Ovi Magazine : Iran and Venezuela don't want US Dollars anymore by Europe & Us

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Iran and Venezuela don't want US Dollars anymore
by Europe & Us
2007-11-21 09:46:21

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Iranian president Mahmud Ahmadinedschad and Venezuelian president Hugo Chavez are not exactly what one would call friends of the United States of America. At the current OPEC conference in Riyad (Saudi-Arabia), the two declared that they are not longer willing to trade “valuable oil against worthless paper”, meaning the weak green buck w hich is gene rally blamed for the sky-rocketing prices of the barrel which traded today around 95 dollars the barrel.

While their OPEC collegues seem to be willing to discuss the issue next week

in a seperate meeting, Chevez and Ahmadinedschad obviously pursue other interests than simply to discuss the oil price. When addressing the audience at the opening of the current OPEC session, Chavez declared that “if the USA would be silly enough to attack Iran or to aggress Venezuela again, the oil price could easily pass from 100 dollars the barrel to 200 dollars.” Furthermore, he added, “The fall of the dollar is the fall of the entire north-americain empire.”

So, the strange alliance between Iran and Venezuela would like to see the OPEC become an “active geopolitical player”, which sounds like an invitation to blackmail western countries threatening them to close the pipelines or to unreasonably increase the prices, just like Russia did these last years with their gaz resources. While Chavez may be right when stating that “oil is the source of all aggressions in the world, the underlying reason for the Iraq war and the reason behind the threats against Iran”, the idea of these two countries with their respective leaders taking control of th e world economics is more than frightening.

If the dollar would not be the currency in the worldzide oil trade, which other currency could step in? Since the OPEC countries will not accept the yen, everybody starts looking at the Euro. But Europe would be well advised to refuse such a deal, which is aiming mainly to weaken the USA.

Written by: Kai Littmann

(Taken from www.europeus.org)

Europe Politics

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Emanuel Paparella	2007-11-21 10:56:28
An intriguing paradox this: an ideological fanatic who as a Marxist thinks of religion as poison, and a religious fanatic who has politicized his Islamic religion, come effusively together. What might be the common cause that inspires their new found “religion” complete with the demonizing and exorcizing, at the UN of all places, of the so called Great Satan? Obviously their common enmity toward the US trumps even ideology and religion. Those who make it a habit of bashing religion may be a bit confused. Machiavelli will surely “enlighten” them, especially the section of The Prince conceiving of the political State as above the moral law.


Jack	2007-11-22 04:30:46
I believe that is an exageration to say that "the fall of the dollar is the fall of the north-american empire". I can only assume it means Canada and Mexico as well as the U.S., all residing in North America [we can assume it is not the empire's "dark side", which was said to strike back"]. Effects may well be catastrophic, but to make this equal to it's downfall sells a nation short. Consequently the world's economy would be adversely effected too. With the global, interwoven economic system, the ripple effect may be more like a giant sunami. When one loses, we all lose. Machiavelli did serve to enlighten, which I believe was necessary for soveriegn nations or cities to unite to defend themselves; but I do disagree with his putting the State above the moral law, as Emanuel mentioned. This might remind one of the merchants in The Prince who today might create an oil-axis. This can set up the possiblities of extortion and blackmail. Partial solutions lay with the Nordic Nations of Northern Europe and some South American countries, who are growing increasingly closer to ending their energy-imports dependence.


Sand	2007-11-22 08:37:42
The categorizing of the pointed interest of two nations in confronting US power in the world as peculiar because the basis of their viewpoint does not conform to their opposite religious point of view is perhaps interesting because it is evident that religion is obviously off the mark when essential national interest is a concern.