Guyana Oil Fields Could Have Caused War

As reported in their analysis, CorpWatch had grave concerns in 2005 about increasing violence between Guyana and Suriname. These are small neighboring South American countries at the northeast end of the continent. And offshore there could be 15 billion barrels of oil.

To reduce the chance of conflict both wisely agreed to have the UN adjudicate their sea border. This has been successfully done and everyone seems as happy as can be, but…

The history of large capital going after natural resources has not been good. The Mideast comes to mind. As does the devastation wreaked on West Virginia by coal mining. Think about West Virginia. It is in some ways the Mideast of America. All of these natural resources have been dug out of the ground, to the detriment of the environment, and very few people in West Virginia got the benefits. Miners did not. Miners and their families have been poor and poorly educated. And once the coal is gone all of these people will be abandoned. I would venture that most people in the Mideast fit this same profile.

The same will happen in Guyana and Suriname. I think the taking of vast natural resources increases the greed factor in humans. After all you are already destroying habitats and taking things that you did not create. Is it so hard to believe that it then becomes easier to destroy the people who originally owned those resources and try to give them as little as possible? Is it so hard to believe that those in control would want to keep them uneducated? After all, their lack of education allows you to take even more from them.

I hope both countries work to use the income from their natural resources to increase their infrastructure in roads, education and in the ability to diversify the economy. After all, what is going to happen to the Mideast when the oil is gone? Will it become like a giant ghost town of the old west when the gold and silver dried up?

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About the author

free electron

Simply, I want the world to be a better place, for my kids and for all the other children in the world. I am in IT, understand technology, believe in the scientific method, and have made a lot of mistakes.

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1 Comment

  • NONE OF THESE COUNTRIES CAN BEAT AN EGG TO MAKE A CAKE. BOTH HAVE TANKS THAT IS SEPTIC TANKS THANK YOU.