NationStates Jolt Archive

Well, we all know that American politicos don't want to rely on Middle Eastern oil, and this applies to both McCain and Obama, although they both phrse it differently. So, isn't it ironic that twenty billion barrels appear ninety miles off the coast of Florida!

Mother nature, it emerged this week, appears to have blessed the island with enough oil reserves to vault it into the ranks of energy powers. The government announced there may be more than 20bn barrels of recoverable oil in offshore fields in Cuba's share of the Gulf of Mexico, more than twice the previous estimate.

If confirmed, it puts Cuba's reserves on par with those of the US and into the world's top 20. Drilling is expected to start next year by Cuba's state oil company Cubapetroleo, or Cupet.

"It would change their whole equation. The government would have more money and no longer be dependent on foreign oil," said Kirby Jones, founder of the Washington-based US-Cuba Trade Association. "It could join the club of oil exporting nations."
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2008/oct/18/cuban-oil

So, assuming that the oil estimates are correct, and that they can actually get to the stuff (it's pretty deep), what do you think will happen? Will the US choose a pretty innocuous dictatorship over a (to them) pretty dangerous one in the form of Iran? Will it lead to the end of the blockade? Or would it be too much of a blow to American prode to import oil from Cuba?

Discuss.

Cupet sounds like the name of a pokemon.

Cupet sounds like the name of a pokemon.
Swaps CHAVEZ for CUPET.

I think the US will not buy oil from that at the moment, but if Obama gets in power then things might change.

I think the US will not buy oil from that at the moment, but if Obama gets in power then things might change.

Obama (or whoever wins this election) will be out of power before this becomes a reality, assuming the oil is even there.

Saudi Arabia, Iran, Sudan, Venezuela, Iraq and now Cuba has all the oil? I think God is fucking with us. :p

Saudi Arabia, Iran, Sudan, Venezuela, Iraq and now Cuba has all the oil? I think God is fucking with us. :p
He really doesn't like the religious right.

He really doesn't like the religious right.

The religious right will spin this as:

"God is testing us! He would not give these bountiful resources in the lands of the heathen Islamo fascist commies if not to test our faith! God has given the world as ours to do as we will, and if the heathens are to stand between us and the nectar of oil, then we must destroy them as god wills."

So, assuming that the oil estimates are correct, and that they can actually get to the stuff (it's pretty deep), what do you think will happen? Will the US choose a pretty innocuous dictatorship over a (to them) pretty dangerous one in the form of Iran? Will it lead to the end of the blockade? Or would it be too much of a blow to American prode to import oil from Cuba?
It's not a choosing situation. US consumes over 7 billion barrels a year, now probably 8. Even importing from all over the world, it's depleting the reserves at a steady pace. The capacity of Cuba would be only barely enough to complement the world effort to feed the new wave of SUV boom in the US.

"On par with US" and "Top 20" are all loud sounding words, but what's behind them is that US barely has any oil reserves, and top 10 nations hold 90%-95% of all oil reserves.



BTW, Iran is not a dictatorship, it's a democracy with a system of counterbalances in religious authority. Just because people don't agree with your ideals doesn't make their votes invalid and their president a dictator.

Saudi Arabia, Iran, Sudan, Venezuela, Iraq and now Cuba has all the oil? I think God is fucking with us. :p

Isn't there a monumental oil deposit under the Dakotas? What ever happened with that?

It's not a choosing situation. US consumes over 7 billion barrels a year, now probably 8. Even importing from all over the world, it's depleting the reserves at a steady pace. The capacity of Cuba would be only barely enough to complement the world effort to feed the new wave of SUV boom in the US.

"On par with US" and "Top 20" are all loud sounding words, but what's behind them is that US barely has any oil reserves, and top 10 nations hold 90%-95% of all oil reserves.
Fair enough, but current American policy to not reduce imports from some of those top 10 producers, and that oil is therefore going to be have to be found somewhere.

BTW, Iran is not a dictatorship, it's a democracy with a system of counterbalances in religious authority. Just because people don't agree with your ideals doesn't make their votes invalid and their president a dictator.
An interesting take on it.

Isn't there a monumental oil deposit under the Dakotas? What ever happened with that?
They realised it's not really economically viable to extract oil at about $1000/barrel.

Isn't there a monumental oil deposit under the Dakotas? What ever happened with that?

I think it's one of those types of oil deposits that you actually have to work to get at. We like the kind of oil where you can just dig a hole and plug a hose in. We're not desperate enough for the other kinds yet. :p

God declared that all enemies of the USA will retrieve plenty of oil under their feet.

Saudi Arabia, Iran, Sudan, Venezuela, Iraq and now Cuba has all the oil? I think God is fucking with us. :p

I object to grouping Cuba and Venezuela with oppressively violent regimes such as Saudi Arabia, Iran, Sudan and (previously but still to a certain extent) Iraq.

I think it's one of those types of oil deposits that you actually have to work to get at. We like the kind of oil where you can just dig a hole and plug a hose in. We're not desperate enough for the other kinds yet. :p

No surprise that obesity's on the rise in America. :p

I object to grouping Cuba and Venezuela with oppressively violent regimes such as Saudi Arabia, Iran, Sudan and (previously but still to a certain extent) Iraq.

Tough titty. :)

I think the embargo should be lifted from Cuba. Its original purpose was to destabilize the regime, and obviously it hasn't done so. It's pointless. And it provides an easy scapegoat for the Cuban government to blame for Cuba's troubles.

Fair enough, but current American policy to not reduce imports from some of those top 10 producers, and that oil is therefore going to be have to be found somewhere.


[QUOTE]An interesting take on it.
You can call it a take, but it's a quite well thought-out system, and its power is based entirely in representative democracy. It's more conservative than most, but then the US system of indirect elections is too often regarded as weird in other countries.

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/3/33/Iran_gov_power_structure.svg/640px-Iran_gov_power_structure.svg.png


The only inherent problem with that system is that they have another religion, and it protects ideals we disagree with. But if we replaced Sharia Law with US Constitution and removed vetting, it could actually work better than what US has now.

The Cuban regieme is sitting pretty now. The only thing that stupid embargo did was make getting oil a tad difficult, a problem Cuba overcame, and guess what they just found...

This may be my cynical side, but history indicates that we should see a coup d'état by some pro-US faction in Cuba, who somehow mysteriously gets its hands on tons of cash, weapons, and influence, but the CIA has nothing to do with it.

I think the only thing preventing this from happening is that there is no free-market, pro USA movement with enough local support through which the US can funnel arms and instability.

Why Can't Britain get the USA's Help to get Her Oil? We've got Oil around Rockall (apparently) and the Falklands. All We need is someone to stop the UN being so Anti-Colonialisation.....

BTW, Iran is not a dictatorship, it's a democracy with a system of counterbalances in religious authority. Just because people don't agree with your ideals doesn't make their votes invalid and their president a dictator.

It's not their president that makes them a dictatorship, disagreeable as he may be. It's their Supreme Leader.

We've got Oil around Rockall

under Greenpeace occupation or rather not recognized as legitimate by Ireland Norway and the Icelandic fleets (who have our arses before for control of North sea resources)

(apparently) and the Falklands.

impossible to extract without the Argies help and you wouldn't want that would you :p

All We need is someone to stop the UN being so Anti-Colonialisation.....

yeah lets just have a fight like the good old days

ugh...I don't know why I'm bothering you would likely suggest the Royal navy can defeat the Irish, Norwegian, Icelandic, Argentinian and for some reason the French Navies using our man-o-wars

under Greenpeace occupation or rather not recognized as legitimate by Ireland Norway and the Icelandic fleets (who have our arses before for control of North sea resources)



impossible to extract without the Argies help and you wouldn't want that would you :p



yeah lets just have a fight like the good old days

Greenpeace left it after they ran out of supporters. And Beating a few Scandinavian's Shouldn't be too hard.
No, if they Let us Exploit our lands for the benefit of our people we'd be entirely independent of other nations for fuel.

Greenpeace left it after they ran out of supporters.

actually the company doing the resource surveying went bust which speaks wonders for the private interest in the region (going to suggest the government do it? Ha! like we can afford it)

And Beating a few Scandinavian's Shouldn't be too hard.

we lost the cod wars

No, if they Let us Exploit our lands for the benefit of our people

are they your lands though?

we'd be entirely independent of other nations for fuel.

EU kicks Britain out and the resulting collapse of our fishing industries devastates the coastline but its okay because we will be pissing away billions because were too stubborn for dem foreigners oil

And Beating a few Scandinavian's Shouldn't be too hard.

Sweyn Forkbeard disagrees