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As the President and his advisors plan U.S. operations against terrorism, their first goal is, clearly, to root out Osama bin Laden and his al-Qaeda network. Not far from their minds, though, must be America’s long-term oil interests in the region. How concerns about oil may impact how this war is fought and may explain why it started in the first place. This month on Marketplace and the Marketplace Morning Report, we'll take a look at the war against terrorism and how it relates to the politics and economics of oil.
December 12, 2001
Guerilla Oil
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Contrary to popular belief, Colombia's main source of income is its oil-- not its drugs.
Everyone relies on it -- the government, drug lords, guerrilla factions. Reporter Rhoda Metcalf asks,
"Why would foreign companies invest in Colombian oil when
there's a pretty good chance their pipelines will get blown up?
November 16, 2001
Crude Commentary
RealAudio
Oil...It powers economies, dictates dimplomacy, and fuels wars. Commentator Daniel Yergin, of the Cambridge Energy Associates, is a leading expert on world oil. And as he concludes in part of the Marketplace oil series, "Crude Awakenings," oil is crucial to our understanding of the events of the past two months.
November 16, 2001
Oil Problems in...Venezuela???
RealAudio
Recent events have made people even more wary about our dependence on Middle Eastern oil. But as Adam Davidson reports, politics in Venezuela could threaten the reliability of another crucial supply.
November 2, 2001
Geopolitics at the Pump
RealAudio
Geopolitics may be the last thing on your mind when you go to the gas pump. But there may be more of a link between gasoline and the war on terrorism than you think. In Marketplace's continuing oil series, "Crude Awakenings," reporter Adam Davidson follows the pipeline to some surprising conclusions.
October 31, 2001
Saudi Alliance
RealAudio
Saudi Arabia has become one of the U.S.'s closest allies in the Persian gulf. Crude oil helps lubricate that relationship. But Adam Davidson reports there's a new wrinkle in that relationship that might bring the allies even closer together.
October 26, 2001
OPEC Cuts
RealAudio
Leaders of OPEC are considering cuts in oil production to match the lower demand and stem the tide of dwindling profits. As part of Marketplace's series "Crude Awakenings," Adam Davidson reports from Venezuela on the latest developments.
October 19, 2001
Simon Marks Interview - Russian Oil
RealAudio
There's a major development brewing at the Asia Pacific Trade Summit in China, one with the potential to profoundly change America's relationship with oil. Published reports say that U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell and his Russian counterpart are close to a deal that would make Russia a major supplier of oil and gas to the United States. This shift comes at a time of obvious uncertainty in the middle east, the current source of much of the U.S. energy. Simon Marks in Washington is a veteran reporter on the Russia beat.
October 12, 2001
American Energy Security
RealAudio
Much of America's war on terrorism is being fought with promises of sanction relief to countries willing to co-operate. As our series "Crude Awakenings" continues, reporter Adam Davidson focuses on how a decision to lift sanctions against Iran could have implications for U.S. energy security for decades.
October 10, 2001
Lifting Sanctions?
RealAudio
In our continuing series on oil, Crude Awakenings, Adam Davidson reports that the U.S. might lift sanctions against Iran, a move that will change the landscape of the global oil industry for generations.
October 5, 2001
Why Do We Care About Central Asia?
RealAudio
What if Afghanistan was stabilized? What would that get us? The big fear among oil analysts is that Central Asia-the last vast region with oil and gas reserve potential-could fall into the hands of Islamic fundamentalists whose foreign policy might not be nearly as friendly as the Saudis. And assuming you can avert that, the question becomes: What direction is the pipeline built-with all possibilities all fraught with political and economic considerations? The oil industry and the US government want access to the vast reserves of oil in Central Asia. They don’t want that oil going north to Russia. They don’t want it going East to China. And they don’t want it going due south to Iran. If the US can get it to Turkey or Pakistan, the US will deprive its enemies of oil, and create a counterbalance to OPEC.
October 3, 2001
Oil Politics
RealAudio
The Persian Gulf crisis was the oil industry’s war. But is oil really
a non-issue this time around? Adam Davidson reports on
how oil-based foreign policy has fueled terrorism - and how it will effect
the way the U.S. proceeds.
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