Obama: Nobel Peace Prize is "call to action"

Obama said he viewed the decision less as a recognition of his own accomplishments and more as "a call to action."

Nobel Committee Pulls Oil Plug on Democracy   by Dr. Walid Phares (09 Oct 2009)   What is the strategy behind the decision to grant this particular trophy to the sitting American president? . . . To answer this, we simply can connect the dots between the statements made by the grantor and the grantee. . . . The alternative choices are arguable, but this particular gesture isn't about past achievements, as the committee and the recipient have ccurred. It is about supporting a specific policy, which has been enunciated firmly during 2009 and is now being grounded in layers of moral recognition. . . . This honored policy is to ensure that there will be no more American intervention overseas to provoke democratic change, let alone revolutions, particularly in the so-called "Muslim world." . . . . The real message of the prize's grantors is deeper than what it shyly states: You will be honored if you keep your hands off our regimes and ideologies. Thus this recognition is not really about abstract notions or about climate change. It is a message from the authoritarians in the greater Middle East, via their economic partners in the West, to the United States, to quit pushing for democracy and intervening for human rights; as the previous administration said it would, but in fact failed to deliver. . . . The Nobel Peace Prize Committee is based in Norway, which cooperates with OPEC and often has joint ventures with its members. The latter is obviously controlled by the hard-core authoritarian members of the Organization of the Islamic Conference (OIC) and the Arab League. These regimes, regardless of their bilateral disputes (such as Wahabis and Khomeinists), have one common ground: Oppose the rise of democracy, their worst enemy, in their own midst. . . . . So, between the lines, no future U.S. actions will be in favor of oppressed peoples if they happen to be living in Dar el Islam. The war in Iraq will be ended, regardless of Iran, Syria, and the Jihadists' future interventions there. And there will be no escalation in the battlefield of Afghanistan, if only somehow the "ruthless adversary would stop threatening the United States." . . . Here we go: The "other side" announced its agenda for America, and the latter accepted. Surely it is nice to receive a prominent prize, but it is important to see beyond our own nose. The hope is that the price for such an honor won't be a human rights catastrophe for the underdogs in the "Muslim world." [Dr. Walid Phares is a senior fellow at the Foundation for the Defense of Democracies ]



Will Obama go after Iran's oil revenue?  by Callum James (09/29/09)  In response to Iran's recent display of contempt towards the West by releasing video footage of missiles being launched in the desert, Washington have expressed real intent on curbing Iran's continued disobedience. President Obama has told Iran that if it does not comply with international demands to come clean about its nuclear program, he will push for new sanctions targeting its energy, financial and telecommunications sectors.. . . Going after Iran's ability to profit from its vast energy reserves is the key aspect to the expected new sanctions - as Iran "is not yet a nuclear power, but an oil power", according to CBS News' national security correspondent David Martin. This is the only real way to hurt Iran, by cutting its ability to export oil at substantial levels you are taking the life blood of Iran's future.


Norwegian Firm Says Will Boost Recovery Rates in Iran Oilfields By 28 Per Cent  (5 November 2005) 
Elsewhere in [the vice president of Norway's Norsk Hydro Oil Company] comments he pointed to the Norsk Hydro Oil Company's 170m dollars investment in Iran's oil sector and stated that if the exploratory project in Iran's Anaran Oilfield leads to the development and operational phases the Norwegian company will invest about one billion dollars in the project, Iranian Students News Agency (ISNA) reported.

Iran  and  Norway  to boost oil and gas trade   Iran and Norway inked a Memorandum of Understanding in Tehran on 27th May [2003]. The MOU is setting the framework for a bilateral oil and gas cooperation between the two states.  . . . Addressing the signing ceremony, Iranian Petroleum Minister Bijan Zangeneh said that the MOU is the second of its kind inked by the two countries over the past 2½ years. The move, he added, shows progress in Tehran-Oslo bilateral cooperation. . . . Describing his talks with the visiting Norwegian Minister of Petroleum and Energy, Enra Steensnaes as “fruitful and constructive,”. He urged Norwegian companies to avail of the ample opportunities for cooperation with the Iranian petroleum sector. . . . Statoil, Norway's national oil corporation, has been participating in Iran's oil and gas exploration and research projects in recent years.
Q and A with Norwegian Oil Minster, HE Einar Steensnes:
A: We are very satisfied with the opportunity that statoil’s got in, South Pars 6, 7 and 8 Projects. As I understand there are further possibilities and opportunities for Statoil because this is a very big gas field, one of the worlds largest. I have learned today that there are possible also to have a future activity for Statoil in the field and that is very satisfying for me.
Q: How do you see the prospect of future cooperation between Norway and Iran in oil and gas sector?
A: In oil and gas sector I am convinced that there will be a closer cooperation, because Iran is now opening for more international cooperation and we have very interesting competence and experience by Norwegian supply industry as well as Norwegian companies. I know that Iranian authorities and the ministry are very interested in investments. And the NIOC also stated that they were very much interested in participating with Norwegian enterprises in the Iranian oil and gas sector. On the other side I very much want to invite Iranian companies to be active in Norway. They are welcomed, if they are living up to some pre-qualification of course along with the other companies. But I am confident that they should also have enough opportunity in Norway. So, the extent of cooperation in the oil and gas sector I think will be substantial in the years to come.
Q: You know that U.S. has warned against cooperation with Iran. Aren’t you worried about cooperation with Iran?
A: No, I am not. Because I think there are different attitudes, different practices and policies on this. But Norway favours cooperation as a prerequisite for better understanding and we think trade and economic development are positive steps to a better understanding between countries. So we don’t favour embargo or sanctions. We favour open channels in the economic field as well as in culture. And we hope this will lead to a better understanding between our two countries.


Avoiding the Oil CurseWhat Norway can teach Iraq. by Daniel Gross (Oct. 29, 2004)   When it comes to oil—and investing—it's easy to overlook Norway. While political and social upheavals in major oil producers—Venezuela, Nigeria, Russia, the Persian Gulf—dominate headlines, Norway since 1971 has quietly been pumping massive quantities of crude from the icy waters of the North Sea. Today, Norway is the world's third-largest oil exporter, behind only Saudi Arabia and Russia, and the seventh-largest oil producer. The Norwegians have proven that oil doesn't have to be an obstacle to stability and long-term growth. . . . .Cash flow from the government's petroleum activities—the state owns 81 percent of the aptly named Statoil—is funneled into the [Petroleum Fund of Norway]. . . . But the huge balances mean Norway can happily continue to be heavily socialist without confronting the problems that its Euro-neighbors to the south face—unemployment, high inflation, and huge national debts.. . . .In Norway, the sudden increase in oil prices has meant larger inflows to the fund and enhanced long-term welfare for its citizens. That's not how it goes down in other big oil producing countries. . . . The Norwegian economy remains heavily dependent on oil (though much less than the Saudi economy): Petroleum industries account for about 17 percent of Norwegian GDP and a hefty 45 percent of exports.

Norway's Oil Industry and the Partitioning of Iraq  by Reidar Visser (7 December 2005)   On 29 November 2005, the tiny Norwegian oil company DNO announced the start-up of drilling activities near Zakho in northern Iraq, under a deal signed with Kurdish regional authorities in the summer of 2004. . . . because of DNO’s actions, Kurdish politicians will feel encouraged in their ongoing efforts to secure bilateral deals with foreign investors – a strategy they have been pursuing ever since 2003. . . There will be claims that the proceedings of the Kurds and DNO testify to the growing impotence of Baghdad, and that developments show how the very idea of an Iraqi national community is on the wane. Comments along these lines, directed specifically at DNO’s activities in Iraq, are already to be found in Iraqi discussion groups on the internet. . . . Why should a Norwegian company have taken the lead among those intervening in an already complex Iraqi political process? . . . Whatever the reason, it surely is a great disappointment that Norway’s first venture off the beaten track in Iraq has been undertaken in a manner that will do nothing but muddle the complicated ongoing process of transition.