[lbo-talk] Russia and Iran

[Yoshie Furuhashi]

On 9/8/06, Chris Doss <lookoverhere1 at yahoo.com> wrote:
>
> Gulf Times (Qatar)
> September 8, 2006
> Moscow will benefit from nuclear crisis
> By Oxford Analytica
<snip>
> Russian mainstream politicians and military
> strategists believe that the crisis over Iran is the
> result of Washington's ill-conceived policies:
> consistent and strong support for Israel; military
> invasion of Iraq; and an archaic and inflexible policy
> towards Iran, predicated on the proclaimed desire to
> overthrow the country's Islamic regime.
>
> Russian analysts also argue that Washington is more
> critical of Iran for its record of religious extremism
> and lack of democracy than it is of other states in
> the region where such phenomena are even more
> apparent.
<snip>
> * Even if Iran is in the process of acquiring nuclear
> weapons, force must not be used against it. The
> military establishment has stipulated this position,
> suggesting that, strategically, a (presumably US-led)
> military offensive against Iran would leave Russia
> worse off than a nuclear-armed Iran.

Ah, how pleasant it is to see rational and capable people running a great power!

Now, if you run into our man in Russia, ask him to consider world oil
reserves by country (in billion barrels):

Iran* (132.5) + Venezuela (79.7) + Russia (60.0) = 272.2 > Saudi Arabia (264.3)

An alliance of Iran, Venezuela, and Russia can be a voice at least
equal to Riyadh's in global management of oil production.

Better yet would be an alliance of Iran, Iraq, Venezuela, and Russia:

Iran (132.5) + Iraq (115.0) + Venezuela (79.7) + Russia (60.0) = 387.2
> Saudi Arabia (264.3)

But that has to wait till Tehran comes up with a better Iraq policy
and a national liberation front arises in Iraq.

A producer alliance of Iran, Venezuela, and Russia, teaming up with
China and the European Union, can very well rival the
Washington-Riyadh-Tel-Aviv-Tokyo axis, the axis that has and will
continue to inflict terror on, and sow the seeds of terror in, many
parts of the world.

Table 3. World Oil Reserves by Country as of January 1, 2006
(Billion Barrels)
Country Oil Reserves
Saudi Arabia . . . . . . . . . . . 264.3
Canada . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 178.8
Iran. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 132.5
Iraq. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 115.0
Kuwait . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 101.5
UAE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 97.8
Venezuela . . . . . . . . . . . . . 79.7
Russia . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 60.0
Libya . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39.1
Nigeria . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35.9
United States . . . . . . . . . . . 21.4
China . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18.3
Qatar . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15.2
Mexico . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12.9
Algeria . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11.4
Brazil . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11.2
Kazakhstan . . . . . . . . . . . . 9.0
Norway. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7.7
Azerbaijan . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7.0
India . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5.8
Rest of World . . . . . . . . . . . 68.1
World Total . . . . . . . . . . . . 1,292.5
Source: "Worldwide Look at Reserves and Production," Oil & Gas
Journal, Vol. 103, No. 47 (December 19, 2005), pp. 24-25.
Energy Information Administration, International Energy Outlook 2006, p. 28,
<http://www.eia.doe.gov/oiaf/ieo/pdf/0484(2006).pdf>

*  "The largest increase in proved oil reserve estimates was made in
Iran. Iranian oil reserves increased by 5 percent, from 125.8 billion
barrels in 2005 to 132.5 billion barrels in 2006" (Energy Information
Administration, International Energy Outlook 2006, p. 27,
<http://www.eia.doe.gov/oiaf/ieo/pdf/0484(2006).pdf>).

-- 
Yoshie
<http://montages.blogspot.com/>
<http://mrzine.org>
<http://monthlyreview.org/>