http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=102x3690721Oh my.
One wonders why the primitives are ignoring that one story yesterday, about the Iranians burning posters featuring 0bama.
Psephos (1000+ posts) Wed Jan-14-09 11:55 PM
Original message
Chávez reopens oil bids to West as prices plunge
CARACAS: President Hugo Chávez, buffeted by falling oil prices that threaten to damage his efforts to establish a Socialist-inspired state, is quietly courting Western oil companies once again. Until recently, Chávez had pushed foreign oil companies here into a corner by nationalizing their oil fields, raiding their offices with tax authorities and imposing a series of royalties increases.
But faced with the plunge in prices and a decline in domestic production, senior officials here have begun soliciting bids from some of the largest Western oil companies in recent weeks — including Chevron, Royal Dutch/Shell and Total of France — promising them access to some of the world's largest petroleum reserves, according to energy executives and industry consultants here. Their willingness to even consider investing in Venezuela reflects the scarcity of projects open to foreign companies in other top oil nations, particularly in the Middle East.
But the shift also shows how the global financial crisis is hampering Chávez's ideological agenda and demanding his pragmatic side. At stake are no less than Venezuela's economic stability and the sustainability of his rule. With oil prices so low, the longstanding problems plaguing Petróleos de Venezuela, the national oil company that helps keep the country afloat, have become much harder to ignore.
Embracing the Western companies may be the only way to shore up Petróleos de Venezuela and the raft of social welfare programs, like health care and higher education for the poor, that have been made possible by oil proceeds and have helped bolster his popular support.
<snip>
"Chávez is celebrating the demise of capitalism as this international crisis unfolds," said Pedro Mario Burelli, a former board member of Petróleos de Venezuela. "But the irony is that capitalism actually fed his system in times of plenty," he said. "That is something Chávez will discover the hard way."
Read more: http://www.iht.com/articles/2009/01/15/america/15venez....
sfexpat2000 (1000+ posts) Thu Jan-15-09 12:00 AM
Response to Original message
1. Burelli always seems to be on tap when someone needs a condescending one liner about Chavez. I just saw him on some PBS hit piece a few weeks ago.
Psephos (1000+ posts) Thu Jan-15-09 12:02 AM
Response to Reply #1
2. I agree, Burelli is the lazy reporters' go-to guy
Rest of the article is interesting, though. The oil-producers have now effectively switched positions with their customers.
cstanleytech (865 posts) Thu Jan-15-09 12:35 AM
Response to Original message
3. I wonder if the oil companies will be stupid and let their greed lure them into going into business with Chavez.
One wonders if the primitives will be stupid and let their greed for low gasoline prices lure them into patronizing the petroleum companies.
Same thing.
dkf (1000+ posts) Thu Jan-15-09 12:48 AM
Response to Reply #3
4. I doubt it. They might as well let the Venezuelan economy collapse and get Chavez kicked out of office. Makes me wonder if the fall of oil prices isn't some sort of conspiracy to knock the hubris of Chavez and Putin etal.
readmoreoften (1000+ posts) Thu Jan-15-09 02:00 AM
Response to Original message
5. Well, yeah, DUH. Limited, local socialism would have to do business with global capital.
The only way socialists can stop "doing business" with capitalists would be to--oh, I dunno--rise up internationally. It's kinda hard to pull off.
Peace Patriot (1000+ posts) Thu Jan-15-09 02:13 AM
Response to Original message
6. There's always a bright side to corpo/fascist robbery, looting, firing millions of people, throwing millions of people out of their homes, destroying the world economy and slaughtering a million people to get their oil. They can dis Chavez, and gloat over the poor of Venezuela, who won't have shoes to put on their children's feet so they can go to school, whose children will lack books and other learning resources, and will suffer malnutrition, whose elderly will lose pensions and medical care, and whose government blahblahblah.....dribbledribbledribble.....
ConcernedCanuk (1000+ posts) Thu Jan-15-09 03:35 AM
Response to Reply #6
7. "a lying propaganda piece that creates a false drama" - From the USSA's media? - can't be!!!
I thought the USSA was the beacon of freedom, fairness and hope.
That IS why they've got their military spread all over the globe, right?
They wanna make sure they are ready to help those in need.
Over Half the World's countries have military presence from the USSA - why are they not grateful?
If China and Russia were decent states, then they too would invade and occupy a few countries, set up bases and huge embassies to impress us.
AND
if India and Pakistan would do the same, then a whole lot of USAmericans could go home!
Let's take a load off them poor Murikkkans
I'm not sure what sort of drug the last primitive was on when posting that last comment, but it's obviously some sort of drug that makes one spittle in hysteria.
