We’re the Real Enemy
- 05.15.2008 - 2:49 PMLast year, barely a month after the UN Security Council had approved Res. 1747, instituting new sanctions against Iran, Austrian energy giant, OMV, signed the biggest energy deal to date ($22 billion) with the Islamic Republic.
The deal was the focus of attention at yesterday’s OMV annual shareholders’ meeting. Questioned about the soundness–moral and otherwise–of his company’s natural gas deal with Iran, OMV CEO Wolfgang Ruttenstorfer replied that “The details are to be negotiated” and there is “no foreseeable result” regarding the implementation of the deal, according to a Jerusalem Post article. OMV potentially faces obstacles and pressures from the UN and the U.S.
However, added Ruttenstorfer, things might change. According to the Post, Ruttenstorfer thinks “time is an ally.” Not, as you might hope, because he believes that with time a new, non-oppressive regime might rise in Tehran. No, the kind of political change OMV hopes for is in the U.S., so that OMV can proceed unhindered in its lucrative deal–even if such a deal will strengthen an oppressive regime with hazardous nuclear ambitions.
The Austrian government owns 31.5 percent of OMV. It’s regrettable that a nominal U.S. ally did not oppose OMV’s deal with Iran. For some in Europe, evidently, the real threat to European interests is not Iran but America.
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May 15th, 2008 at 2:57 PM
pesky capitalists! they keep sabtoging the revolution
May 15th, 2008 at 3:06 PM
Where’s Gerhardt Schroeder when you really need him???
May 15th, 2008 at 3:08 PM
It’s regrettable that a nominal U.S. ally did not oppose OMV’s deal with Iran.For some in Europe, evidently, the real threat to European interests is not Iran but America.
Nominal indeed. Oppose? For some? You gotta be kidding.
oao
http://fallofknowledgeandreason.blogspot.com/
May 15th, 2008 at 3:16 PM
The Israelis had better bomb Iran’s nuclear facilities before it’s too late. Time is not on their side. The consensus view of the Western “elites” is that the Iranian leadership will respond appropriately to soft power strategies. Military action is not even entertained as a viable option. It’s completely off the table.
May 15th, 2008 at 3:20 PM
I’m sure part of their reasoning is also as follows: We Austrians are not anti-Semitic. Therefore we could not do a deal with anti-Semites. Therefore Iran is not anti-Semitic. Therefore it is fine for us Austrians to deal with Iran….MEIN FÜHRER, I CAN WALK!
May 15th, 2008 at 3:28 PM
Frighteningly poetic Seth.
May 15th, 2008 at 3:53 PM
…and the Iranians are real Aryans to boot.
May 16th, 2008 at 12:59 AM
What a surprise that Europeans have no sense of loyalty or obligation to us as an ally.
For forty years during the cold war we provided the bulk of the forces required to defend Europe with no requirement of reciprocity. Even now we are building missile defense systems for Europe with no requirement of reciprocity. We’ve behaved like a fool so they treat us as they would a fool.
Here’s a suggestion. First pull our troops out and close our bases in any European country which failed to provide as much support per capita as The UK to the efforts in Afghanistan and Iraq. Then require European countries to contribute to the missile defense system in proportion to their GDP. Make it clear that we will instruct the contractors of the system to design the software so as to make it impossible to use the system to defend any countries that refuse to contribute. Inform them that later redesign of the system should they change their mind will necessarily involve making up any missed contributions plus huge costs to revamp the software systems.
Once they know that the gravy train is stopping we will learn who our allies are.