Without firing a shot, China gains control of much of Iraq's southern oil fields

[brentspeak]

All the troops killed/wounded and dollars wasted in Iraq, plus all the death and destruction of Iraq, and China simply strolls in and takes control of Iraq's southern oil fields.

One thing the USA can say it is #1 in -- for the past 30 or so years, we almost certainly have had the dumbest and worst political leaders in the First World.

http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5gmb3kMYW9FH-ieiNpJJyHDl2Uurw

Chinese-led group initials deal for Iraq oil field

AFP) – Dec 22, 2009

BAGHDAD — A consortium led by China's top oil producer initialled a deal with Iraq on Tuesday to develop the southern Halfaya oil field, oil ministry spokesman Assem Jihad told AFP.

"Yes, they signed the contract today," he said of the group made up of China National Petroleum Corp. (CNPC) and which also includes France's Total and Malaysia's Petronas.

The three companies are aiming to increase production at Halfaya, which has proven reserves of 4.098 billion barrels of oil, to 535,000 barrels per day (bpd).

snip

CNPC has a 50-percent stake in the project, while Petronas and Total each have 25 percent.

[polly7]

1. Didn't China already have contracts with Hussein once embargoes were eased?

I could be wrong, but I thought I'd read that a long time ago.

Ok, I did find this:

http://royaldutchshellplc.com/2008/08/28/iraq-china-agree-to-revive-saddam-hussein-era-oil-deal/


Iraq, China Agree to Revive Saddam Hussein-Era Oil Deal
By GINA CHON
August 28, 2008 11:27 a.m.
BAGHDAD — China clinched a deal to develop an oil field in southeastern Iraq, marking the first major oil contract here with a foreign company since the 2003 U.S.-led invasion.

[JDPriestly]

2. Maybe we are just China's mercenaries. It's beginning to look that way.

[blm]

45. Poppy Bush and his brother aligned with the Chinese elite back in the 70s. Jackson Stephens helped

by setting up WalMart-China deal, and by the mid80s their global fascist agenda became apparent.

[Old Codger]

3. Now

We can pull our troops ou and let them fight any fights left.

[Robb]

4. Interesting that Total is involved.

They were left out of the Chinese consortium that picked up the big NG field in Turkmenistan this month. "Snubbed" was the word the industry rags used.

Quite interesting, indeed.

[mdmc]

33. now China is speaking softly

building their little coalition.

This is their century.

[dkf]

5. Obama better get up to speed on getting off of oil, or we will be OWNED by the Chinese

in all ways.

I guess we are already though.

[dhpgetsit]

21. Yes, in a way we already are.

They have immense control over our economy.

[dkf]

25. They own our bonds, soon they will control the spigots.

They play footsie with bad guys a lot better than we do too.

[eleny]

6. And they've been buying our debt so we could have the privilege of destroying ourselves

[rrneck]

7. And the hits just keep on coming... nt

[Name removed]

8. Deleted message

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[Sultana]

9. in your dreams

[madrchsod]

12. it`s time for the chinese to spill their blood for their oil and gas

[HeresyLives]

15. Er...why should they?

[aquart]

43. Exactly. We're chumps.

[patrice]

19. Ha, ha! Why should they, when they have us as endentured servants to do that for them?

[asjr]

22. No, they aren't laughing at Obama. They have

been smart enough to bide their time. They had 8 years before Obama showed up to make their plans. China knew Iraq would never allow itself to give us their oil. Not after we wrecked their country and killed their citizens. China knew we would be bankrupted by the Bush administration. I feel the only way we will regain our respect is if we put the Bush administration on trial for a myriad of wrongs.

[Mari333]

24. Obama wont do it

his whole team is corrupt.
the whole system is corrupt.
we dont live in a democracy we dont live in a republic
we live in a fascist state run by corporations

[Chulanowa]

23. How do you figure?

know why China and Russia can get such cozy deals from Iraq, Turkmenistan, et al?

Because China and Russia haven't spent the greater part of a century treating them like subhuman nothings that deserve nothing but fast death.

I know you're one of those DUers who will happily throw your shit at obama whenever you get the chance, but this is a stretch, even for knuckleheads like you.

[malaise]

28. +1 n/t

[Name removed]

35. Deleted message

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[Chulanowa]

39. Note the word "Tradition"

This trait of America goes back way way way before Obama, even way before his parents were born, and frankly way before English was the dominant language on the continent.

Trying to pretend it's all Obama is fucking dumb.

[rollingrock]

41. 'This trait of America'

I'm speechless. do you think acting like George W. Bush or Richard Nixon is a good thing?

not all US presidents have acted like a conquering Roman emperor. Obama has a choice. he can choose to be like George W. Bush or he can choose to be like JFK. Unfortunately, he chose to be more like the former than the latter.

[Chulanowa]

46. I swear talking to you schmucks is like trying to teach trig to a fucking cactus

Obama could be the most awesome, perfect, and wonderful guy around, so outstandingly impressive that a dyed-in-the-wool, shark-jumping self-fisting tool in a cave who's entire life revolves around yapping about how shitty Obama is could take a moment and go "yeah, he's alright"

And the Chinese would still be getting this Iraqi oil contract.

Do you know why?

Of course you don't, you're too busy sniffing your fingers to figure it out, so I'll tell you.

Because we have treated the Iraqis like shit

Do you really think that the Iraqis are doing this because, like you, they think Obama is a human landfill? Fuck no, they're doing it because for 20 years we've been blowing them the fuck up and starving them in between bombs.

Obama doesn't figure into this, sunshine. It is beyond him. Now you can twist and spin and yelp and how and do whatever the fuck else you want to advertise your ignorance of a greater portion of reality... but it's not going to change the situation.

"He can choose to be like George W. Bush, or he can choose to be like JFK"? Pssst. JFK put us into Vietnam. Maybe you've heard of it, it was kind of a big deal for a few years.

[theoldman]

10. Those stupid Chinese.

Don't they know that you should start a war to get something from another country. How ridiculous to be friends with everyone all over the world. I am joking and crying at the same time.

[Name removed]

11. Deleted message

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[EmeraldCityGrl]

13. America, china's source for consumers and Iraqi roadkill...n/t

[marmar]

14. Well didn't China put up a good deal of up-front cash for the Iraq War?

They're just collecting on the debt.

[HeresyLives]

16. No.

[UTUSN]

17. Yip, I took a history course (China), 5000+yrs of it. Their CULTURE always surmounts.

They got conquered by outsiders over and over, but then their Chinese CULTURE would swallow up the invaders. To them, 50 yrs, like Mao, is nothing. They're willing to wait.

[jgraz]

18. Hey, but we still control all of Iraq's WMDs

Don't we? :hide:

[aquart]

20. Oh, who predicted this?

ME, dammit, THAT'S WHO. It was as obvious as making out a shopping list after looking in the refrigerator.

They let us kill and die, then walk in over the corpses as honest brokers with an untainted relationship with the Iraqi people.

We're being just as useful to the Chinese in Afghanistan. The Russians are hated, the West is hated, where else to turn?

[Zynx]

26. One thing China does not realize yet, but they will in the future, is that these resource

deals will condemn them to imperial wars. In Africa and elsewhere they have claimed extensive rights to natural resources of developing countries, many of which have been on terms unfavorable to those countries. Many of them will want better terms in the future or will want total rights over their own resources again. China's hold on these resources is hardly absolute. They are not sure of what they have started to get themselves into.

[Ikonoklast]

29. This is the correct answer.

As soon as the regime that cut the deal with China falls out of favor with its populace, or a disgruntled military officer doesn't get his cut of the spoils and foments a 'popular' uprising against the government, China will have two options, neither of which is very savory; take a bath on the deal, or send 'military advisors' to prop up the regime they made the deal with, in order to protect 'strategic areas of Chinese national interest'.

They are grabbing a tiger by the tail, and have learned exactly *nothing* from what we have been suffering through due to resorting to imperialism to further the profits of business.

The Chinese believe in exceptionalism when it comes to their country, too.

[Zynx]

30. This is why I maintain that China's future is not what some believe it will be.

They have a plethora of problems that they need to contend with and so far they have largely put a lot of them off.

[malletgirl02]

38. China's Internal Issues

Don't forget China's domestic issues. I agree it is mistake to think china's future will be rosy.

[Name removed]

34. Deleted message

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[Zynx]

36. Japan hasn't done it like China has.

Also, Japan did make a huge monetary contribution to the first Gulf War. Additionally, Japan's constitution forbids them from foreign actions.

[Name removed]

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[unkachuck]

27. Chinese Communism, the wave of the future!....n/t

[jwirr]

31. China has the money. We just borrow from them.

[bullwinkle428]

32. Damned selfish ingrate Iraqis - demanding that $2 cut from every barrel!

:sarcasm:

Really...that is why the US oil companies walked away from the table!

[JoeyT]

37. Pretty much.

[democracy1st]

42. K & R

[That Is Quite Enough]

44. Huh. Interesting...