[lutherquick]

* Richard Heinberg said "Energy is everything".
* Kjell Aleklett said "Russia is the only super power that has her own energy".

Couple those two statements together and reality looks very different from what our leaders paint or CNN & FoxNews delivers...

Some may argue that Russia does not have a diverse economy. But can Saudi Arabia lunch a satellite? Can Venezuela build submarines or make fighters? Can Iran build torpedoes that can do 350 kph? Can any other oil exporter build a missile system like the Tor-M1? And Russia's oil industry is now majority supplied by internal manufacturing. There is allot of diversity in these industries. From metallurgy, to software engineering, to project management, financing, space system, optimized tax incentive, court systems, to quality and maintenance of these systems. All these industries aren't just about energy or military, consumer sectors are expanding as well.

Some will also say Russia is in a risky position by relying on energy exports.
Yet, it's good business, for America to rely on imported energy?
LOL...

It's not an accident that Russia is nearly debt free.

When Richard Heinberg said that Energy is everything, he ain't kidding.

1 ) Energy is democracy.
2 ) Energy is freedom.
3 ) Energy is a high standard of living.
4 ) Energy is positive foreign policy that doesn't need hypocrisy.
5 ) Energy is education and health care.
6 ) Energy is jobs.
7 ) Energy is a budget surplus.
8 ) Energy is a clean environment (if implemented properly).
9 ) Energy is life.

Now step back, look at that list.
Items 1-9 are diminishing in the US.
The same items are recovering, and growing in Russia.

Yet pure energy is nothing.
Saudi Arabia has energy, but little of items 1-9.
Energy is one thing, good government to marshal said energy is another.
And to that end, Russian statistics are proving that she has the Energy and the good government management to apply that advantage towards her super power status.

I would say Putin is applying Reaganomics with a Russian twist. Trickle down economics. Russia has no intension of becoming a long term exporter of energy. But energy is being used to TRIGGER economics recovery. And "trickling down" to other Russian economic spheres.

It's in Russia's best interest to turn her economy into high gear, white hot, as fast as possible. But the lessons are to watch American failure. America did not manage depleting resources. Suburbia was a big mistake in America. If Russia creates policy that drives the economy while optimizing her natural resources without exploitation that is abusive, then she will be the sole super power. Embracing democracy, while protecting natural resources for future generation, this is the sweet spot of economic activity and super power resonance.

Aleklett and Heinberg were right on the money.

[rogerhb]

Now imagine how different things would be if the USA had stayed true to their "Founding Fathers" and stayed isolationist rather than merely protectionist?

[bobbyald]

"Energy is everything"
"Energy is the ability to do work"
"Money is the ability to do work"
"Money represents energy"
If you have no energy your money is worthless.
Economist don’t get it “Demand energy and the market will deliver” – Ha.
The US will try to secure the worlds energy to support its money.
It will IMHO fail – we will all be losers then.

You make a good case for Russia.

Russia has no intension of becoming a long term exporter of energy

Of course not…so where will Europe get its natural gas?

Russia is playing it cool but they must know conflict will come one day.
"Energy is everything"

[Kickinthegob]

Putin is friendly with Iran (a member of the axis of evil), seems to be very energy aware, and enjoys flexing his new found muscles. There seems to be a serious case of energy resource nationalization going on in the world which is going to give a major case of indigestion to some of the big oil companies we know and love. This looks like a bad scene for countries like the US, Japan and India to mention a few.

Russia can go ahead and be the real superpower and that would be fine with me considering some of the alternatives, like the neo-cons attempting to live out their PNAC wet dream of world domination. Things could get very hairy in the near future.

[venky]

Canada is in a similar position, when you come to think of it (I think its economy is larger than Russia's), except for the neighbour to the south.

[Daryl]

Canada is in a similar position, when you come to think of it (I think its economy is larger than Russia's), except for the neighbour to the south.

I guess that kills his argument, seeing how Canada is the 51st state.

[sch_peakoiler]

Canada is in a similar position, when you come to think of it (I think its economy is larger than Russia's), except for the neighbour to the south.

I do not think so. Russia is much more independent from US than Canada. Actually Canada does not need US, right you are, it has its own resources, but you know, uhm, ... ever seen south park the movie??? blame Canada and things? Canada is not a super power. It is an ally of a super power - US. And as an ally you get both protection and dependence. So speaking of similar positions of Russia and Canada is incorrect i think.

[Daryl]

Now imagine how different things would be if the USA had stayed true to their "Founding Fathers" and stayed isolationist rather than merely protectionist?

Imagine how different things would be if we had stayed true to the Founding Fathers vision of an America where slavery was legal and only white landowning males had the right to vote.

[lutherquick]

Dear Daryl,

You are 100% correct...

America has had one form of slaves in all her history.

America used the American Indian, the Mexican, blacks, later it became sophiticated and advanced into dollar hegemony that allowed it to basicly TAX the world, and now energy demand grow is making that dollar hegemony unstable as importing nations realize the problem...

America, she had such a great opertunity to be noble, good and as a leader. But she needs subsidy, and she will kill weman and children for it. She will invent stories that Saddam did 9/11, or Saddam has wmd, when in fact anybody with 1/2 a brain knows it's BS !!!!

Americans NEVER, EVER produced more than she consumed. For the life of me, I just don't see what fairy tale or delusion she will come up with next... America isn't going to survive Peak Oil. The jig is up...

[Daryl]

The US created and built the current global economic and security system. The Soviet Union lost. Get used to it.

[Daryl]

The US created and built the current global economic and security system. The Soviet Union lost. The Iranian petrobourse isn't going to bail you out now. Get used to it.

[lutherquick]

Daryl,

You said: "The US created and built the current global economic and security system. The Soviet Union lost. The Iranian petrobourse isn't going to bail you out now. Get used to it."

Well, the "economic and security system" is on the edge... why would America take so many risks, based on fairy tales such as "wmd in Iraq" or elusing that Saddam did 911... or can't find Bin Laden...

The world is flooded with events triggered by failures of America. There's a reason why Bush is risking everything, and that reason is that everything is at risk, and about to be lost... well, everything in the US...

You said "Get used to it", well I say if it was so solid, Bush would need all these delusions, now whould he?

Sh!t is bad for the US, very bad... that economic and security system you are talking about is as solid as Enron profits. It's all a sham and a failure.

That light you see at the end of a tunnel isn't the Sun, it's a train.

[sch_peakoiler]

lutherquick,

just wanted to ask you if you are gonna answer some questions at you in the neighboring topic.

2 Moderators:
Sorry for the OT.

[NordicHero]

The real power in the Western world, and the men behind the curtain, are international. The have allegiance only to their race, and Israel. They are Jews.

For example, they are 2% of the US population. This is just a small sample of the media owned or influenced by Jews in the United States:

MORTIMER ZUCKERMAN, owner of NY Daily News, US News & World Report and chair of the Conference of Presidents of Major Jewish American Organizations, one of the largest pro-Israel lobbying groups.

LESLIE MOONVES, president of CBS television, great-nephew of David Ben-Gurion, and co-chair with Norman Ornstein of the Advisory Committee on Public Interest Obligation of Digital TV Producers, appointed by Clinton.

JONATHAN MILLER, chair and CEO of AOL division of AOL-Time-Warner

NEIL SHAPIRO, president of NBC News

JEFF GASPIN, Executive Vice-President, Programming, NBC

DAVID WESTIN, president of ABC News

SUMNER REDSTONE, CEO of Viacom, "world's biggest media giant" (Economist, 11/23/2) owns Viacom cable, CBS and MTVs all over the world, Blockbuster video rentals and Black Entertainment TV.

MICHAEL EISNER, major owner of Walt Disney, Capitol Cities, ABC.

RUPERT MURDOCH, Owner Fox TV, New York Post, London Times, News of the World (Jewish mother)

MEL KARMAZIN, president of CBS

DON HEWITT, Exec. Director, 60 Minutes, CBS

JEFF FAGER, Exec. Director, 60 Minutes II. CBS

DAVID POLTRACK, Executive Vice-President, Research and Planning, CBS

SANDY KRUSHOW, Chair, Fox Entertainment

LLOYD BRAUN, Chair, ABC Entertainment

BARRY MEYER, chair, Warner Bros.

SHERRY LANSING. President of Paramount Communications and Chairman of Paramount Pictures' Motion Picture Group.

HARVEY WEINSTEIN, CEO. Miramax Films.

BRAD SIEGEL., President, Turner Entertainment.

PETER CHERNIN, second in-command at Rupert Murdoch's News. Corp., owner of Fox TV

MARTY PERETZ, owner and publisher of the New Republic, which openly identifies itself as pro-Israel. Al Gore credits Marty with being his "mentor."

ARTHUR O. SULZBERGER, JR., publisher of the NY Times, the Boston Globe and other publications.

and on and on...

That's real power, and that's just the tip of the iceberg.

[Jellric]

First of all, Russia is not a super power; It is a great country, but is no longer able to project power globally.

America isn't going to survive Peak Oil

Neither is Russia or any other industrialized country for that matter. Russia may fare better initially because of its energy situation, but eventually it too will experience energy drawdown and meet a similar fate as America.

The mighty nations of the Earth are all scheduled to be humbled by Peak Oil.

[Daryl]

That light you see at the end of a tunnel isn't the Sun, it's a train.

That's a good one. I appreciate your humor. Sorry, though, your argument is incoherent to me. Perhaps its a language issue.