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In depth I  Oil fueling conflicts F. William Engdahl's "A Century of War" - Part I Source: CounterCurrents F. William Engdahl’s book, "A Century of War: Anglo-American Oil Politics and the New World Order", is reviewed in-depth by Stephen Lendman so readers will know the type of future Henry Kissinger had in mind in 1970 when he said: "Control oil and you control nations; control food and you control people." February 2008.[see more]   print    send   Correct  ADD YOUR COMMENT >> Oil is the most powerful industry in the world. It fuels manufacturing, agriculture and transportation. Petrodollar flows shape the global financial system. Many wars have been waged out and are still being fought all over the world to ensure corporate control over oil. Oil is power and power needs to control oil. Behind the names of presidents and dictators are the names of much more powerful actors: Exxon/Mobil, Chevron/Texaco, Shell, British Petroleum, Elf. A government is toppled by armed opposition in a country in the South and coverage of the story only reports on the local hatred between factions and almost never the corporations and foreign governments backing each of the sides. In many cases, the actors behind the scenes are oil companies. In Venezuela, an elected president has had to face a coup and a general strike because he is sitting on top of a sea of oil and is not perceived as being sufficiently friendly to the US oil establishment. But oil is not only behind civil wars, coups d'etat and presidential campaigns. Oil is also responsible for countless "low-intensity" wars, that destroy entire communities throughout the world and particularly in the tropics. Many indigenous and other local communities have been wiped off the map or have had to face enormous hardship due to the environmental destruction resulting from oil exploration and exploitation in their territories, as well as from the widespread violation of their human rights. From Ecuador to Nigeria and from Indonesia to Chad, "black gold" has been a curse to local peoples and their environments. Governments of the world have made some attempts at addressing this issue. They signed and ratified the Convention on Climate Change and its related Kyoto Protocol. Similarly to what happened recently in the United Nations Security Council in relation to Irak, one government -representing the interests of oil corporations-decided not to ratify the Kyoto Protocol because it would affect its interests. This one country -the United States- happens to be the world's number one culprit in CO2 emissions and home to the most powerful oil corporations in the world. It is thus responsible for most of the past and present oil wars. Big Oil also dominates the Bush administration. President Bush, Vice President Dick Cheney, national security advisor Condoleezza Rice and many other top-ranking officials in the administration have been top corporate oil executives or have longstanding ties to the industry. Based on World Rainforest Movement information. Versión en español share:   print    send   correct  ADD YOUR COMMENT >>  Historical perspective  Oil companies in developing countries  The Seven (Four) Sisters  Corporations and the Bush administration  Networks and NGOs  Campaigns  Corporations   News Up-to-date current affairs information. Fri Nov 03 2006 Royal Society tells Exxon: stop funding climate change denial Fuente: Guardian Mon Sep 18 2006 In solidarity with Niger Delta communities Fuente: AfricaFiles In-depth reports Detailed reports on key issues Disarmament Every day, millions of men, women and children are living in fear of armed violence. Corporate accountability How big business handle big issues like human rights and sustainable development. Climate change Climate change is widely considered to be one of the gravest threats to the sustainability of the planet. Rio+10: Earth Summit 2002 Ten years after Rio ’92, is there still an agenda for sustainable development? NGOs NGO web sites Sarayacu Kichwa community located in the Pastaza province in the Amazonian region of Ecuador.      Historical perspective F. William Engdahl's "A Century of War" - Part I Source: CounterCurrents Stephen Lendman F. William Engdahl is a leading researcher, economist and analyst of the New World Order who's written on issues of energy, politics and economics for over 30 years. His book "A Century of War: Anglo-American Oil Politics and the New World Order" it's breathtaking in scope and content, and a shocking and essential history of geopolitics and strategic importance of oil. The book is reviewed in-depth so readers will know the type of future Henry Kissinger had in mind in 1970 when he said: "Control oil and you control nations; control food and you control people." February 2008.    Oil companies in developing countries A large body of evidence suggests that rich oil resources obstruct democracy and equitable economic growth in developing countries because of a lack of transparency, and therefore accountability, in oil revenues paid by oil companies to governments. Information on Africa, Latin America, Iraq and Middle East, Asia, and also a global picture. See Choike's report "Oil companies in developing countries" The implications of oil for development and human rights Source: Choike A large body of evidence suggests that rich oil resources obstruct democracy and equitable economic growth in developing countries because of a lack of transparency, and therefore accountability, in oil revenues paid by oil companies to governments. Human rights implications of the activities of transnational corporations (TNCs) and other business enterprises in conflict zones, “failed states” and repressive regimes have drawn increased public attention, concern and scrutiny in recent years. The increase in oil exploration in Africa by multinational oil companies has raised the profile of the debate questioning the oil industry's contribution to development in the South. In some countries of Latin America there is a long history of opposition to oil exploitation, because of its serious environmental and social impacts, and human rights violations. Drilling into debt Source: Oil Change International This study examines the relationship in between oil and debt. It is based on data on 161 countries for the period 1991-2002, and collected further data on 88 developing countries for the period 1970-2000 for use in a statistical model of debt burdens. (PDF document). July 2005.    The Seven (Four) Sisters Collection of links about the seven giant multinational oil corporations known as the "Seven Sisters" that have now become four, thanks to the eager enforcers of global economic integration -the International Monetary Fund, the World Bank and the World Trade Organization. These four are: Exxon/Mobil, BP Amoco, Royal Dutch/Shell and Chevron/Texaco. Information and background. The Seven Sisters Exxon (called Esso in Europe), Shell, BP (British Petroleum), Gulf, Texaco, Mobile and Socol-Chevron. Together they form part of a major network of interlocking, interfacing banks, insurance companies and brokerage houses controlled by the Committee of 300, which are hardly known outside their circle. Major oil companies among largest transnational corporations Source: Global Policy 22 July 2002. The Seven Sisters Source: A history of the New World order A short history of this cartel of non-Arabian oil companies, which controls what is shipped to the United States, and how much is refined into gas and heating oil, and which are interlinked through their joint ownership of the major crude oil production companies, and also have links to eight of the largest banks. Sisters under stress Source: Green-Trust By the end of the 1960s, in spite of opposition from OPEC and the competition from intruders, the seven sisters were still the dominant powers in world oil. Oil company profiles Source: CorporateWatch Information on oil corporations including details of each company's personnel, office locations, industry areas, lobbying activities, corporate crimes and links to further information.    Corporations and the Bush administration Relationship between oil corporations and the White House energy task force. Background and cabinet implications. The Bush administration: corporate connections Source: Open Secrets Below is a list of the corporations represented in the Bush White House. You won’t find every cabinet member or senior adviser listed here. Education Secretary Rod Paige, for example, was a school superintendent in Houston before coming to Washington. Senior adviser Karl Rove and counselor to the president, Karen Hughes, have political backgrounds. Environmental Protection Agency head Christine Todd Whitman, the former New Jersey governor, raised most of her campaign money within the state. But those on Bush’s staff who don’t have extensive corporate connections are the exception, not the rule. You may click on individuals' names for a complete list of their corporate connections. Vital statistics Source: Project Underground Greasing the machine: Bush, his cabinet and their oil connections. Group: Cheney task force eyed on Iraq oil Source: Global Policy According to documents obtained by Judicial Watch, Vice President Dick Cheney's energy task force was interested in Iraq's oil industry in early 2001. The documents prove Cheney’s interest in specific foreign companies pursuing business in Iraq. The documents also contain detailed maps of Iraq's oil fields, terminals and pipelines. The Bush energy plan chronology Source: Natural Resources Defense Council Intimate, secretive relationship between huge, politically connected corporations and the White House energy task force. Dirt on Dick Cheney? Source: Project Underground Since Dick Cheney became a candidate for Vice President, many journalists have focused on his mixed financial record as CEO of Halliburton, and his enormous retirement package. Few have investigated Dick Cheney's role in influencing foreign policy for the benefit of the company. The return of windfall profits: an overview of the oil industry (2001) Source: Corporate Research Project After years with a low profile, thanks to stable prices and ample supply, the oil industry -along with the rest of the energy business- is back in the spotlight. The axis of oil Source: Global Policy Scheduled to begin working in 2005, the pipeline from the Caspian Sea port of Baku, in Azerbaijan, to Ceyhan, in Turkey, is expected to bring in more than £65m annually to the regions through which it passes. But there are doubts about whether the money generated will benefit people and the environment in the area - or simply corrupt officials among the "corridor" governments. Oil and gas in abundance in Washington Much scrutiny of the ongoing U.S. presidential race has focussed on the personal fortunes amassed by President George W Bush and his challenger Senator John Kerry. But millions of dollars from other sources are also at play behind the scenes, including from major actors in the U.S. oil and gas industry. Oil and the G8 governments Source: Corporate Watch Oil extraction has been a curse for most people living in oil-rich countries in the Global South and has worsened poverty, rather than reduced it. Where oil is extracted there are regular patterns of conflict and human rights abuses; air, water and land pollution; and governments insulated by oil money and un-accountable to their populations. If the G8 is serious about tackling climate change it should stop subsidising oil operations under the guise of 'development' grants. Big contracts for big oil Source: Corporate Watch Becca Fisher After a 35 year wait, American and British oil corporations are on the verge of securing control of Iraq's vast oil reserves. Becca Fisher reveals how the unholy alliance of Big Oil, government and the IMF is getting closer to its goal of reconstructing the Iraqi state to gain secure oil supplies. April 2007.    Networks and NGOs World Rainforest Movement International network of citizens' groups of North and South involved in efforts to defend the world's rainforests. CorpWatch An organization that counters corporate-led globalization through education, network-building and activism and works to foster democratic control over corporations. OilWatch The creation of this network was inspired by the need to develop global strategies for communities affected by oil activities and to support the resistance processes of communities that do not want to see their territories affected, to work for sustainability and collective rights. AmazonWatch An organization documenting and disseminating information on the social and environmental impacts of proposed mega-projects in the Amazon Basin. Foro Boliviano de Medio Ambiente y Desarrollo The Bolivian Environment and Development Forum is an umbrella organization of the Bolivian socio-environmental movement, and includes social and environmentalist organizations, academic institutions and individuals who work at the community level to defend their environment and natural resources. In Spanish. Greenpeace International organization, present in 40 countries across Europe, the Americas, Asia and the Pacific. Action for Social and Ecological Justice - ASEJ An organization supporting the struggle against injustice and ecological destruction. Their project 'Action for Community and Ecology in the Rainforests of Central America' includes analysis of Plan Puebla Panama, Colombia and the FTAA. Friends of the Earth International (FOEI) Federation of autonomous environmental organizations from 66 countries, campaigning on the most urgent environmental and social issues, while simultaneously catalyzing a shift toward sustainable societies. Sustainable Energy and Economy Network (SEEN) A project of the Institute for Policy Studies (Washington, DC) and the Transnational Institute (Amsterdam), SEEN works in partnership with citizen groups nationally and globally on environment, human rights and development issues with a particular focus on energy, climate change, environmental justice, and economic issues, particularly as these play out in North/South relations.    Campaigns Ecuador - Nigeria - Richmond Source: Chevron-Toxico What do you get when two of the worst oil companies in the world merge? U'wa Campaign The planned extraction, by Occidental of 2 billion barrels of oil from an area of Colombian rainforest threatens both the forest and the survival of the U'wa people, an indigenous Colombian tribe who have repeatedly requested that the company pull out of the project and leave them alone. Do people really get killed so that oil companies can make a profit? Visit the world of Chevron - Niger Delta. Boycott Chevron-Texaco OilWatch and the member organizations of Ecuador and Nigeria are calling a boycott against Chevron-Texaco, to punish this company for the environmental damage and human rights abuses committed during its operations in Nigeria and Ecuador. BP Campaign The Colombia Solidarity Campaign is committed to exposing BP's corporate crimes in Colombia. These have included environmental damage, arming and training local police forces in counter-insurgency methods, collusion with paramilitaries and refusing to compensate thousands of peasants forced off their lands by the activities of BP. Call to sign-on letter to President of World Bank Source: SEEN Evaluation of the development impacts of the World Bank Group’s support for oil, mining, and gas projects worldwide. A call for a strong message from civil society. Remembering Ken Saro-Wiwa and the struggle for justice in Nigeria Source: Pambazuka It’s nearly ten years after Nigerian activist and writer Ken Saro-Wiwa and eight other members of the Movement for the Survival of Ogoni People (MOSOP) were hanged on the morning of 10 November, 1995. Present day Nigeria faces fresh protests in Saro-Wiwa’s stomping ground of the Niger Delta over authoritarian rule and the plunder of the environment by big oil companies. October 2005. Iraqi trade union statement on the oil law Source: Carbon Web In a joint statement, trade union leaders rejected plans to "hand control" over Iraq's oil production to foreign companies "whose aim is to make big profits at the expense of the Iraqi people, and to rob the national wealth, according to long-term, unfair contracts, that undermine the sovereignty of the state and the dignity of the Iraqi people." The US has repeatedly been calling for a law to encourage foreign investment in Iraq's oil. January 2007.    Corporations Chevron Texaco Official web site. Shell Official web site. Exxon-Mobil (Esso) Official web site. BP - British Petroleum Official web site. Oxidental Petroleum Company - OXY Official web site. ELF Official web site. Burlington Resources official web site The oil company Burlington Resources of Houston is attempting to exploit oil in the pristine Amazon rainforest against the will of the people of the area, and in violation of Ecuadorian and International law. Global Climate Coalition An industry lobby group, the Global Climate Coalition (GCC), was formed to spread the notion that global warming is a dangerous myth. Until recently, the GCC was the main voice of the oil industry at climate negotiations and in key capital cities.

Choike is a project of the Third World Institute supported by Hivos www.choike.org | Contact | Phone / Fax: +598 (2) 412-4224 | Dr. Juan Paullier 977, Montevideo URUGUAY