Oil used as reward - and punishment

Guess who is going to lose out?

Thanks to the man with mad cowboy disease, sitting illegitimately in the White House, the loser will be us.

Oil used as reward - and punishment - Europe - International Herald Tribune:

"As energy-rich countries feel empowered by high oil prices, they are increasingly using a blunt instrument to make their influence felt. Call it the power of the pipeline.

New, superlong pipelines are planned for South America, the Middle East, Russia and Africa, and oil-producing countries are using them to forge political alliances, punish foes and extract concessions from customers.

'Pipelines mean political leverage,' said Frank Verrastro, the director of the energy program at the Center for Strategic and International Studies in Washington."