'Why Murdoch Pushes for War' - Craig Murray

⟴ ꕤ COPYRIGHT DISCLAIMER Copyright Disclaimer under section 107 of the Copyright Act 1976, allowance is made for “fair use” for purposes such as criticism, comment, news reporting, teaching, scholarship, education and research. Why Murdoch Pushes for War ⟴ by Craig Murray  on September 7, 2015 1:33 pm Given the disgraceful Sun front page and middle spread urging war on Syria, and the all-out propaganda on Sky News, it is important to understand why Murdoch is pushing so hard for war. I therefore reproduce my article from February 2013. It is important to note that the links are to industry publications: this is very genuine, hard information. Israel Grants Oil Rights in Syria to Murdoch and Rothschild Israel has granted oil exploration rights inside Syria, in the occupied Golan Heights, to Genie Energy. Major shareholders of Genie Energy – which also has interests in shale gas in the United States and shale oil in Israel – include Rupert Murdoch and Lord Jacob Rothschild. This from a 2010 Genie Energy press release Claude Pupkin, CEO of Genie Oil and Gas, commented, “Genie’s success will ultimately depend, in part, on access to the expertise of the oil and gas industry and to the financial markets. Jacob Rothschild and Rupert Murdoch are extremely well regarded by and connected to leaders in these sectors. Their guidance and participation will prove invaluable.” “I am grateful to Howard Jonas and IDT for the opportunity to invest in this important initiative,” Lord Rothschild said. “Rupert Murdoch’s extraordinary achievements speak for themselves and we are very pleased he has agreed to be our partner. Genie Energy is making good technological progress to tap the world’s substantial oil shale deposits which could transform the future prospects of Israel, the Middle East and our allies around the world.” For Israel to seek to exploit mineral reserves in the occupied Golan Heights is plainly illegal in international law. Japan was succesfully sued by Singapore before the International Court of Justice for exploitation of Singapore’s oil resources during the second world war. The argument has been made in international law that an occupying power is entitled to opeate oil wells which were previously functioning and operated by the sovereign power, in whose position the occupying power now stands. But there is absolutely no disagreement in the authorities and case law that the drilling of new wells – let alone fracking – by an occupying power is illegal. Israel tried to make the same move twenty years ago but was forced to back down after a strong reaction from the Syrian government, which gained diplomatic support from the United States. Israel is now seeking to take advantage of the weakened Syrian state; this move perhaps casts a new light on recent Israeli bombings in Syria. In a rational world, the involvement of Rothschild and Murdoch in this international criminal activity would show them not to be fit and proper persons to hold major commercial interests elsewhere, and action would be taken. Naturally, nothing of the kind will happen. SOURCE https://www.craigmurray.org.uk/archives/2015/09/why-murdoch-pushes-for-war/ ---------------------- ꕤ ---------------------- COMMENT Think I might have encountered something about this before, but it didn't really sink in. I think I might be better at remembering things when they have some kind of emotion impact, like they do at the moment. Seeing  things sort of come together makes other details come to life. For me, it began with the flinging open of European borders by Mutti Merkel, at a cost of $6-billion, to Germany, despite a history of violent opposition to immigration, despite European austerity, despite the rise of right-wing dissenting political parties, despite security risks and opposition of EU states etc. Seeing the chaos of Middle Eastern and African refugees and other immigrants flooding Europe; seeing Britain secretly droning Syria, despite parliamentary veto; seeing Australia's Tony Abbott back-flip on his party's immigration stance, while joining the bomb Syria coalition; learning of Israeli bombings in Syria; seeing emotive propaganda and media hype targeting the public and exploiting refugees (that the West created by backing regional terrorists) has been instructive. Seeing the exploitation of the death of a child, and even exploitation of rape as a means of justifying pre-existing plans for war, by using rape in conflict zones as a basis for predictable calls for 'action' -- most recently, and perhaps aptly, by an actress, in British Parliament -- is seeing nothing but a charade performed for uninformed members of the public, which partly explains why this is an 'acting gig'. Emotive subjects and issues are the best propaganda tools and pretexts for behaviour that would otherwise be unacceptable to the public. The tools used by a criminal state to wage war are the same tools that are at the disposal of a criminal state to use against those it  designates as 'enemies' -- ie  those that pose threats to its illegitimate agenda (eg, by exposure of the corrupt state's wrongdoings, and so on). Allegations of 'rape' may also be employed (and have been employed) to 'justify' the state crime of conducting political persecution of those that expose state crimes.  Australian journalist-publisher, Julian Assange, exposed US and allied war crimes, and has effectively been imprisoned without charge for almost 5 years, and is presently under siege, in London, and denied rightful political asylum, on the basis of nothing but trumped up Sweden police 'rape allegations,' that have been used not only to deprive him of liberty, but also as a pretext for what is, in fact, state political persecution that is taking place before the public's eyes, while the corporate media, the state, its talking heads and its politicians, use  allegations of 'rape' to smear and vilify their target, when not otherwise misdirecting and generating stupor in an uninformed public. As for Syria, we have a military complex serving warmonger (John McCain) with links to US-backed 'moderate rebels' (ie al-Qaeda groups, in Syria, who are responsible for the assault on the Assad government by an assortment of multinational Islamist, as US and Gulf States proxies, which are destroying Syria & displacing millions), and he's perversely exploiting the image of a dead Syrian child in American Congress to, likewise, appeal for 'action' -- which is more of the same public and political performance staged in British parliament, as well as more of like performance staged in the past (Iraq and Libya, for example) -- to justify US and allied corporate-serving aggression abroad. Seeing the 'bomb Syria' Murdoch press, playing on public emotions and ignorance to quietly shape public perception and opinion; seeing a little of the beneath the surface commercial interests; seeing the inanity and PR influence of Hollywood, married to humanitarianism, married to politics, and then married to military intervention, which is married to silent Wahhabi Gulf Arab oil, commercial and political interests and partners of the West; married to Israel; married to energy and, no doubt, banking; which is severally and jointly bent on regime change in the Syria, and bent on destruction and murder, while immersed in deceit, propaganda, hypocrisy and arrogant sacrifice of both domestic and foreign populations; is to bear witness to a marriage made in hell, that somehow animates the otherwise cold, corporate details. It's hard to maintain a positive regard towards Israel or any of the US allied governments that support the destruction of yet another foreign state, in favour of causing mayhem in the region, with a view to, most likely, installing yet another religious fanatic puppet regime in the Middle East, that serves corporate Western interests. No wonder the Middle East never progresses from religious fanaticism; it's probably actively encouraged and reinforced by the West, who use it as a means to an ends. So, if you look at it like that, it is the West that can also take a bow for the entrenchment and spread of (what I see as) unenlightened philosophies under religious grip (that are inherently opposed to progress towards secularism), that Western imperialism has historically exploited, by installing and maintaining Western-serving dictators, and by backing proxy challenger armies (when they're not inadvertently encouraging even more ardent religious fanaticism of an opposition to Western interference), done in pursuit of the gains of the few, to the detriment of the many, in the Middle East and beyond. Guessing that corporate imperialism would nurture anything, as a means to an end, however damaging the 'blowback' to domestic populations, because there's no regard or loyalty to the domestic populations that are subjected to across-borders corporate tyranny. [Note:  I'm no Middle Eastern expert.  This is just my personal appraisal, given my limited knowledge and my limited inclinations, at this point in time.] Assange Transnational Security Elite, Carving Up the World Using Your Tax Money London  OCT8 Antiwar Mass Assembly (2011) Link  |  here ꕤ

David Cameron's Dodgy Government Serves Corporations Instead of Constituents

An inconvenient truth? UK government censors state-sanctioned report on fracking Published time: August 11, 2014 13:05 Edited time: August 11, 2014 22:48 The British government’s decision to censor an official state report on the impact of fracking on UK property prices and regional services has roused sharp criticism from MPs and campaigners. As the government maintains its refusal to offer compensation to homeowners situated near proposed shale gas drilling sites, concerned citizens and campaigners are demanding the release of the full, unabridged study. Following a Freedom of Information (FOI) request tendered to the government, a draft of ‘Shale Gas: Rural Economy Impacts’ was recently published with extensive sections of the text missing. One particular section of the report, which examines the impact of fracking on house prices, has three entire segments missing. [...] Number of redactions comical’ Prime Minister David Cameron and Chancellor of the Exchequer George Osborne say shale gas extraction harbors the potential to enrich the UK’s economy and decrease energy bills. But many MPs contest this view, expressing deep concerns that fracking will reap environmental damage, disfigure the landscape, and decrease the value of home prices in their local constituencies. [...] Widespread calls for compensation Labour MP for Worsely and Eccles South, Barbara Keeley, has joined the chorus of campaigners, politicians and UK citizens calling for compensation for those whose houses may depreciate in value as a result of fracking. Concerns regarding the government’s strategic suppression of vital information relating to this report are followed by the release of a recent poll, which claims 57 percent of UK citizens are in favor of fracking. But Greenpeace emphasizes that the research, financed by energy firm UK Onshore Oil and Gas, lacks independence and is a skewered portrayal of British public opinion on the issue. http://rt.com/uk/179472-uk-report-censored-fracking/

The government's at it again.
Lying to the public.
Serving corporations.

There's no such thing as 'democracy'.  It's a lie.
Governments serve corporate interests and the people don't matter.

Research financed by an energy firm?

Unbelievable.

USA - $500M Shale Gas Pipeline

Former Chesapeake chief's company joins in pipeline venture By Collin Eaton August 7, 2014 A $500 million pipeline planned for next year could carry natural gas from Aubrey McClendon's growing web of gas wells in Ohio to the Gulf Coast, Colorado and several Southern states. [...] The pipeline would start in the Utica Shale, where American Energy has spent $3.5 billion amassing more than 260,000 net acres over shale gas deposits. The company plans to drill 1,600 net wells there in coming years as McClendon, one of the first wildcatters to pounce on U.S. shale gas plays, builds a new company after his departure last year from Chesapeake Energy. He has concentrated his efforts in the southeastern corner of the Utica, where high reservoir pressures have made reaching gas more affordable. Recent research by Houston energy consultant Wood Mackenzie shows that certain zones in the Utica rival wells in Pennsylvania's Marcellus Shale in terms of profitability. EXTRACTS ONLY - FULL @ SOURCE http://www.houstonchronicle.com/business/energy/article/Former-Chesapeake-chief-s-company-joins-in-5675875.php

The specifics don't interest me.  It's just interesting that it's booming. 

Gulf Coast is also interesting, because that's where export shipments would leave, I guess.

UKRAINE & RUSSIA - GERMANY, UK, EU - ENERGY NEEDS - HELLO US LNG

'Germany, Want to Rid Yourself of Russian Gas? Turbo-Charge the Energiewende!' Posted August 7, 2014 Merkel And Medvedev Inaugurate Nord Stream Gas Pipeline Last week, the US and the EU hit Russia with a new sanctions regime in order to punish its continued meddling in destabilizing Eastern Ukraine. The economic restrictions are dubbed ‘Stage Three’ sanctions, indicating the increased level of severity meant to further ratchet up costs to the Russian economy. The sanctions now target Russian banking, defense, and energy sectors. As for the latter, “both the EU and the United States will ban export of technologies to Russia for deep-water, Arctic or shale oil drilling,” The Guardian newspaper writes. Interestingly, the article also notes that “sanctions from the EU, which does far more trade with Russia, will be reviewed in three months.” The EU compared to the US has much more at stake – check out data (Eurostat, 2013) on imports, exports, and trade volumes between Russia and the EU in an interactive graphic provided by Der Spiegel. In addition, given that about 30 per cent of the EU’s overall gas consumption – ... is covered by Russian natural gas imports, it is no wonder that the EU may want to reconsider its ‘tough’ stance before the winter. The EU cannot have an interest in joining the Russian Bear in what might be called “economic hibernation” due to severe repercussions in the energy realm on both sides. A 2006 Russian natural gas shutoff left many Europeans without heating fuel during a bitter cold winter. As expected, Russia responded defiantly to the new sweeping EU/US sanctions, threatening to increase energy prices in a statement by the Russian foreign ministry cited by EUobserver: “Obsessed with sanctions, Brussels is itself creating barriers for further cooperation in such a key sector as energy industry ... In light of this threat a timely study by experts from the renowned German Frauenhofer Institute (IWES), commissioned by the German Green Party faction in the German parliament, explains how  ... Germany could completely wean itself off Russian natural gas imports. The study titled in German “Erdgassubstitution durch eine forcierte Energiewende” (“How a turbo-charged ‘Energiewende’ can replace natural gas imports”) concludes that Germany could be independent of Russian gas imports by 2030 at the earliest. At that point of time, Germany could cut down on Russian gas imports entirely, which is equivalent to about 400 TWh of German energy consumption per year based on 2013 figures. The authors go on to explain that Germany consumed about 900 terawatt-hours (TWh) – equivalent to about 102,600 megawatts (MW) by doing a rough conversion to megawatts – in 2013 with 96 TWh thereof attributed to its own domestic production. Charts show that Germany imported 1,040 TWh – including natural gas transits – and re-exported 226 TWh, leaving it with a net natural gas import balance of 814 TWh in 2013. Russian natural gas accounted for 38.7 per cent of these imports. However, in order to significantly reduce dependence on natural gas imports ahead of 2050 – the legislative goal as outlined in the Renewable Energy Sources Act (EEG) 2.0 – an initial investment of 300 billion Euros is required now through 2028 in order to reap the benefits from overall energy system procurement savings through 2050, which then would make this gigantic endeavor profitable, the authors claim. Moreover, the initial investment has to be accompanied by general energy efficiency measures such as the reduction of energy consumption through energy efficiency of buildings, geothermal heat and energy, power-to-heat, conversion of electricity into synthetic fuel (power-to-gas), the use of biomethane as a natural gas substitute, biomass energy, and solar. By implementing such a holistic view of the power generation and heating sectors, the above measures could already yield a substantial reduction in natural gas imports by 2025. The following graphic nicely illustrates the path – as outlined by the experts of the German Fraunhofer Institute – to a reduction in natural gas imports by turbo-charging as well as optimizing the ‘Energiewende’: It is important to note that the above-described scenario does not include the potential of increased domestic natural gas production through ‘fracking’ or future direct German LNG imports from global markets via a yet-to-be built import terminal in Wilhelmshaven. Lastly, given the enormous costs and relatively long time frame to accomplish total energy independence from Russia – probably neither smart nor cost-effectively achievable to begin with – it would not even be a stunning turn of events if ‘clean’ coal became down the road the big ‘energy savior’ in Europe. So, get ready US coal for a European Energy Emergency! Der Spiegel cites estimates that show coal helping Germany to wean itself off Russian gas in about ten years. Remember, we live in a very volatile world and just like geopolitical change, governments along with their policies change in response. Stay tuned…. http://theenergycollective.com/jared-anderson/455716/germany-want-rid-yourself-russian-gas-turbo-charge-energiewende

Germany, UK and Europe need ENERGY. 

Forget the renewable stuff.  They need hard-core dependable energy.

It's a case of : GET READY US SHALE / LNG.

Liquid Natural Gas

Until the mid-1990s, LNG demand was heavily concentrated in Northeast Asia: Japan, South Korea and Taiwan. At the same time, Pacific Basin supplies dominated world LNG trade. The world-wide interest in using natural gas-fired combined cycle generating units for electric power generation, coupled with the inability of North American and North Sea natural gas supplies to meet the growing demand, substantially broadened the regional markets for LNG. It also brought new Atlantic Basin and Middle East suppliers into the trade.

By the end of 2011, there were 18 LNG exporting countries and 25 LNG importing countries. The three biggest LNG exporters in 2011 were Qatar (75.5 MT), Malaysia (25 MT) and Indonesia (21.4 MT). The three biggest LNG importers in 2011 were Japan (78.8 MT), South Korea (35 MT) and UK (18.6 MT).  LNG trade volumes increased ... new LNG supply from six new plants comes to the market just in 2009, including:

    Northwest Shelf Train 5: 4.4 MTPA
    Sakhalin II: 9.6 MTPA
    Yemen LNG: 6.7 MTPA
    Tangguh: 7.6 MTPA
    Qatargas: 15.6 MTPA
    Rasgas Qatar: 15.6 MTPA

In 2006, Qatar became the world's biggest exporter of LNG.   As of 2012, Qatar is the source of 25 percent of the world's LNG exports.

Investments in U.S. export facilities were increasing by 2013—such as the plant being built in Hackberry, Louisiana by Sempra Energy. These investments were spurred by increasing shale gas production in the United States and a large price differential between natural gas prices in the U.S. and those in Europe and Asia. However, general exports had not yet been authorized by the United States Department of Energy because the United States had only recently moved from an importer to self-sufficiency status. When U.S. exports are authorized, large demand for LNG in Asia was expected to mitigate price decreases due to increased supplies from the U.S. [WIKPEDIA]

The US has a shit-load of LNG it needs a market for.   Hello Europe.

That's why snatching gas supply from Russia is so important -- and it's also why Ukraine's natural resources are important.

This isn't about 'democracy' or 'protecting' anyone in Europe; it's about a grab for energy, resources and strategic control.

BLAVATNIK'S WALL STREET HISTORY - SHALE REVOLUTION - UKRAINE, RUSSIA & US GRAB FOR SUPPLY OF EUROPE'S ENERGY NEEDS

Forbes

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7/30/2014 @ 6:00AM |672 views

How One Billionaire's Bet On LyondellBasell Turned Into The Greatest Deal In Wall St. History
This story appears in the August 18, 2014 issue of Forbes.

Billionaire financier Len Blavatnik’s bet on LyondellBasell has netted him a personal profit of nearly $8 billion. He says there’s more to come.


http://www.forbes.com/sites/nathanvardi/2014/07/30/the-greatest-deal-of-all-time/?utm_campaign=forbestwittersf&utm_source=twitter&utm_medium=social

Confused Len Blavatnik (Warner Music guy) for the Black Wednesday guy that 'Broke the Bank of England' (George Soros) and I thought, no way, how could he have done it again.

If I've got this straight, some guys were selling stock in LyondellBasell; Blavatnik bought stock in LyondellBasell when everyone thought he shouldn't have and shares rose by over 50% since his last batch bought.

Since its bankruptcy - 4 years ago - shares in LyondellBasell have risen to return 500%.

Forbes says Blavatnik's investment ... of $10 billion [SORRY, I'M NOT GOOD AT FINANCIALS ... READ ARTICLE ... LOL] ... generated $8 billion in "mostly unrealized personal profits".

By 'mostly unrealised', I'm guessing they mean he hasn't cashed up what's due to him.

The transaction's described as 'historic'.

Here's some info about Blavatnik from Forbes:

A Ukrainian-born American citizen who grew up in Russia and immigrated to the U.S. in 1978 at the age of 21, he later got his M.B.A. at Harvard.

Blavatnik made his first fortune with a former classmate in Russia, Viktor Vekselberg, in oil and aluminum deals during the anything-goes post-Soviet days. 

Blavatnik’s biggest scores in Russia were oil company TNK-BP, a joint venture with British Petroleum that was eventually bought by Rosneft for $55 billion, and Sual, an aluminum producer that merged with the larger Rusal.

Chemical companies that had nothing to do with Russia would be his next big thing. He paid full price, putting down $1.1 billion to purchase Basell in a $5 billion leveraged buyout in 2005. Then he tried, and failed, to buy other chemical companies, including Huntsman International.

Just as my brain was about to go into snooze mode, I spotted this:

The revolution that changed everything for Blavatnik ... and LyondellBasell originated in the thin fissures of shale rock filled with oil and natural gas reserves throughout the United States. Throughout the last decade drillers pioneered new techniques of exploiting rock formations with hydraulic fracturing and horizontal drilling to draw out the petrochemicals trapped within. As a result, the U.S. became one of the world’s largest sources of cheap natural gas almost overnight, with prices falling from highs of $13 per million British thermal units to a $3 to $4 range today. This dramatic drop in prices proved a huge boon to dozens of industries, none more so than the chemical business–and few more than LyondellBasell.

LyondellBasell is a top producer of ethylene, which it upgrades into the plastic known as polyethylene, used in everything from food packaging to trash bags and hard hats. The company operates six facilities (known as “crackers”) to produce ethylene in the U.S. and four in Europe. Profits from ethylene and its derivative chemicals and coproducts are the core of LyondellBasell’s earnings.

Ethane, refined from natural gas, and naphtha, a crude oil derivative, are the prime raw materials used to produce ethylene. Starting in 2007, U.S. drillers were finding natural gas everywhere. By 2012 the price of ethane had fallen from 90 cents per gallon to 30 cents, giving U.S. chemical producers a huge advantage over foreign competitors in Europe and Asia that are dependent on pricey oil-based naphtha as a feedstock. The gap between the two supercharged LyondellBasell’s profitability.

LyondellBasell’s decades-old crackers in Clinton, Iowa and Morris, Ill., for example, are the only ones in the Midwest–and are situated near natural gas liquid pipelines and a hub in Kansas, home of some of the cheapest ethane in America. Almost overnight they were transformed, churning out profit margins of 32 cents per pound compared to European naphtha-based ethylene, which is barely even profitable. “It’s improbable that anyone could have foreseen the full impact of the shale revolution,” says Blavatnik. “But Jim had some experience and insight through his work at ConocoPhillips that I think helped.”

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So the US presence in Ukraine isn't just about Ukraine.  It's about supplying Europe with gas.

Although this was said in this or that blog or whatever I'd come across, it hadn't really sunk in properly.

Reading this, I got a really sick feeling in my stomach because the US need for a market is tangible -- it's not just someone speculating about US motives.  It's real.

OMG!  I feel like I've just discovered another planet!

UKRAINE - WASHINGTON, SCUM & KEEPING IT IN THE FAMILY

Ukrainian Employer of Joe Biden’s Son Hires a D.C. Lobbyist Michael Scherer @michaelscherer July 7, 2014 An obscure private Ukrainian natural gas company has been hiring friends and family of Secretary of State John Kerry and Vice President Joe Biden, while seeking to influence Congress When Vice President Joe Biden’s son, R. Hunter Biden, joined the board of a private Ukrainian oil and natural gas company this spring, he explained his new job as a legal one, disconnected from any effort to influence the Obama Administration. In a press release, the younger Biden boasted of his abilities on issues like improving corporate transparency. [LOL] But the company, Burisma Holdings, did not disclose at the time the scope of their plans for influencing the U.S. government. Recently released documents show that Biden’s hiring coincided with the launch of a new effort to lobby members of Congress about the role of the company in Ukraine and the country’s quest for energy independence. David Leiter, a former Senate chief of staff to Secretary of State John Kerry, signed on to work as a lobbyist for Burisma on May 20, 2014, about a week after Biden announced he was joining the company, according to lobbying disclosures filed this month. Leiter’s involvement in the firm rounds out a power-packed team of politically-connected Americans that also includes a second new board member, Devon Archer, a Democratic bundler and former adviser to John Kerry’s 2004 presidential campaign. Both Archer and Hunter Biden have worked as business partners with Kerry’s son-in-law, Christopher Heinz, the founding partner of Rosemont Capital, a private-equity company. Biden’s office referred questions to a Burisma spokesman, who says Biden has not been involved in contacting members of Congress or the Obama Administration about the company. “His role, like all board members, is to provide strategic guidance to Burisma,” said Lawrence Pacheco, who works in Washington D.C. for FTI Consulting, a communications firm that is also employed by Burisma. But Burisma is contacting officials in Washington through Leiter’s lobbying firm, ML Strategies. “ML Strategies is working with Burisma to educate U.S. officials about the company and its role in creating a stable and secure energy future for Ukraine, not any specific policy or legislation,” Pacheco said. “Burisma supports energy independence, economic growth, national sovereignty and regional stability and will engage as needed to encourage efforts to further these goals.” Some Democratic senators, meanwhile, have been working to secure more U.S. funding, either directly or through entities like the Export-Import Bank, to improve Ukraine’s domestic energy production potential. On June 27, Sen. Edward Markey of Massachusetts, wrote President Obama a letter with three other Democratic senators calling for increased aid. “We should leverage the full resources and expertise of the U.S. government to assist Ukraine in improving its energy efficiency, increasing its domestic production, and reforming its energy markets,” wrote Markey, who has also proposed legislation with about $40 million in additional aide for Ukranian energy development.

Markey’s letter was trumpeted by Burisma Holdings as a commendable move towards securing the future security of Ukraine. “Burisma Holdings today applauded the range of U.S. legislative support for development of Ukraine’s broad and untapped resources and an increase in transparency and good governance,” the company said in a statement on the day the letter was released. An aide in Markey’s office told TIME that Leiter, Biden and Archer were not part of discussions that led to the drafting of the letter or the legislation. Staff for the other senators who signed the letter, Ron Wyden of Oregon, Jeanne Shaheen of New Hampshire and Christopher Murphy of Connecticut, also said they did not have contact with Leiter, who could not be reached for comment. Burisma Holdings is owned by a Cypriot holding firm, Brociti Investments Limited, which is controlled Nikolai Zlochevskyi, a former Ukranian government minister, according to Cypriot records. It controls government development licenses in three regions of Ukraine, and sells to industrial customers in the country, according to the company. By taking a job with Burisma, the younger Biden has put himself in the middle of a struggle between the United States and Russia, which currently provides the bulk of the natural gas supplies to Ukraine. Both the White House and European nations have recently emphasized the strategic interest in making Ukraine less dependent on Russia. Since Hunter Biden took the new job, his father, Vice President Joe Biden, has continued to serve as the Obama Administration’s point person on Ukraine, traveling to the country as recently as June for the inauguration of President Petro Poroshenko and talking to Poroshenko by phone at least five times in the last month. ... There is no legal barrier to prohibit Hunter Biden from working with a company that can be impacted by the policy decisions of his father, and the White House has maintained that the Vice President has not been influenced by his son’s employment. “The Vice President does not endorse any particular company and has no involvement with this company,” said his spokeswoman Kendra Barkoff. But Hunter Biden’s new job, along with the association with Burisma of other politically-connected businessmen, has raised concerns among some Ukraine watchers. “It’s unhelpful when we are trying to get across to the Ukrainians to clean up corruption and special deals for special folks,” said Ed Chow, a senior fellow at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, a U.S. think tank. “It maybe sends the wrong message that Westerners are just hypocritical.” http://time.com/2964493/ukraine-joe-biden-son-hunter-burisma/

Washington, scum & keeping it in the family.

US GRAB FOR UKRAINE - 1991-2014 - COST $5 BILLION

US Grab for Ukraine - 1991-2014 COST:  $5 BILLION DOLLARS Source:  Youtube   Published on 9 Feb 2014   "American Conquest by Subversion: Victoria Nuland's Admits Washington Has Spent $5 Billion "After three visits to Ukraine in five weeks, Victoria Nuland explains that in the past two decades, the United States has spent five Billion dollars ($5,000,000,000) to subvert Ukraine, and assures her listeners that there are prominent businessmen and government officials who support the US project to tear Ukraine away from its historic relationship with Russia and into the US sphere of interest (via "Europe")."

UKRAINE - US - SHALE & BABY BIDEN

UKRAINE Anyone interested in Ukraine, CHECK THIS OUT: "Here are 25 recent events, or data points, that our rulers hope we forget when they blame the collapse of the old world order on Russia: US spent $5 billion to destabilize Ukraine, not to mention the millions NGOs spent on "opposition groups". The State Department was even caught playing kingmaker in Ukraine in secret recordings during the takeover.  November 21st, 2013 - Ukraine's President abandons an agreement on closer trade ties with EU, instead seeking closer cooperation with Russia. Violent pro-EU protests begin to organize. December 17th, 2013 - Putin offers to buy $15bn of Ukrainian debt and discount the price of Russian gas by about a third." Rest of list...@... http://www.activistpost.com/2014/07/25-recent-events-causing-ww3-that-they.html#!bnzLse Joe Biden's son, Hunter, just joined the board of the largest Ukraine gas producer Burisma Holdings http://www.zerohedge.com/news/2014-07-25/company-which-joe-bidens-son-director-prepares-drill-shale-gas-east-ukraine

UK - Shale Gas - Fracking Rape - Licence Bidding for Half of UK to Begin

BBC Article  Source - BBC 28 July 2014 Last updated at 01:43 Fracking licences to be granted by government The bidding process for licences to extract shale gas - using the controversial process fracking - begins later, the government has announced. About half the UK is open to exploration, but tightened rules cover areas of outstanding beauty. Companies granted a licence to begin test drilling will also need planning permission and environmental permits. The coalition sees shale gas as a major potential energy source. Critics of fracking warn of environmental dangers. ... About half the UK is open for licensing, including parts of National Parks. But applications there will only be accepted in "exceptional circumstances and in the public interest", said the government. The same rules apply for the Broads, Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty and World Heritage Sites. ... Critics of fracking argue that it can lead to earth tremors, water contamination and disruption to rural communities. There are also concerns about methane leakage and diverting resources away from renewable energy. ... The government is keen to promote fracking in the UK, and has already announced a number of incentives to help kick-start the industry, including tax breaks, payments of £100,000 per site plus a 1% share of revenue to local communities. It has also proposed new rules regarding rights to access land to speed up drilling. ... In the US, shale gas has seen energy costs tumble, but questions remain about whether the American shale revolution can be replicated in the UK and elsewhere. ...Extracts only ... full @... Source - BBC - here.

HALF of UK?

Including parts of NATIONAL PARKS?

How did this get through???!!

SHALE & BIG BUCKS: US corporate 'reassurance initiative' in Europe

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See ARTICLE:

Pentagon Takes New Actions to Boost Ukraine's Military, Defense Industry

7/9/2014


President Obama has approved $33 million in security assistance for Ukraine since the beginning of the crisis. ...

The United States has ceased virtually all military-to-military cooperation with Russia. It has provided Ukraine with a billion-dollar loan guarantee and $196 million in other assistance ...

The administration, meanwhile, is seeking congressional approval of $1 billion in funding for the so-called European Reassurance Initiative, which would increase U.S. military presence in Europe and pay for security assistance projects.

...

FULL article - National Defence Magazine - here.

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COMMENT

Cut-throat corporate competition for Shale might explain the big bucks referred to above & the 'European Reassurance Initiative', which is beginning to sound more like a corporate 'reassurance initiative' ... but, hey, the poster's a newbie to politics watching and knows nothing about economics. LOL

UKRAINE: THIRD-LARGEST SHALE GAS RESERVES - GEOPOLITICAL COMPETITION

Kiev promises 'restraint' as army nears rebels in Donetsk

By AFP | 10 Jul, 2014

Read more at:
http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/articleshow/38118747.cms?utm_source=contentofinterest&utm_medium=text&utm_campaign=cppstJAMES CLAD

Shale oil and gas gives the U.S. more leverage around the world
Having the U.S. turn from energy importer to energy exporter changes geopolitics

July 10, 2014 12:00 AM

Since midpoint in the last decade, America’s shale-energy balance sheet has grown ever more positive. The abundance today of shale-enabled oil and natural gas defines many places where investment and economic activity had once been scarce. Just look at Pennsylvania, North Dakota, Texas and many other states.

But there’s another benefit — albeit one which few Americans easily discern: The shale revolution is generating national security and geopolitical assets, real-world consequences moving more sharply into focus in recent weeks.

Just the potential for sizable U.S. energy exports gives pause to petro-dictators and expansionist bullies, forcing Russian President Vladimir Putin, for example, to downscale his ambitions.

Central Europe’s game of power poker these days rests not on tanks and missiles but on Russia’s gas-supply monopoly. Natural gas reaches West European buyers via pipelines crossing Ukraine. In earlier years, Russian behavior had sparked some periodic heartache about this monopoly but, in recent months, the angst has congealed into a determination to weaken Russia’s grip.

...

FULL Pittsburgh Post-Gazette article - here.

Kiev promises 'restraint' as army nears rebels in Donetsk

By AFP | 10 Jul, 2014

Read more at:
http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/articleshow/38118747.cms?utm_source=contentofinterest&utm_medium=text&utm_campaign=cppst

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COMMENT

See also: 

Beneath the Ukraine Crisis: Shale Gas

By Nat Parry
Global Research, April 25, 2014
Consortiumnews 24 April 2014

Behind the geopolitics pitting Russia against the West – and the ethnic tensions tearing Ukraine east and west – another backdrop for understanding this deepening conflict is the big-money competition for Ukraine’s oil and natural gas.

The crisis gripping Ukraine has plunged transatlantic relations to their lowest point since the Cold War and threatens to send Ukraine into an armed conflict with potentially dire consequences for the country and the wider region.
...
Ukraine has Europe’s third-largest shale gas reserves at 42 trillion cubic feet, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration. While for years U.S. oil companies have been pressing for shale gas development in countries such as Britain, Poland, France and Bulgaria only to be rebuffed by significant opposition ...
...
Global Research article - here.

Good read.