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Brielle DeFrell

Online NewsHour: Tension and Violence Arise Over Oil Drilling in Nigeria -- August 25, ... - 0 views

  • Tensions and violence have been rising in Nigeria as Shell Oil has sought the rights to drill more widely for more oil in the Niger River Delta region
  • oil at 67 bucks a barrel,
  • A lot of money is flowing to Nigeria; a lot of money is flowing to oil companies -- not just Shell - but Chevron, Exxon/Mobile, and a number of others that are drilling there.
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  • last several decades violence has been building off and on in the Niger River Delta
  • lucrative industry, which is living right next to very, very poor people and there is been a lot of conflict over time, a lot of mistrust built up between residents and the companies.
  • People feel that they have been cheated; people feel that their rights have been violated; they end up protesting against the companies or in some cases attacking the companies. The companies end up -- have to be protected by the military.
  • RAY SUAREZ: Not gaining but also feeling themselves burdened -- don't they -- by environmental concerns, fouling of the groundwater, that kind of thing?
  • t money paid to Nigeria's government in taxes - and the Nigerian Government will admit this -- a lot of the money over the years has been stolen.
  • Nigeria has a tremendous corruption problem, and the money that's disappeared is probably in the billions -- not the millions -- over the years -- perhaps the tens of billions
  • don't really have much of a functioning government
  • There aren't any roads in many areas; there aren't good schools in many areas; many places don't even have electricity; many places don't have telephone lines, although cell phones are now spreading through independent companies.
  • oil companies will say first off that they don't employ that many people
  • various ethnic groups in the Delta and tribal groups and different villages and individuals, many, many different groups, and it is often felt that the oil companies have taken sides, that they have gone about a divide and rule practice as some people will call it.
  • the face of the government to many people is a police officer or a soldier or sailor who is there fundamentally to guard an oil installation and not to help the people, or protect the people.
  • a feeling that the government has taken sides in this triangle and it's with the companies and not with the people who live there?
  • Shell acknowledged more than 200 oil spills last year alone. Thousands of barrels of oil were spilled in the water and there have been many oil spills over the years. And that has contributed, by many people's accounts, to environmental degradation there.
  • So each company is trying to do something but the question is: Are they doing something that's just public relations or that's too small to make a regional difference in a region of millions of people, or are they really going to do something that could change the situation?
  • We get 1.2 million barrels a day from Nigeria; it's the fifth largest supplier of oil to the United States
  • Every day there is some more than 100,000 barrels, 140,000 from one company, as a matter of fact, that doesn't get out of Nigeria because of violence over the last couple of years and some days that's a much higher number.
  • in some cases you simply have people who live next to an oil facility, who feel they have been cheated, who feel that they're actually worse off for the facility being there because of pollution and other problems - who feel they're not benefiting and they go and they protest.
  • terminal in 2002 and again in 2005 was invaded by residents from nearby villages who simply felt that they were not gaining anything from Chevron.
  • They invade the terminal; they shut it down; Chevron makes promises; people feel the promises aren't kept; they come back again. That's one way that there's violence.
  • ethnic conflicts; there was a major one in 2003 revolving around elections
  • one group that felt that another group was having the election rigged in their favor and so they struck out. And they battled with Nigeria's military to some degree and they also attacked oil facilities because that was a way that they could strike back at the government.
  • disputed who owned a bit of oil land. The question who was got paid a little bit of money for the oil that was discovered on that land. They ended up fighting over it; a number of people were murdered.
  • military came in and essentially, by some people's account, settled matters by burning one of the villages. The military denies that the burning was intentional but, in any event, we went and visited -- a great number of buildings were destroyed, a number of people were killed.
  • no evidence of the government in many of these places. Does the oil company become -- in effect -- the government, and how do they respond to these challenges? What did they tell you about what they're trying to do in that part of Nigeria?
  • oil companies will have showcase instances in which they provided some community development.
  • instances in which oil companies have to acknowledge they have made promises that haven't been kept.
  • They will promise, for example -- in a village near the Chevron Terminal there is erosion of the land, which is blamed on the way that Chevron has managed its land. Whether that's fair or not, Chevron has promised to fix it by building some new housing on some new land. It hasn't been done yet, and Chevron has its own reasons why that hasn't been done -- they'll say because the situation is too unstable and there's been too much violence.
  • when they get frustrated, when there is an ethnic militia or an ethnic group that is going to engage in violence, they'll often turn it against oil companies, which they will see as perfectly justified, even though the oil companies will find it an outrageous disruption;
    • Brielle DeFrell
       
      Summary: Tensions between oil companies and the Nigerian people have been escalating for decades. The violence has increased as the years have gone by and the promises the oil companies have said they would do have not been fulfilled. As the oil companies don't have the jobs to give to the Nigerian people, they feel like they don't get any benefit out of the oil companies being there. The people feel like they have been cheated and lied to constantly, although sometimes the oil companies have kept their promises. The environmental issues have continued in the area, but also social issues have risen up too. The government is so corrupt that the people are living on the "outside" of the world. There aren't roads, not many good schools, many don't have electricity or telephone lines. They know there is so much more out there because of the oil rigs they see next to them, but they aren't able to experience it. The people have risen up many times against their "government", also known as our oil companies, that we don't get up to 100,000 barrels of oil a day. Invasions have happened at oil companies and people have been murdered because of the problems here. 
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    Research question: What are the effects of the competition with oil in Nigeria?  Lehrer, Jim. "Tension and Violence Arise Over Oil Drilling in Nigeria." Online NewsHour. PBS, 25 Aug. 2005. Web. 8 Mar. 2011. . Reflection: Wow, never before did I realize all the problems that Nigeria has. Not only has the oil companies caused many environmental problems, but they have also caused the people to not trust them and the promises they throw at them like candy. I understand that is one of our major places to get oil from, but I really think we need to look into what the companies are causing the Nigerian people to do to not just us, but each other. To think that our oil companies is pretty much their only government, that is really scary. Question: *Is there a way to set up a REAL way to help with environmental issues here? *If companies start to keep companies will people settle down? *Can we help Nigeria set up a functioning, uncorrupt, government?
Brielle DeFrell

Oil unrest grips Nigeria; Turbulent delta raises fears of global energy shock - 0 views

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  • On Jan. 11, a militia group calling itself Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta (MEND) seized four Shell engineers and held them hostage for three weeks. Armed forces attacked a flow station, killed several workers and cut Nigeria's oil exports by 10 percent. Shell removed more than 500 employees from the region.
  • 1998, a military group from the Ijaw, the largest ethnic tribe in the southern oil-producing Niger Delta, stormed Shell pipelines and platforms, cutting off one-third of the country's oil exports.
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  • the fifth-largest exporter of crude oil to the United States
  • Before Nigerian elections in 2003, an ethnic uprising shut off 40 percent of the country's oil exports.
  • From January to September 2004, there were 581 cases of pipeline vandalism in Nigeria, according to the Energy Information Administration, a U.S. agency that provides official statistics.
  • "We don't see an end to conflicts in the near future," said Taylor B. Seybolt, an analyst at the U.S. Institute of Peace. "There is a host of problems entangled together, and we expect to see more violence coming."
  • China
  • National Offshore Oil Corp. (CNOOC) struck a $2.27 billion deal with Nigeria in mid-January.
  • The Nigerian government aims to increase oil output from 2.5 million barrels per day to 3 million by the end of the year and to 4 million in 2010
  • MEND has adopted tactics different from the old pattern. It asked Shell to pay $1.5 billion to Bayelsa state, stop all oil exports and expel all foreign workers from the delta. It also demanded that the government release Mujahid Dokubo-Asari, a Niger Delta militia leader arrested in 2003.
  • Mr. Albin-Lackey, however, said the government is reluctant to push the militias too hard. "It is afraid that cracking down on the militias would ignite bigger conflicts, which would disrupt the country's oil production,
  • Nigeria's oil revenue accounts for 40 percent of the nation's gross domestic product and 76 percent of the federal government's revenue.
  • . A civil war in Nigeria could send the global oil price to $98 a barrel,
  • "Oil can be stolen on such a large scale that they have to use oil tankers to carry the oil out without people being caught," Mr. Albin-Lackey said. "They must be connected with people in a position of influence."
  • . "After only two or three months in power, officials have already begun their lives of luxury."
  • The nine oil-containing states of southern Nigeria have been plagued for years by oil spills and air pollution. After a half-century of drilling, many pipes are leaky. Explosions occur now and then, and the frequent sabotage adds to the spills. Acid rain and toxic water damage fishing and farming, and pose great threats to the health of residents.
  • Even as gasoline prices increase in the United States, Nigeria burns oil by-products 24 hours a day.
  • Sitting atop the world's ninth-largest concentration of oil, many ordinary Nigerians don't have basic necessities such as running water, electricity, health clinics and schools. The wealth from oil does not return to the land that produced it.
  • Nigeria, which exports oil worth $30 million to $40 million per day, average personal income per year is $390.
  • The federal government has promised that 13 percent of oil revenues would be returned to the oil states, but most of the money seeps away through various level of officialdom.
  • Shell began drilling in Nigeria in 1956, when it was still a British colony. Over the past 50 years, the company has become an icon of oil wealth to many Nigerians, and for most of the time, a quasi-governmental institution.
  • In 1993, after a massive spill in Ogoni state, local poet and activist Ken Saro-Wiwa began the Movement for the Survival of the Ogoni people and demanded $10 billion from Shell for environmental damage.
  • On Nov. 10, 1995, he and eight Ogoni colleagues were executed by the Nigerian government for campaigning against the devastation of the delta by oil companies, prompting international condemnation.
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    Summary: As NIgeria has grown in their production of oil they have been dealing with many uprisings from the Nigerian people and different groups. The NIgerian government is planning on increasing oil output as the years go on, hoping they can have more world oil giants join them. MEND has used new tactics than in the past and has asked Shell to pay $1.5 billion and to stop all oil exports. They also asked them to get rid of all foreign works from the delta and to release Mejahid Dokubo-Asari, a militia leader they captured in 2003. The government knows to take care of the violence it needs to push the militias, but is afraid that doing so will create bigger problems. Since oil is 40% of Nigeria's revenue it is afraid that more violence would hurt the country's economy, also effecting the rest of the world's energy market. A civil war in Nigeria could send the global oil price to $98 billion a barrel! The militia is able to take the oil without getting caught, which has told the Nigerian government that the people taking it are connected to those of people in a position of influence. They are usually able to figure out who these people are after two or three months because the officials start showing their money in lives of luxury. All of the oil production has caused many oil spills, air pollution, explosions, acid rain, and toxic water, all posing great threats to the health of the Nigerian people. 
Troy Rietsma

Nigeria fights oil bandits - UPI.com - 0 views

  • Nigerian forces destroyed what they believed were illegal oil refineries in the Niger Delta area as part of an effort to curb vandalism, a spokesman said. The illegal refineries were shoddy facilities where operators were distilling crude oil to sell on the black market.
  • soldiers destroyed 500 illegal refineries in the oil-rich Niger Delta.
  • "The operators, we believe, were those that break into the vast network of pipelines in the Niger Delta to steal crude oil which they refine, and sometimes they damage wellheads in the process," he was quoted as saying.
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  • thieves have cost Nigeria an average of around 100,000 ba
  • rrels of crude oil per day.
  • Financial analysts, meanwhile, said that Nigeria is benefiting from the rising price of crude oil.
  • Oil prices are at two-year highs in part because of the civil war raging in Libya, Africa's top oil producer.
  • Officials at the Nigerian Financial Derivatives Co. told Nigerian newspaper Next that tensions in the Middle East were a "blessing" for Nigeria.
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    Research Question: What effect does the Nigerian Blood Oil have on the people there? "Nigeria fights oil bandits." UPI.com. UPI, 8 Mar. 2011. Web. 8 Mar. 2011. . 1. Summary The Nigerian government sent troops out to destroy illegal oil refineries. Nigerian security forces spokesman Timothy Antigha said that soldiers destroyed roughly 500 refineries. Authorities believe that those who were in charge of these illegal refineries were tapping in to and stealing from the pipelines of the Niger Delta. An estimated 100,000 barrels of crude oil was being stolen every day. 2. Reflection At first I wondered why Nigerian authorities would want to destroy oil refineries. With rising oil prices and the crisis in Libya, you would think that the Nigerians would want to get their hands on any oil they could. But I read on and saw that the oil was being stolen from the main lines and sold on the black market. I think Nigeria did the right thing, and hopefully this well help the whole oil conflict. 3. Questions:  Will destroying these illegal refineries help or hurt the Nigerian people? and who will it help or hurt? Will destroying these refineries help Nigeria's legal production, thus helping the Libya crisis? According to financial analysts, Nigeria is benefiting from rising oil prices. How is Nigeria benefiting from it?
Brielle DeFrell

Nigeria and Oil - Global Issues - 0 views

  • There is a symbiotic relationship between the military dictatorship and the multinational companies who grease the palms of those who rule….They are assassins in foreign lands. They drill and they kill in Nigeria.
  • Human Rights Activist Oronto Douglas
  • Niger Delta in Nigeria has been the attention of environmentalists, human rights activists and fair trade advocates around the world. The trial and hanging of environmentalist Ken Saro-Wiwa and eight other members of the Ogoni ethnic minority made world-wide attention. So too did the non-violent protests of the Og
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  • oni people
  • Ogoni, Ijaw and other people in the Niger Delta, those who have been worse affected for decades have been trying to stand up for themselves, their environment and their basic human and economic rights.
  • divide communities by paying off some members to disrupt non-violent protests.
  • threaten the livelihood of neighboring local communities. Due to the many forms of oil-generated environmental pollution evident throughout the region, farming and fishing have become impossible or extremely difficult in oil-affected areas, and even drinking water has become scarce. Malnourishment and disease appear common.
  • loss of property, price inflation, prostitution, and irresponsible fathering by expatriate oil workers.
  • Organized protest and activism by affected communities regularly meet with military repression, sometimes ending in the loss of life.
  • While the story told to consumers of Nigerian crude in the United States and the European Union—via ad campaigns and other public relations efforts—is that oil companies are a positive force in Nigeria, providing much needed economic development resources, the reality that confronted our delegation was quite the opposite
  • oil company operating in the Niger Delta employing inadequate environmental standards, public health standards, human rights standards, and relations with affected communities.
  • Far from being a positive force, these oil companies act as a destabilizing force, pitting one community against another, and acting as a catalyst—together with the military with whom they work closely—to some of the violence racking the region today.
  • Oil For Nothing: Multinational Corporations, Environmental Destruction, Death and Impunity in the Niger Delta, Essential Action and Global Exchange, January 25, 2000
  • The military have been accused of thousands of killings, house/village burnings, intimidating people, torture and so on.
  • in the killing of Ken Saro-Wiwa to Chevron-marked helicopters carrying Nigerian military that opened fire upon protestors,
  • oil companies have neglected the surrounding environment and health of the local communities
  • oil spills that are not cleaned up, blatant dumping of industrial waste and promises of development projects which are not followed through, have all added to the increasing environmental and health problems.
  • corruption and religious tensions between Muslims and Christians
  • into 2004
  • Shell companies have worsened fighting in the Niger Delta through payments for land use, environmental damage, corruption of company employees and reliance on Nigerian security forces.
  • Shell companies and their staff creates, feeds into, or exacerbates conflict.
  • Voilence in the Niger Delta kills some 1000 people each year,
  • With over 50 years of presence in Nigeria, it is reasonable to say that the Shell companies in Nigeria have become an integral part of the Niger Delta conflict
  • Human Rights Watch’s 2010 report. They note although free speech and independent media remain robust and there have been some anti-corruption efforts. However, this is overshadowed by religious and inter-communal violence that has seen Muslims and Christians killing each other and by Nigeria’s political leaders’ “near-total impunity for massive corruption and sponsoring political violence”.
  • latest escalation of violence began in early 2006, hundreds of people have been killed in clashes between rival armed groups vying for illicit patronage doled out by corrupt politicians, or between militants and government security forces. Armed gangs have carried out numerous attacks on oil facilities and kidnapped more than 500 oil workers and ordinary Nigerians for ransom during this period
  • June 2009, followed a major military offensive in May against militants in the creeks of Delta State, which left scores dead and thousands of residents displaced.
  • — Nigeria, World Report 2010, Human Rights Watch
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    Research question: What are the effects of the competition with oil in Nigeria?  Shah, Anup. "Nigeria and Oil." Global Issues, Updated: 10 Jun. 2010. Accessed: 10 Mar. 2011. Reflection: The more I research the problem the more I realize how big of a problem this really is. There are so many environmental issues and protests that have come with drilling in Nigeria.  Summary: The presence of oil companies have hurt many of the communities on the Niger Delta in Nigeria including environmental pollution, farming and fishing difficulties because of oil spills, drinking water is getting scarcer and scarcer, and malnourishment and disease is showing up more and more. Not only is it bring environmental issues, but economic and societal one too including loss of property, price inflation, prostitution, and bad fathering by oil company workers.Many people have lost their lives to the violence that goes on with both violent protests and non-violent ones. The government is corrupt and there are religious tensions going on between Muslims and Christians in the midst.  Questions:  *What would be best? To stay and get oil or to get out to stop the violence? *Is there a way to stop the violence? And should we take the step in doing so even though it may hurt us? *How many oil spills have happened in Nigeria?
Brielle DeFrell

More Blood for Oil (FOREIGN AFFAIRS) - 0 views

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  • Nigeria is the largest oil producer in Africa, the fifth-largest oil supplier for the United States, and the tenth-largest oil producer in the worl
  • largest
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  • plagued by mounting violence
  • Unrest in the country's southern delta region has been growing for a quarter century,
  • claims up to a thousand lives a year
  • local militant groups has formed under the umbrella of the Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta (MEND), which has succeeded in cutting oil production by 500,000 barrels a day since December 2005
  • It isn't enough, the authors warn, to spend generously "when there are unresolved questions about where much of that money goes"--an opinion apparently shared by MEND's spokesman
  • the region is becoming Nigeria's "Vietnam."
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    Research Question: What are the effects of the competition with oil in Nigeria?  "More blood for oil.(FOREIGN AFFAIRS)(Brief article)." The Atlantic Nov. 2006: 42. Student Edition. Web. 16 Feb. 2011.Document URLhttp://find.galegroup.com/gtx/infomark.do?&contentSet=IAC-Documents&type=retrieve&tabID=T003&prodId=STOM&docId=A153093930&source=gale&srcprod=STOM&userGroupName=lom_accessmich&version=1.0 Summary: Nigeria is a big supplier of oil and because it is so oil-rich it has lots of violence that has been rising for a quarter of a century. The competition of oil is claiming up to a thousand lives a year. After the militant group of MEND was formed it cut oil production down 500,000 barrels a day since December 2005.  Reflection: I never realized how big a producer of oil Nigeria was and how many problems that brought onto the country. Never would I think that oil could cause thousands of people to die over the past few years. I think as they keep cutting oil production they also need to try and stop all the violence going on. It can't be a consistent problem, it needs to be fixed eventually.  Questions: How long has the violence been going on?  What is the Nigerian government trying to do about the violence? How are they cutting oil production? How did the oil cause people to become violent? 
Troy Rietsma

The Punch:: Demand for Nigerian oil rises as Libyan crisis persists - 0 views

  • There is growing concern in the United States and Europe that the ongoing Libyan crisis may negatively affect oil prices globally, forcing major oil consumers in Europe and US to look up to Nigeria and other African oil producers to up their production levels
  • Specifically, the Saudi Arabia government is said to have assured Western oil interests that Nigeria and Angola oil supplies would take care of whatever loss is recorded in oil supply from Libya.
  • What is not clear, according to informed sources, however, is Nigeria’s readiness to close the supply gap.
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  • Libya holds around 44 billion barrels of oil reserves, the largest in Africa.”
  • The sudden change in Libya, a fallout of the democratic fervour blowing across North Africa and the Middle East, now meant that Libya oil supplies are in jeopardy, pushing the supply pressure on Nigeria and Angola.
  • Comments :   Now Nigerians,Africans & all the world can see the reason why IMF wants SANUSI TO DEVALUE NIGERIAN NAIRA so that the WESTERN WORLD will gain.SANUSI MAY THE GOD ALMITHY continue to strenghten u $ MR PRESIDENT never to listen to those animal impersonators.They thought u wiil be like IBB & others. Posted by: wyclef kojak , on Sunday, February 27, 2011 Report this comment This is a great opportunity for our country to make profits and use them for infrastructural development. I hope our government has the right sense to invest and appropriate this. Instead of diverting them for selfish and political purposes. Posted by: OgaFatai , on Saturday, February 26, 2011 Report this comment
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    "Demand for Nigerian oil rises as Libyan crisis persists." The Punch. N.p., 27 Feb. 2011. Web. 1 Mar. 2011. . 2. SUMMARY: The United States and Europe are starting to become worried that oil prices will rise because of the crisis in Libya. Because of this, they are starting to look to other sources, Nigeria being one of them. Nigeria is not sure if they can supply the oil; Libya is the largest producer in Africa, holding 44 billion barrels of oil reserves. 3. RESPONSE: This may either help or hurt those who work for the oil industries. The oil industries in Nigeria have two choices if they can supply the oil: they can treat their workers better with the extra salaries, or they can splurge with it themselves and continue to oppress the oil workers. 4. QUESTIONS:          1. How do the Nigerian people feel about this change?          2. Will Nigeria be able to provide the oil?          3. Will Nigeria be able to help out its people with this investment?
Troy Rietsma

Attack Shuts Down Nigeria Oil Platform - CBS News - 0 views

  • The most powerful militant group in Nigeria said it launched a rare attack against an offshore oil installation Thursday, and Royal Dutch Shell PLC said it shut down production from the area after the violence.
  • But they were not able to enter a computer control room they had hoped to destroy.
  • He said production had been stopped at the field, which normally produces about 200,000 barrels of crude per day.
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  • That accounts for about 10 percent of Nigeria's current daily output of about 2 million barrels per day - already significantly down from the amount produced before years of militant attacks on oil infrastructure.
  • The militant leader said the militants were considering using the kidnapped American as a bargaining chip in their effort to free a militant leader who is in prison on charges of arms dealing and terrorism.
  • Attacks against offshore facilities are exceedingly rare.
  • Militant attacks on oil infrastructure have reduced by about a quarter the total oil production in Nigeria, which is Africa's biggest producer and a member of OPEC.
  • Despite being the home of almost all of Nigeria's petroleum reserves, the country's south is as desperately poor as the rest of Nigeria, Africa's most populous country with 140 million people.
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    Source: "Attack Shuts Down Nigeria Oil Platform." CBS News. CBS, 19 June 2008. Web. 13 Apr. 2011. . 2. Summary: The most powerful militant group in Nigeria launched an attack on an offshore oil rig. The militant group was unable to destroy a computer control room. The rig produces 200,000 barrels a day, and production was shut down for a period of time. This rig accounts for about 10% of Nigeria's output of oil. 3. Reaction: I think this article helps confirm the severity of the oil industry in Africa. When we think of oil, we think of middle eastern countries. But we don't realize that a lot of fighting and turmoil occur in Africa over oil as well. And the strive to be the top oil producer brings a lot of corruption, as we can see. 4. Questions: Have any attacks like this occurred since this one? Has this attack had a lasting effect on the Nigerian economy? How did the Nigerian people react?
Troy Rietsma

Cable: Leaders, military behind Nigeria oil thefts - World news - Africa - msnbc.com - 0 views

  • Politicians and military leaders — not militants — are responsible for the majority of oil thefts in Nigeria's crude-rich southern delta, according to a U.S. diplomatic cable quoting a Nigerian official and released by WikiLeaks.
  • A member of a government panel on troubles in nation's Niger Delta implicated Shehu Musa Yar'Adua, a general whose brother became president, and former Vice President Atiku Abubakar as being the biggest forces behind the thefts, the cable claims
  • Those thefts also fuel arms sales to the restive region while causing environmental damage and cutting production in a nation crucial to U.S. oil supplies.
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  • The diplomatic cable quotes Uranta as blaming "no more than 15 percent" of oil thefts on militants operating in the delta, a tropical maze of creeks and waterways about the size of South Carolina. Instead, politicians, retired admirals and generals and others in the country's elite profit from the thefts. Typically, thieves solder or cut into oil pipelines running through the mangrove swamps of the delta. Some refine the crude into kerosene or diesel in crude refineries, while other oil sails out to foreign ports for sale.
  • The large-scale theft, compounded by anger over unceasing poverty and pollution in the delta despite 50 years of oil production, led to an uprising of militants in the region beginning in 2006. Military-grade weapons funneled into the region, turning gunrunners into militant leaders who espoused political ideas — but kept their eyes on the profits from stolen oil.
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    Research Question: What effect does the competition of oil have on the people of Nigeria? 1. Source: Gambrell, Jon. "Leaders, military behind Nigeria oil thefts." MSNBC.com. MSN, 11 Apr. 2011. Web. 13 Apr. 2011. . 2. Summary: The oil bandits that I mentioned in an earlier post have an unsuspected force behind them. That force is allegedly the politicians and military leaders who lead the country. One of them was Shehu Musa Yar'Adua, a general whose brother became president.They allegedly supported the thieves who cut production of oil that is crucial to our own supplies. 3. Reaction I think this article is really going to give us a lead on our research question. Although we don't see exactly why these leaders would do this so clearly, we do see the corruption around the oil. It's hard to believe that leaders would do this; we take it for granted that although our leaders aren't perfect, we still have relatively loyal people leading our country. 4. Questions: How have the people of the country reacted? Are the people going to be pressed with charges? What kind of actions will follow such a find?
Brielle DeFrell

Oil unrest grips Nigeria; Turbulent delta raises fears of global energy shock - 0 views

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    Research question: What are the effects of the competition with oil in Nigeria?  "Oil unrest grips Nigeria; Turbulent delta raises fears of global energy shock." Washington Times 9 Feb. 2006: A17. Student Edition. Web. 16 Feb. 2011.Document URLhttp://find.galegroup.com/gtx/infomark.do?&contentSet=IAC-Documents&type=retrieve&tabID=T004&prodId=STOM&docId=CJ141860182&source=gale&srcprod=STOM&userGroupName=lom_accessmich&version=1.0 Reflection: I never realized how much oil could effect the whole country as a whole. That there would be so much blood spelt just because of the production of oil. That so many people would have to suffer from severe poverty because the government doesn't spread the wealth through the whole country. I can understand why the militia doesn't like the production of oil because of the effects it has on the land, but with how much revenue that comes out of the production I don't think Nigeria has a choice.  Questions: Is there a way Nigeria could lessen the effects on the land, but keep producing oil? Is there some way that the government could spread the wealth so no one was living in severe poverty?  Is there a way to stop the militia without them acting up and messing with the oil production companies? 
Brielle DeFrell

The Delta-our abused, neglected child: the troubled Niger Delta is the linchipin of Nig... - 0 views

  • t is because of the Delta that Nigeria is the largest oil producer in Africa and the sixth largest in the world. Oil accounts for 40% of its GDP.
  • looking at our recent his-tory, Nigeria has suffered particularly badly from a form of Dutch Disease'. This term, coined by The Economist to define the relationship between the exploitation of natural resources and a decline in other sectors of the economy, also implies a decline in moral backbone.
  • Owing to the overweening importance of oil, the body politic has succumbed to temptation to greed
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  • The formerly vibrant agricultural sector, which still employs 60% of the national workforce, used to grow its own food and was a net exporter. Now the very crops that once built Nigeria's reputation as the largest sub-regional exporter, are being imported. Despite the mining sector's huge potential, its story is also largely one of neglect: as well as coal and tin, there is iron ore, limestone, niobium, lead and zinc.
  • Asian governments tried juggling fuel subsidies to keep businesses alive and Americans started leaving their cars at home. In a global economy, our crisis in the Niger Delta can have a terrifying impact on all of us.
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    Research Question: What are the effects of the oil competition in Nigeria? Okhomina, Osamede. "The Delta-our abused, neglected child: the troubled Niger Delta is the linchpin of Nigeria's economy and one of the world's most important sources of oil and gas. But the troubles continue to rumble on with no real solution in sight. Oilman Osamede Okhomina * warns of the dire consequences of a failure to find answers." African Business July 2008: 62+. Student Edition. Web. 11 Apr. 2011. Reflection: It's really hard to realize that the oil competition has actually brought down the morality of people that they can leave a girl with polio laying in a puddle.  Summary: The author of this article was in a taxi in Lagos during a rainy day. As he was being drove around he saw a girl submerged in water that was crippled from polio, no one stopping to help but splashing up the water on her. He believes that since the oil has become such a big part of Nigeria's economy that the morality of people has gone down.The people are getting more greedy. Nigeria also used to be a big agricultural sector, but since the oil growth the same crops they once exported are now being imported because they don't do it themselves. It's also causing the rest of the world to worry because if any crisis hits the Niger Delta, it will have an impact on the entire world. Questions: Is there a way to create a moral backbone again for Nigeria? Should we feel partially responsible for the loss of morals since they are supporting us with so much oil?
Brielle DeFrell

Causes, Effects and Management of Oil Spill Pollution of Nigerian Coastal Area - 0 views

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    Research Question: What are the effects of the oil competition in Nigeria?  Uchenna, Obih. "Causes, Effects and Management of Oil Spill Pollution of Nigerian Coastal Area." Humboldt University, n.d. Web. 11 Apr. 2011. . Reflection: It's hard to imagine that so many problems could come from oil! It's crazy to think of the fact that it doesn't just hurt the water, but it hurts a lot of things on land too. Summary: Oil spills creates effects on biological things, fish production, and other general effects. For biological - it kills organisms and marine life, it can suffocate animals because of the heat the gets trapped underneath the oil, it can disrupt major food chains because it poisons algae, it hurts the birds and how they are able to fly, it causes oxygen levels to lower in the water, toxic effects can poison the animals which people eat and may result in food poisoning or death. Fish flesh is contaminated, sunlight isn't able to reach deep levels to create photosynthesis, covers the gills, directly damages fishing boats. It can also cause poverty, soil contamination, destroys fuel wood, contaminates drinking water.  Questions: What ways can we end oil spills? Is there a way to completely prevent them?  Are we going to be able to get rid of all the oil left in the water from the spills? 
Troy Rietsma

BBC News - Nigeria's president told to reduce ministries - 0 views

  • The budget proposed for 2011 shows Nigeria would spend far more on the government than on infrastructure.
  • but the majority of its 150 million people still live in poverty.
  • Parliamentarians' salaries are not made public in Nigeria, but diplomats say the country's politicians are among the best paid in the world.
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  • 2011 Budget Proposal: $27.6bn Ministries: $12bn Other government bodies: $350m Parliament: $707m Pensions and gratuities: $1bn Transfers to statuary bodies: $1.3bn Debt payments: $3.5bn Other expenses: $2.6bn TOTAL RUNNING COSTS: $21bn CAPITAL EXPENDITURE: $6.5bn
  • "You can't provide education, health or security without resources generated from a robust economy," he said.
  • The president's proposal for this year's national budget, which is currently before parliament, shows that nearly 75% of the $27.6bn (£17bn) would be spent on running government and its agencies.
  • Only $6.5bn is proposed for spending on capital projects, such as investment in vital infrastructure.
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    BBC News: Nigeria's president told to reduce ministries http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-12251208 Summary: This article talked about Nigeria's economic crisis. Nigeria's government seems to starve people of money, and most residents live in poverty. Around 75% of all Nigeria's money is spent on government, and their politicians are known as the highest paid in the world. But now the government is going to try to make cuts and spend less on government, and spend more money on the rest of the economy. Reflection: I think this article really helps us understand why the oil industry in Nigeria is considered "blood oil." This article didn't talk about the bloody part of it, but we can understand why there may be turmoil. The government is oppressive, and these people must not be happy when they are living in poverty while the government is living in luxury. Questions: 1. Is money the only issue that makes the Nigerian oil industry a "blood oil" industry? 2. Is the mistreatment of oil workers direct abuse from the government, or from oil industries themselves? 3. Is this small change in spending really going to help the problem of blood oil that much?
Troy Rietsma

Shrinking Lake Chad turning farmland into desert - CNN.com - 0 views

  • Lake Chad is shrinking rapidly, threatening the millions of people who depend on it for their survival. But some locals are fighting back in a bid to preserve their way of life.
  • STORY HIGHLIGHTSLake Chad is just a twentieth of the size it was 50 years ago The lake feeds between 20 million people in Chad, Nigeria, Cameroon and Niger Local fishermen say they are catching fewer, and smaller, fish in the lake Some people are planting trees to stop desertification of the surrounding land
  • From droughts causing bad harvests, to floods destroying farms and homes, life in Africa's Sahel belt can be a constant struggle.
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  • . More than 20 million people depend on the freshwater lake for their survival.
  • But it's been shrinking over the past 50 years and satellite images show it is now just a twentieth of its former size.
  • Huge expanses of water are now nothing more than a series of ponds and islands, and the once-fertile land that surrounds the lake is now dusty and barren.
  • "The lake is in the process of disappearing and the lake feeds many people, not just here but in other countries like Nigeria, Cameroon and Niger," he continued. "They are all people who live on Lake Chad."
  • Locals report that they are catching less fish and the ones that they do catch are smaller than they used to be.
  • A declining stock could have devastating consequences far beyond the water's edge, says Yakowra Mallom, from UNICEF.
  • There are no more fish. There's no more milk, no maize, no vegetables or cereal."
  • Local communities say the changing weather is the biggest reason for the shrinking of the lakes shores. The necessary irrigation of farming land has also been a factor.
  • A small local group is trying to save the surrounding land by planting trees in the villages that have been worst affected by desertification. If they cannot bring back the lake, they hope there will at least be workable land.
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    RESEARCH QUESTION: How does the Nigerian blood oil effect the people of Nigeria? Sessay, Isha. "Shrinking Lake Chad turning farmland into desert." CNN.com. N.p., 2 Mar. 2011. Web. 10 Mar. 2011. . 1. Summary Lake Chad is drying up. This is a really bad thing, you could almost consider it like us with Lake Michigan. The people of Nigeria, Niger, and Chad depend on this lake to survive. Local fisherman even say that they are catching fewer and smaller fish in the lake. Satellite images show that the lake is a twentieth the size it was 50 years ago. 2. Reflection. This poses a huge threat to Nigerians. As if all the turmoil with the Libyans and their oil wasn't enough, the lake is also needed to keep the economy strong. This could change the lives of many Nigerians and how they need to survive. 3. Questions: What else can be done to save the lake besides the planting of trees? Will the planting of the trees help? How important is the fishing industry to Nigeria? Are there other sources of freshwater that will be sufficient for the needs of the Nigerians?
megan lemmen

Blowback: the Mexican drug crisis - 2 views

  • Calderon's continuing offensive has been underwritten by the United States in the form of the Merida Initiative, a security pact that funneled $830 million to Mexico in 2009 alone, making it the largest U.S. foreign aid program.
  • more than 26,000 people killed since 2007
  • U.S.-led attempts to contain drug trades in the 1980s and 1990s had two critical effects on Mexico, both unintended and unforeseen: first, to make drug commerce increasingly violent and menacing to U.S. interests, and second, to bring the center of dangerous trades closer and closer to its consumers and the prohibitionist apparatus within U.S. borders.
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  • As a result, 90% of the United States' cocaine supply now arrives across the long, intractable U.S.-Mexican border, handled by homegrown Mexican trafficker groups.
  • the main entry point for Colombian cocaine was Dade County, in south Florida, where some 80% of cocaine passed into the U.S. market.
  • By the mid-1980s, cocaine had some 22 million users in the United States.
  • SINCE THE EARLY 20TH CENTURY, borderland towns like Tijuana, Nogales, and Juarez saw smuggling activities--first, banned patent drugs (including cocaine concoctions) and prohibited alcohol before World War II, then homegrown opiates and marijuana from the 1940s to the 1960s
  • By the 1970s, in this murky prehistory of Mexican drug organizations, the city of Culiacan, Sinaloa, emerged as the storied capital of Mexican drug trades, steeped in a vibrant regional outlaw and smuggling culture.
  • According to State Department estimates, a third of cocaine for the U.S. market entered through Mexico in 1989; by 1992, that figure reached one half, and by the late 1990s, 75% to 85%. (6) In the mid-1990s, the income generated by drug exporting in Mexico, led by this cocaine surge, ranged from $10 billion (according to U.S. officials) to $30 billion (Mexican figures)--either way exceeding Mexico's revenues from its largest legal commodity export, oil ($7.4 billion).
  • According to a 1994 study by the National Autonomous University of Mexico, overall trafficker bribes rose from between $1.5 million and $3.2 million in 1983 to $460 million in 1993, larger than the Mexican attorney general's entire budget. (8) Thousands of federal agents became active in facilitating drug trades during this time.
  • The apogee of this state exposure, in 1997, was the highly embarrassing discovery that the military chief of Mexico's equivalent of the DEA, General Gutierrez Rebollo, was in cahoots with the Juarez cartel, an incident sampled in the Hollywood drama Traffic. The U.S. war on cocaine had come home to roost. (9)
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    Research Question: How does the Mexican drug war affect the government and people of Mexico? Source: Gootenberg, Paul. "Blowback: the Mexican drug crisis." NACLA Report on the Americas 43.6 (2010): 7+. Academic OneFile. Web. 28 Jan. 2011. Summary: There is a lot of history behind the drug cartels in Mexico. It all started with the "blowback" which means that the longer war on drugs has "unintended consequences" like an "escalation of violence" (Gootenberg). Cocaine originally came to the US through Florida from the Columbians; however, after the government began stopping this trade, most of the cocaine came to the US through Mexico. The amount of drugs, specifically cocaine, that come through Mexico has increased drastically over the last 40 years. This industry takes in more money than Mexico's largest export, oil. In addition to the drug cartel increasing, government officials have also been pulled into this money making industry. In 1997, General Gutierrez Rebollo was found to be helping the Juarez cartel.
Luke Terpstra

Georgia, Russia may continue WTO talks in April : Ukraine News by UNIAN - 0 views

  • Georgian-Russian talks on Russia`s accession to the World Trade Organization (WTO) could continue in April, a spokesman for the Georgian government said Friday
  • The talks resumed on Thursday in Switzerland after being suspended for almost three years following Russia`s decision to lift economic sanctions against Georgia`s breakaway republics of Abkhazia and South Os
  • setia in April 2008
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  • Russia has been in membership talks with the 153-nation WTO for 17 years and remains the only major economy still outside it.
  • However, Georgia says it will not allow Russia to join the global free trade club unless it cedes control of customs in the breakaway Georgian regions of South Ossetia and Abkhazia.
  • U.S. Vice President Joe Biden said on Thursday that Washington supported Russia`s WTO bid and had tried to talk Georgia out of blocking Russia`s accession,
  • Georgia severed diplomatic relations with Russia in August 2008 when Moscow recognized the independence of the two former Georgian republics following a five-day war, which started when Georgia attacked South Ossetia in an attempt to bring it back under central control.
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    "Georgia, Russia may continue WTO talks in April." Russia Information Agency 11 Mar. 2011. Web. 24 Mar. 2011. . Summary: Georgia is denying Russia it's membership into the WTO because of it's fight with russia. They wish to get a deal with russia by blackmailing them into giving back what Georgia lost in the 2008-present fight with Russia, and plans to use this as a bargaining chip. Most of the current members of the WTO do not like this and asked Russia a Georgia to settle it quickly so as to make Russia a member. Reflection: I think Georgia should use what ever tool of pursuasion they can against Russia. Russia had no business in Georgia from the start, and do not deserve anything in return but retribution. The people of Georgia have endured Russian opression for decades, and deserve a full withdrawl of russian troops from their land. It almost seems as if Russia is still hostile to it's former satilite nations, and as if none care for them, the world turns a blind eye and trades their freedom for oil, and other goods. The sattilite nations of the former soviet union are not completely washed away from these countries, and a lot of them are communist nations with a bad economy. Questions: 1. Why are the former soviet break-away nations so similar in the form of government and economic status as Russia? 2. Does Russia still play a big role in these countries? If so, how? 3. Does Georgia give a good mirror example for the american revolution? explain?
megan lemmen

Drug Trafficking, Violence and Mexico's Economic Future - 0 views

  • In August, the bodies of 72 migrants were found in northern Mexico. They had been shot after refusing to work for a drug gang. Days later, a prosecutor and police officer investigating the crime disappeared.
  • Its largest market, the U.S., sources 90% of its cocaine from Mexico.
  • Drug trafficking is a lucrative activity for the Mexican cartels, generating estimated annual revenues of US$35 billion to US$45 billion for Mexico, with a profit margin of approximately 80%.
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  • Currently, seven powerful drug-trafficking organizations occupy different regions of Mexico -- La Familia Michoacán, the Gulf Cartel, Los Zetas, the Beltrán-Leyva Organization, the Sinaloa Cartel, the Tijuana Cartel, and the Juárez Cartel.
  • For example, the Mexican government is working to improve the effectiveness of its federal police force, planning to hire 8,000 additional police investigators during 2010, while at the same time trying to purge the force of corruption.
  • In August 2010, nearly 10% of the federal police were fired for failing lie detector, drug, or other tests that form the "trust control exams" designed to identify officers with ties to organized crime.
  • In addition, Plataforma México, a recent reform related to information management, aims to create real-time interconnectivity within Mexico's police force by developing a national crime database to facilitate tracking drug criminals.
  • More importantly, the government is taking the punishment of convicted drug criminals seriously and has increased extraditions to the U.S.
  • An estimated 7,000 people died in Mexico in 2009 as a result of the drug war -- significantly more than the 1,300 people who are believed to have died in 2005 before the war began. There were also an estimated 1,200 kidnappings in 2009.
  • As previously noted, vehicle armoring is a principal offering of the security industry, and it is not surprising that the growth of the market is most visible in this subsector. In Latin America, the armoring market has increased by 850% in the last eight years, and Mexico is now the second largest market after Brazil. Since 2008, the number of armored cars has increased by 25% in Mexico City and by 60% in the rest of the country. This market is expected to grow by 20% in 2011. Businesses have responded to this need: There are now 70 registered providers of armoring, compared to only three 15 years ago.
  • In August 2010, the far-reaching impact of Mexico's drug-related violence prompted Calderón to open debate on legalizing drugs.
  • For the past two years, American Chamber Mexico (AmCham) has conducted a survey of its members -- foreign and national managers -- to gauge their sentiment regarding corporate and personal security: 75% say their businesses have been affected by the country's insecurity.
  • Nearly 60% of the respondents felt less secure on a personal level in 2009 than in 2008; but the same respondents were equally divided as to whether their respective companies were more, less, or equally secure across the same period.
  • Of the third of the respondents who viewed their companies as being less secure than the year before, the most commonly noted contributing factors were the strengthening of organized crime activity, impunity in the judicial process, and activities associated with drug trafficking. Among those who felt their companies were more secure, 25% credited the work of the Mexican authorities, while 75% attributed the improvement to the results of efforts within their own companies.
  • Pemex, the state-owned petroleum company, has been a repeated target of the cartels. In 2010, the company experienced multiple kidnappings and theft by the cartels and corrupt employees. Reuters estimates that Pemex loses "US$750 million of fuel and oil from its pipelines each year" along with "valuable spare parts and equipment."
  • Kroll estimates the direct cost of insecurity to the government, businesses, and citizens to be US$65 billion, or 8% of GDP.
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    • megan lemmen
       
      Reflection: There is no possible way to completely eliminate corruption, even in the United States; the fact that Mexico realizes, however, that there is a problem is a step in the right direction. While it's great that Mexico is making efforts to decrease corruption in the police force and government, it's a task that will take a long time to complete. It's horrifying to think that a birthday party-a normal, friendly activity-could be so terribly interrupted by the drug cartel. As to legalizing the drugs, I think that it would cause more problems than it would solve. Yes, it would decrease the price of drugs and decrease the demand from drug cartel, but then how would they get their money? They would go to other means of earning a living; men who can be violent like this would have no problem getting money through other horrifying crimes. Questions:1) What are all of the positive and negative effects of legalizing drugs?2) Is there a better way to screen government and police officials in order to decrease corruption?3) What are other safety measures that the typical citizen can go through to be more safe?4) What else can be done to decrease the drug cartels?
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    Research Question: How does the Mexican drug war affect the government and people of Mexico? Source: Duff, Devon, and Jen Rygler. "Drug Trafficking, Violence and Mexico's Economic Future."Knowledge @ Wharton. N.p., 26 Jan. 2011. Web. 28 Jan. 2011. . Summary: Mexico is making efforts to cleanse their police force by performing drug tests, lie detector tests, and other exams to make sure that the officers are being honest. There is also a new program called "Plataforma México" that will try to connect the police force better in order to catch criminals. Many Mexican businesses are suffering due to the violence; drug cartels are using theft or kidnapping to gain power or profit. A birthday party was even interrupted by the drug cartel-the violence is now affecting the citizens. Legalizing drugs has been considered as a means to decrease the price of drugs, and thus get rid of the drug cartels. Some think, though, that this will increase their violence in order to earn more of a profit. Private security has increased due to the lack of trust in Mexico's public security. Tourism has decreased, not only due to the violence but swine flu as well in 2009.  ***rest of info is sticky noted on this page
khamkhoun sedsaykongsa

Cuba Under Raul: Creeping Toward Capitalism? - 0 views

  • CHRISTIAN SCIENCE MONITOR July 23, 2008, n.p. © Copyright 2008, THE CHRISTIAN SCIENCE MONITOR. All rights reserved.
  • Cuba Under Raul: Creeping Toward Capitalism?
  • By Sara Miller Llana and Matthew Clark Staff Writers of The Christian Science Monitor
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  •      Such gray-market microenterprises exemplify a spirit of dynamism and creativity straining to be fully unleashed, say some observers of Cuba. The question of the day: Is Raul Castro about to release it?
  •      The island nation's economy has struggled mightily since losing the support of the Soviet Union in the early 1990s.
  •      Raul's reputation as a pragmatist is unfurling expectations here that the era of asceticism and austerity is coming to a close. Major agricultural reforms have been unveiled. And in a speech earlier this month, he seemed to be preparing the populace for an economic shift.
  • And a recent flurry of headline-grabbing changes--such as allowing Cubans to patronize tourist hotels and to own cellphones, DVD players, and computers--is fueling speculation about how fast Raul will pursue the "China model" of a managed creep toward free markets.
  • The government created about 150 categories of licenses for Cubans to start their own businesses, and the ranks of self-employed swelled to 200,000.
  • Raul granted private farmers the right to till plots of up to 99 acres of unused government land. This follows a previous announcement to shift control of farms from the central government in Havana to local councils, raise prices for certain products to boost production, and give farmers the right to use whatever farm equipment they can afford to buy.
  •      Cuba now relies heavily on Venezuela, whose leftist President Hugo Chavez sends nearly 100,000 barrels of oil a day to the island in exchange for social services, such as Cuban doctors and teachers.
  •      Currently more than half of arable land lies fallow or is under used, according to Cuban government figures cited by The Associated Press. Cuba spent $1.5 billion importing food last year. This year it is expected to spend $1 billion more, say officials.
  •      But while some Cubans blame their economic woes on strict controls and prohibitive taxes, many still view the US and its 1962 trade embargo as the bigger culprit. No matter how much Raul seeks to open the economy, the embargo will stand in the way of much-needed foreign investment, analysts say.
  • On May 27, a group of trade representatives from Texas wrapped up the first official state visit to the island since the US established the embargo.
  • Cuba is an important market for Texan cattle, rice, poultry, cotton, and processed food products that enter under provisions in the US embargo that allow small amounts of trade in agricultural products.
  •      Such goodwill may not be the status quo in either nation right now, but the sense that change is coming certainly is. "The social values we espouse mean nothing if there is no economic basis," says Renel, a young lawyer in Havana. "Whether it is socialism, communism, capitalism, even feudalism, things are going to change."
  • Citation: You can copy and paste this information into your own documents. Llana, Sara Miller, and Matthew Clark. "Cuba Under Raul: Creeping Towards Capitalism?." Christian Science Monitor. 23 Jul 2008: n.p. SIRS Renaissance. Web. 08 Mar 2011.
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    Llana, Sara Miller, and Matthew Clark. "Cuba Under Raul: Creeping Towards Capitalism?." Christian Science Monitor. 23 Jul 2008: n.p. SIRS Renaissance. Web. 08 Mar 2011. Summary: The article describes how Cuba has an underground free market economy that Raul Castro is allowing. They is a shortage of food and texans want to end the embargo to sell their cattle and crops. Reflection: Their people are hungry, hardly any food for their own people. So the U.S and Cuban should work together to get rid of the embargo because it would help both. Question:  1. How much will Fidel Castro let Raul making change? 2. How Cuban American fell about getting rid of embargo?
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