As the people around the world were celebrating to welcome New Year of 2009, the events of 2008 were completing the last chapters of a story. This is the story of the oil and gas prices which is the center of politics in all five continents, from Persian Gulf to Niger delta, from Caspian Sea to Siberia, From Alaska to Mexico, and From Venezuela to East Timor. Just look of the few events around the politics of oil and gas in 2008.
1- In start world was evident of historical rises in oil prices. Oil prices were threatening to a level that governments all over world especially USA, were debating on curing the oil addictions and turning to new sources of energy. Solar, wind, geothermal, clean coal, bio-fuel, etc were the hot debates and common topics in newspapers, magazines, political, economical and academic circles.
2- The Russian and Ukraine tensions over gas prices. Russians were asking more oil prices from countries in West Europe to which Russia supply gas. The rising prices of oil and gas were pressing the economics of importing countries. The economics of Western countries, USA, China, Japan, India and other small countries allied to western coalitions were under pressure of oil prices. Iran, Venezuela, Russia and Cuba were using the oil and gas as a political card.
3- Iran and Venezuela were making agreements to cooperate in oil and gas sector and to set up a mutual fund based on it to struggle and help countries against imperialism.
4- Similarly the Venezuela and Cuba were making socialists agreements based on which the Venezuela exported Oil in exchange to medical services they were getting from Cuba. The oil and gas were promoting socialism and anti-imperialism.
It was a real threat to Western Coalition after cold war. Certainly it was a serious attack on the capitalism after the U-turn of USSR and Communist China.
5- To strengthen this socialist attack the symbol of Islamic revolutionary Iran, made another attack against imperialism by announcing the Oil bourse in Southern port city of Kish and announced that the trading currency will be Euro instead of US dollar. The purpose was simple to understand and it had three core purposes:
a- To shift the oil market from London to the Persian Gulf. Naturally, UK is non producer country but as London is trading centre of Oil hence despite of non-producer country, it control the oil prices and get benefits of oil trading throughout of the world.
b- To weaken dollar. The dollar has no gold backing as normally people conceived. It is only trust of people on dollar due to large trading in dollar that make dollar a precious commodity in the world. If the trust of people weakens on dollar then the value of dollar will lower. This strategy of Iran worked earlier as certain countries started to shift their dollar reserves into Euro. This move strengthened the value of Euro and its value become higher than US dollar. This was a real economic attack of Iran against USA which was tightening her economical siege against Iran.
c- To attract the investments from all over world especially from neighboring Arabian countries and to lessen the degree of inclinations of Arabian countries on West. Iran strongly needed the support of the Arabian countries to make Islamic renaissance a fact. As Arabian countries are mostly non-democratic states so the governments are very weak and are in danger of popular appraisal as the people are empowered by introduction of new technologies and awareness in people. These kingdoms and dictators have stronger threats from their own people than any external forces, so they cooperate with Western countries to save their positions. Even they recognize and support Israel to save their positions. Iran is well aware of rich but weak governments of Arabian countries. The democratic Arabian countries would be strength of a revolutionary Iran, so the bourse of the oil in Iran though not much successful in attracting the Arab investments but will certainly make an example to attract the attentions of both people and decision makers in Arabian states and hence cause a change.
The world, especially political analyst was waiting to the response of the capitalist world. There were no sign of response in any country. Suddenly out of nowhere the financial corporate of USA started to fall. The mortgages and financing were in real trouble. World were observing in shock the collapse of capitalism, as last hope of modern men in modern economical systems. The USA government announced the bailout plan as a savior. The socialists were keenly observing the US socialist move to save capitalism. Following USA, all economic powers of world which were oil exporting countries announced bailout plans. UK, Japan, Germany, India were leading in bailout plans. Despite the bailout plans the financial markets continued collapsing. A real global recession began. The trade volumes started to shrink, the demands for supplies decreased and the prices fell down. The most noteworthy prices that fell were that of oil. The oil prices fell up to 100 $ per barrel. It was the biggest hit and answer to socialist countries like, Venezuela and Cuba, as well as conventional rival Russia and similarly to rebellious Iran. Certainly the people all over world were paying the prices but not governments. It was only people who are having hard times but the governments are rich and they are paying the corporations who are partners in their games. Big financial corporate and car companies are getting benefits from billions of dollars of public tax money. The corporations need money either by interests of their loans and sells they provide to people or by public tax money through bailout plans.
The most noteworthy point is that despite of global financial crises the oil producing countries had no bailout plans. The fallen oil prices pressed hardly their economics but there were no bailout plans as they were aware of the game and economical attack of the Western Coalition.
The gas producing countries like Russia, Iran and Qatar again gathered in Moscow to make an organization like OPEC to become able to cope with economic attack of Western Coalition by creating a global financial crisis. On contrary the bailout plans and financial crisis continued to keep the pressures on rivals. Let’s see! Which force will succeed in their plans and how common men survive out of clashes?
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