[Marxism] "20bn barrel oil discovery puts Cuba in the big league"

[David Walters <davidw@xxxxxxxxxxxx>]

I think the Guardian article is a fairly accurate one with regards to 
reserves of oil off Cuba's shores. Most of this is unproven, unlike, 
say, Brazil's newer reserves. But there is no reason to think they are 
NOT there, either. It's very speculative but geologists are getting 
betting at finding oil all the time.

The one inaccuracy I have with this article is  that it implies 
Norwegian and other European oil prospectors and extraction companies 
are stymied because of the US embargo. I believe this is completely 
false. Almost ALL the oil reserves there that have been found or 
suspected come from these same non-Cuban oil companies. They are doing a 
bang-up business. Where do people think these 60,000 bbl/day of oil that 
Cuba now extracts comes from?

Since the first oil started being pumped seriously from off of Cuba's 
shores by these joined Cuban/European/Venezuelan-Brazilian ventures, US 
oil companies have been drooling over the prospect of this nice light 
sweet crude flowing into Gulf and Florida refineries or sold on the open 
market. They have a choice to make. One that could end up being similar 
to the "Republican Party Agricultural Pro-Cuba Lobby" in the Mid-west or 
one based on the fanaticism of the Bush administrations (and Democratic 
ones before it) Cuban-Mafia perspective. I think they are thinking this 
over now.

David

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