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Bolivia takes control of its own oil and gas resources

On May 1, Bolivia's recently elected president, Evo Morales, the country's first indigenous leader, put on a tin hat and made the declaration that much of the country had been waiting to hear. "The time has come," he said, announcing "a historic day in which Bolivia retakes absolute control of our natural resources". Mr Morales spoke of "looting by foreign companies" and said it was time the armed forces "occupy all the energy fields in Bolivia"

While foreign governments and the 25 foreign energy companies in Bolivia - including BP and BG from the UK, France's Total, Spain's Repsol, Brazil's Petrobras and ExxonMobil from the US - expressed their "consternation" at Mr Morales' "sad and worrying" decision, really only the timing should have taken them by surprise. For the president was doing that most unfashionable of things, delivering on a campaign promise.

Throughout the campaign, Mr Morales and his running mate said they wanted to renegotiate foreign ownership of Bolivia's natural resources. This would not be appropriation, they said, it would not be nationalisation, it would be a renegotiation of existing contracts on terms that would provide a greater share of the revenues for the state.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/international/story/0,,1768875,00.html

With the nationalisation of Bolivia's natural gas and petroleum resources President Evo Morales, the country's first indigenous president, is dramatically reshaping his country's destiny. On May 1 he proclaimed "a historic day has arrived. Now the gas and oil that flows from our land will no longer belong to foreigners". This came just after his return from Havana, where he signed what was called the people's trade agreement with Fidel Castro and Venezuela's Hugo Chávez.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/comment/story/0,,1769720,00.html



Good on them. There is a very pleasant breeze of fresh air blowing from Latin America at the moment. :)
Beep boop. I'm a bot.
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Comments

  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    I would wait to see where it led.

    Obviously you are ideologically motivated to think this is a good thing but this has already led to the withdrawal of investment from Bolivia, has soured international relations and given the long history of govt incompetence at running business around the world and the corruption associated particularly with natural resources appropriation I wouldn't hold out for much success from this.

    If they do manage to get more governemtn revenue, create more jobs and use the money well then there may be some positives however, but those are big ifs........
  • Teh_GerbilTeh_Gerbil Posts: 13,332 Born on Earth, Raised by The Mix
    :thumb: Tops, good for them!
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    Oh god .. not another country for George W to invade for its resources!
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    Theyll get the CIA to finance and arm some right wing lunatic coup attempt before wading in with full military intervention, you can count on that.

    Our US "anti-terrorism" Czar, Negroponte, is an old hand at fomenting such covert operations in Latin America.
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    Why, they tried it on Chavez only 4 years ago... That's why Venezuela is in the process of modernising and increasing the size of its army to phenomenal levels.

    How long before this chap, together with Chavez and Castro are declared to be part of a new 'axis of evil' by that bastion of goodness and democracy the US government?
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    There's a nasty dose of Marxism infecting South America at the moment. Its a pity the yanks didn't get rid of Castro years ago, he's been a role model to so many left-wing dictators & despots.

    They should carefully consider their futures if they embark on stealing the resources that belong to the oil companies - history shows they have a habit of ending up dead meat - remember Allende?
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    The resources belong to the people of the nations from whom the oil companies have ruthlessly stolen for far too long. Time the elite minority interest parrots started throwing aside the PR labels of "nasty marxist" this and that and started looking more rationally at who precisely the real criminals and human rights abusers have been for the past several generations, namely the exploitative MNCs.

    Id remind you that Castro is nothing compared to the prior beloved US puppet Batista and his death squads.
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    Hang on a mo...how do you work out that the resources "belong to the oil companies"? As for your implied expression of support for mass murderering dictators...
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    thought better of it
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    the act of taking back the country's natural resources is a good one however it could be a bit rash as there are advantages to allowing oil companies to operate in the area since this move as Toadbord mentioned will likely see a withdrawl in investment from outside sources
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    Tugger wrote:
    There's a nasty dose of Marxism infecting South America at the moment. Its a pity the yanks didn't get rid of Castro years ago, he's been a role model to so many left-wing dictators & despots.

    They should carefully consider their futures if they embark on stealing the resources that belong to the oil companies - history shows they have a habit of ending up dead meat - remember Allende?
    Pretty poor effort.

    0/10
  • Teh_GerbilTeh_Gerbil Posts: 13,332 Born on Earth, Raised by The Mix
    Aladdin wrote:
    Pretty poor effort.

    0/10

    True that.

    He should do al ittle research. Cuba has been nought but better off since the US led regeime there went.

    It is just a shame the young in Cuba, the ANti-Castro groups, don't know what it was like when America was in charge... maybe they'd think better, and not want it back then.
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    Cuba isn't in South America anyway.
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    Aladdin wrote:
    How long before this chap, together with Chavez and Castro are declared to be part of a new 'axis of evil' by that bastion of goodness and democracy the US government?

    Chavez and Castro are scum. Castro operates a totalitarian regime ruthlessly persecuting ‘dissidents’, free elections and a free press are non-existent – and you can forget free speech. No supporter of democracy can possibly defend scum like Castro. Meanwhile his buddy Chavez is talking of seeking an indefinite re-election - in other words establishing a dictatorship. Press censorship and political persecution aren’t uncommon in Venezuela, the sooner Chavez is disposed of by some coup or whatever the better. The same goes for that populist peasant in Bolivia.
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    Why is that left-wingers who supposedly hate all the nasty dictators and denigrate the US for supporting dictators suddenly come over all doe eyed when Castro is the dictator in question?

    its almost as if they haven't got round to the fact that a left-win dictator can be as bad as a right-wing one!
  • Teh_GerbilTeh_Gerbil Posts: 13,332 Born on Earth, Raised by The Mix
    Toadborg wrote:
    Why is that left-wingers who supposedly hate all the nasty dictators and denigrate the US for supporting dictators suddenly come over all doe eyed when Castro is the dictator in question?

    its almost as if they haven't got round to the fact that a left-win dictator can be as bad as a right-wing one!

    He's hardly perfect.

    But you can't call him worse than the way the US run Cuba, can you? And he still has popular support, which is more than you can say for alot of dictators.
    free elections and a free press are non-existent – and you can forget free speech.

    They don't exist over here anymore really either, which is a shame. Gotta miss them, too!
    The same goes for that populist peasant in Bolivia.

    Yeah, god forbid the people have a leader they want. Crazy talk I say!
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    this guy made a similar move ...taking back the oil for his country.
    it resulted in free health care ...every child going to school ...every child having a pair of shoes ...regeneration of infrastructure ...and the wrath of the west.

    38711733gadhafiap1509br.jpg
  • Teh_GerbilTeh_Gerbil Posts: 13,332 Born on Earth, Raised by The Mix
    this guy made a similar move ...taking back the oil for his country.
    it resulted in free health care ...every child going to school ...every child having a pair of shoes ...regeneration of infrastructure ...and the wrath of the west.

    38711733gadhafiap1509br.jpg

    AND he has a Shopping Centre in Solvenia named after him, next to lake Bled.

    The Locals call it "The Gadafi Centre". 'Cos he visited there or something.
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    Yeah and it also resulted in the Lockerbie bombings.
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    I like this dictator appreciation thread.

    Yes it is the evil capitalist west and the satanic corporations to blame for all the worlds ills not those nice cuddly stalinist dictators, innit?
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    and the wrath of the west.

    Ever heard of Pan Am Flight 103? What about Gaddafi's funding of the Black September movement which carried out the 1972 Munich Olympics massacre? The 1986 Berlin disco bombing? The animal incurred the ‘wrath of the west’ for good reason.
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    Toadborg wrote:
    I like this dictator appreciation thread.

    Yes it is the evil capitalist west and the satanic corporations to blame for all the worlds ills not those nice cuddly stalinist dictators, innit?

    werd
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    Gaddafi is great! He owns part of Italian football, so much so he got his own son into one of the teams even though his son was crap at football. Gaddafi has even invented his own model of car...it has a wedge front to push people/protestors/dissidents out of the way when he drives around. And he is famous for his Flatulance! And after all that, he never made himself a General...
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    Chavez and Castro are scum. Castro operates a totalitarian regime ruthlessly persecuting ‘dissidents’, free elections and a free press are non-existent – and you can forget free speech. No supporter of democracy can possibly defend scum like Castro. Meanwhile his buddy Chavez is talking of seeking an indefinite re-election - in other words establishing a dictatorship. Press censorship and political persecution aren’t uncommon in Venezuela, the sooner Chavez is disposed of by some coup or whatever the better. The same goes for that populist peasant in Bolivia.
    Oh how typical of you... neocon to the letter. You should apply for a job in the Republican Party machine. If you haven't done so already.

    Chavez is infinitely better than the ultra corrupt, lying, cheating, murdering war criminal president of the US you hold in such high regard. And you know it.

    You are advocating, not for the first time, that a democratically elected elected leader is overthrown illegally by a coup d'etat. And you dare to speak of democratic values in the same breath? LOL!

    As for Castro, there is little to speak of about his regime but it is still a trillion times preferrable to the fascist right wing dictatorships your beloved US government support and arm with impunity.
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    Yeah and it also resulted in the Lockerbie bombings.
    Only he or Lybia weren't responsible for Lockerbie, but never mind.
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    Aladdin wrote:
    As for Castro, there is little to speak of about his regime but it is still a trillion times preferrable to the fascist right wing dictatorships your beloved US government support and arm with impunity.

    Confirmation at last!

    You think Cuba is great because it is an enemy of the US, admit it........

    You don't care about the nature of the regime, authoritarian dictatorship supported by the US =evil, one that is enemy of the US = super... :rolleyes:
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    Toadborg wrote:
    I like this dictator appreciation thread.

    Yes it is the evil capitalist west and the satanic corporations to blame for all the worlds ills not those nice cuddly stalinist dictators, innit?
    I don't think anyone here is supporting Castro.

    As for Chavez, he isn't a dictator by any means whatsoever.

    Any intelligent person is insulted and bemused in equal terms by right wingers' claims that any left-of-centre democratic leader from Allende to Chavez who refuse to dance to the tune of US foreign policy is a dictator, a tyrant or a dirty commie.

    That shit might have washed with a few fools in the 50s and 60s. It doesn't wash with anyone, anymore.
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    Toadborg wrote:
    Confirmation at last!

    You think Cuba is great because it is an enemy of the US, admit it........

    You don't care about the nature of the regime, authoritarian dictatorship supported by the US =evil, one that is enemy of the US = super... :rolleyes:
    Where have I said that???

    Please show me...

    Being preferable to someone far far worse doesn't mean it is acceptable.

    Does it?

    Try to grasp the context of the thread if you will. I was responding to the rather amusing double standards displayed by Disillusioned, who bangs about certain dictatorships censuring the press and persecuting dissidents while completely ignoring if not supporting far worse dictatorships that happenned to be allies with the US government.
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    the support for Castro is implied.

    Inflammatory language is used against those that are friends of the US, it is absent when discussing its enemies eg Castro, Ahmadinejad, Saddam in the past etc.

    Maybe people don't mean to but it is easy to see why people could be accused of hypocricy and anti-americanism
  • Teh_GerbilTeh_Gerbil Posts: 13,332 Born on Earth, Raised by The Mix
    Toadborg wrote:
    I like this dictator appreciation thread.

    Yes it is the evil capitalist west and the satanic corporations to blame for all the worlds ills not those nice cuddly stalinist dictators, innit?

    Foolish post. You are quite silly.

    How can you compare Gadafi and Castro to fucking Stalin? What are you, stupid? God, you'll say we all have Pol Pot posters on our walls next.

    Thankyou for showing some idocy.
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