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Actually, "fucked up" isn't the term. "Has made no attempt" is more like it.
Big Oil's "Sore Losers" Lead the Drive to War » CounterPunch
The western oil giants have been playing "catch up" for more than a decade with Putin checkmating them at every turn. As it happens, the wily KGB alum has turned out to be a better businessman than any of his competitors, essentially whooping them at their own game, using the free market to extend his network of pipelines across Central Asia and into Europe. That's what the current crisis is all about. Big Oil came up "losers" in the resource war so now they want Uncle Sam to apply some muscle to put them back in the game. It's called "sour grapes", which refers to the whining that people do when they got beat fair and square [...] In other words, Yanukovych rejected an offer from Chevron that the EU and Washington were pushing, and went with the sweeter deal from Russia. According to Ahmed, that pissed off the bigwigs who decided to incite the rioting. ("Putin's sudden offer of a 30% cheaper gas bill and a $15 billion aid package provoked the protests...")
The western oil giants have been playing "catch up" for more than a decade with Putin checkmating them at every turn. As it happens, the wily KGB alum has turned out to be a better businessman than any of his competitors, essentially whooping them at their own game, using the free market to extend his network of pipelines across Central Asia and into Europe. That's what the current crisis is all about. Big Oil came up "losers" in the resource war so now they want Uncle Sam to apply some muscle to put them back in the game. It's called "sour grapes", which refers to the whining that people do when they got beat fair and square [...]
In other words, Yanukovych rejected an offer from Chevron that the EU and Washington were pushing, and went with the sweeter deal from Russia. According to Ahmed, that pissed off the bigwigs who decided to incite the rioting. ("Putin's sudden offer of a 30% cheaper gas bill and a $15 billion aid package provoked the protests...")
Seems a bit of a stretch.
Have US energy firms with interests in fracking been opportunistic about this crisis?
Umm..... yes. Without doubt.
Republicans in the US Congress are trying to fast track approval for a LNG export facilities that would be able to move enough LNG to replace Russian gas exports to Europe. Even with massive investment, this is several years off. But this would jack up the North American price of gas tremendously. Right now, in order to export gas a special permit is required if the receiving country doesn't have a free trade agreement with the US. The bill in Congress would essentially remove this.
Again, look at the price differential between North America, Japan, and the EU here:
I think it's stretch to not see a massive increase in North American gas prices, and company profits, as not being a motivation behind Washington's actions. And I'll give my consent to any government that does not deny a man a living wage-Billy Bragg
Historically, US foreign interventions have been intended to keep US energy prices low.
Bullocks. Historically US foreign interventions have been intended to keep corporate profits high. That can be done equally well by gaining a massive price markup via exports as shorting producers in cowed countries royalties due. Natural gas is not oil. The US lacks the infrastructure to export right now, and that means that domestic gas producers are taking a huge price hit because they can only sell in North America. And I'll give my consent to any government that does not deny a man a living wage-Billy Bragg
Economics wags politics. 'The history of public debt is full of irony. It rarely follows our ideas of order and justice.' Thomas Piketty
reforms on strengthening law/justice on a very basic "Get the police back to catching criminals rather than bashing political opposition heads in" level, fight corruption, build some infrastructure..
As for what eyes can see as a tourist Greece is still great place...but ....
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