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In reply to the discussion: STOCK MARKET WATCH -- Monday, 17 March 2014 [View all]Demeter
(85,373 posts)27. Some references for the skeptical
Corporate Interests Behind Ukraine Putsch By JP Sottile
http://consortiumnews.com/2014/03/16/corporate-interests-behind-ukraine-putsch/
Behind the U.S.-backed coup that ousted the democratically elected president of Ukraine are the economic interests of giant corporations from Cargill to Chevron which see the country as a potential gold mine of profits from agricultural and energy exploitation, reports JP Sottile...
On Jan. 12, a reported 50,000 pro-Western Ukrainians descended upon Kievs Independence Square to protest against the government of President Viktor Yanukovych. Stoked in part by an attack on opposition leader Yuriy Lutsenko, the protest marked the beginning of the end of Yanukovychs four year-long government. That same day, the Financial Times reported a major deal for U.S. agribusiness titan Cargill. Despite the turmoil within Ukrainian politics after Yanukovych rejected a major trade deal with the European Union just seven weeks earlier, Cargill was confident enough about the future to fork over $200 million to buy a stake in Ukraines UkrLandFarming. According to Financial Times, UkrLandFarming is the worlds eighth-largest land cultivator and second biggest egg producer. And those arent the only eggs in Cargills increasingly-ample basket. On Dec. 13, Cargill announced the purchase of a stake in a Black Sea port. Cargills port at Novorossiysk to the east of Russias strategically significant and historically important Crimean naval base gives them a major entry-point to Russian markets and adds them to the list of Big Ag companies investing in ports around the Black Sea, both in Russia and Ukraine. Cargill has been in Ukraine for over two decades, investing in grain elevators and acquiring a major Ukrainian animal feed company in 2011. And, based on its investment in UkrLandFarming, Cargill was decidedly confident amidst the post-EU deal chaos. Its a stark juxtaposition to the alarm bells ringing out from the U.S. media, bellicose politicians on Capitol Hill and perplexed policymakers in the White House.
Its even starker when compared to the anxiety expressed by Morgan Williams, President and CEO of the U.S.-Ukraine Business Council which, according to its website, has been Promoting U.S.-Ukraine business relations since 1995. Williams was interviewed by the International Business Times on March 13 and, despite Cargills demonstrated willingness to spend, he said, The instability has forced businesses to just go about their daily business and not make future plans for investment, expansion and hiring more employees. In fact, Williams, who does double-duty as Director of Government Affairs at the private equity firm SigmaBleyzer, claimed, Business plans have been at a standstill.
Apparently, he wasnt aware of Cargills investment, which is odd given the fact that he couldve simply called Van A. Yeutter, Vice President for Corporate Affairs at Cargill, and asked him about his companys quite active business plan. There is little doubt Williams has the phone number because Mr. Yuetter serves on the Executive Committee of the selfsame U.S.-Ukraine Business Council. Its quite a cozy investment club, too...
THE ROVING EYE: Russia 1, Regime Changers 0 By Pepe Escobar
http://atimes.com/atimes/Central_Asia/CEN-01-170314.html
Let's cut to the chase - short and sweet.
1. The Obama administration's "strategic" gambit to subcontract the State Department's "Khaganate of Nulands" to extricate Ukraine from the Russian sphere of influence - and ultimately annex it to NATO - by instrumentalizing a coalition of willing neo-nazis and fascists with a central bank veneer (prime minister "Yats" , is in utter shambles.
2. Moscow's counterpunch was to prevent in Crimea - as intercepted by Russian intelligence - a planned replay of the putsch in Kiev. The referendum in Crimea - 85% of turnout, roughly 93% voting for re-joining Russia, according to exit polls - is a done deal, as much as the oh-so-democratic European Union (EU) keeps threatening to punish people in Crimea for exercising their basic democratic rights. (By the way, when the US got Kosovo to secede from Serbia, Serbians were offered no referendum).
3. The main rationale for the whole US "strategic" advance - to have their proxies, the regime changers in Kiev, cancel the agreement for the Russian naval base in Sevastopol - is up in smoke. Moscow remains present in the Black Sea and with full access to the Eastern Mediterranean.
And the rest is blah blah blah. BUT YES, THERE'S MORE!
Here's the record. Dubya launched two wars. He (miserably) lost both.
Obama attempted to launch two wars (Syria and Ukraine). He - lucky for him - lost both even at the "attempt" stage. Assorted neo-cons and the whole exceptionalist brigade are predictably livid. Expect the editorial page of the Wall Street Journal to go ballistic. And expect US ambassador to the UN Samantha "R2P" Power to wish she were Sinead O'Connor singing Nothing Compares to You.
AND STILL MORE...SEE LINK
Pepe Escobar is the author of Globalistan: How the Globalized World is Dissolving into Liquid War (Nimble Books, 2007), Red Zone Blues: a snapshot of Baghdad during the surge (Nimble Books, 2007), and Obama does Globalistan (Nimble Books, 2009).
He may be reached at [email protected].
http://consortiumnews.com/2014/03/16/corporate-interests-behind-ukraine-putsch/
Behind the U.S.-backed coup that ousted the democratically elected president of Ukraine are the economic interests of giant corporations from Cargill to Chevron which see the country as a potential gold mine of profits from agricultural and energy exploitation, reports JP Sottile...
On Jan. 12, a reported 50,000 pro-Western Ukrainians descended upon Kievs Independence Square to protest against the government of President Viktor Yanukovych. Stoked in part by an attack on opposition leader Yuriy Lutsenko, the protest marked the beginning of the end of Yanukovychs four year-long government. That same day, the Financial Times reported a major deal for U.S. agribusiness titan Cargill. Despite the turmoil within Ukrainian politics after Yanukovych rejected a major trade deal with the European Union just seven weeks earlier, Cargill was confident enough about the future to fork over $200 million to buy a stake in Ukraines UkrLandFarming. According to Financial Times, UkrLandFarming is the worlds eighth-largest land cultivator and second biggest egg producer. And those arent the only eggs in Cargills increasingly-ample basket. On Dec. 13, Cargill announced the purchase of a stake in a Black Sea port. Cargills port at Novorossiysk to the east of Russias strategically significant and historically important Crimean naval base gives them a major entry-point to Russian markets and adds them to the list of Big Ag companies investing in ports around the Black Sea, both in Russia and Ukraine. Cargill has been in Ukraine for over two decades, investing in grain elevators and acquiring a major Ukrainian animal feed company in 2011. And, based on its investment in UkrLandFarming, Cargill was decidedly confident amidst the post-EU deal chaos. Its a stark juxtaposition to the alarm bells ringing out from the U.S. media, bellicose politicians on Capitol Hill and perplexed policymakers in the White House.
Its even starker when compared to the anxiety expressed by Morgan Williams, President and CEO of the U.S.-Ukraine Business Council which, according to its website, has been Promoting U.S.-Ukraine business relations since 1995. Williams was interviewed by the International Business Times on March 13 and, despite Cargills demonstrated willingness to spend, he said, The instability has forced businesses to just go about their daily business and not make future plans for investment, expansion and hiring more employees. In fact, Williams, who does double-duty as Director of Government Affairs at the private equity firm SigmaBleyzer, claimed, Business plans have been at a standstill.
Apparently, he wasnt aware of Cargills investment, which is odd given the fact that he couldve simply called Van A. Yeutter, Vice President for Corporate Affairs at Cargill, and asked him about his companys quite active business plan. There is little doubt Williams has the phone number because Mr. Yuetter serves on the Executive Committee of the selfsame U.S.-Ukraine Business Council. Its quite a cozy investment club, too...
THE ROVING EYE: Russia 1, Regime Changers 0 By Pepe Escobar
http://atimes.com/atimes/Central_Asia/CEN-01-170314.html
Let's cut to the chase - short and sweet.
1. The Obama administration's "strategic" gambit to subcontract the State Department's "Khaganate of Nulands" to extricate Ukraine from the Russian sphere of influence - and ultimately annex it to NATO - by instrumentalizing a coalition of willing neo-nazis and fascists with a central bank veneer (prime minister "Yats" , is in utter shambles.
2. Moscow's counterpunch was to prevent in Crimea - as intercepted by Russian intelligence - a planned replay of the putsch in Kiev. The referendum in Crimea - 85% of turnout, roughly 93% voting for re-joining Russia, according to exit polls - is a done deal, as much as the oh-so-democratic European Union (EU) keeps threatening to punish people in Crimea for exercising their basic democratic rights. (By the way, when the US got Kosovo to secede from Serbia, Serbians were offered no referendum).
3. The main rationale for the whole US "strategic" advance - to have their proxies, the regime changers in Kiev, cancel the agreement for the Russian naval base in Sevastopol - is up in smoke. Moscow remains present in the Black Sea and with full access to the Eastern Mediterranean.
And the rest is blah blah blah. BUT YES, THERE'S MORE!
Here's the record. Dubya launched two wars. He (miserably) lost both.
Obama attempted to launch two wars (Syria and Ukraine). He - lucky for him - lost both even at the "attempt" stage. Assorted neo-cons and the whole exceptionalist brigade are predictably livid. Expect the editorial page of the Wall Street Journal to go ballistic. And expect US ambassador to the UN Samantha "R2P" Power to wish she were Sinead O'Connor singing Nothing Compares to You.
AND STILL MORE...SEE LINK
Pepe Escobar is the author of Globalistan: How the Globalized World is Dissolving into Liquid War (Nimble Books, 2007), Red Zone Blues: a snapshot of Baghdad during the surge (Nimble Books, 2007), and Obama does Globalistan (Nimble Books, 2009).
He may be reached at [email protected].
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Interesting roadmap on how to kill off a country. Bascially, take the companies that
jtuck004
Mar 2014
#10
Consortium News article (top) repost at theecologist via gmwatch link.
proverbialwisdom
Mar 2014
#33