act of 1996 and its preceding policies beginning in 1992 strove to push the Cuban population towards revolution. The measures ultimately failed. The following documentary tells the story of how Cuba managed to restructure its economy and society to overcome the "Special Period". There are lessons here that every country on Earth needs to begin learning if human progress is going to continue into the future.

The Power of Community: How Cuba Survived Peak Oil