Jet fuel so expensive that three low-cost airlines stopped flying in the past few weeks

Hoo-fucking-rah!

Russia, Iran & Qatar 'own' 55% of all the Natural gas reserves in the world.

Hmmmmm...and the USofA is pondering war with one of 'em already (Iran), Qatar being already within the ambit of USAer 'influence.' and Russia holding a nuclear stockpile that rivals our own...

things would appear to be looking a little grimmer for Israel, too.

Hey, where's that guy with the firecracker, the one who's so much smarter than the rest of us? You know the guy I mean??? I sure would like to know what he thinks of us right now, worrying over Klare's musings. I mean, I hope he's thinking of us. Hey, mxyzptlk, wipe the spunk off yer palm and post awready!!

I'll disagree with his idea that this necessitates a transfer of wealth and power to oil-rich countries. In fact the US has been in energy deficit for a long, long time, so there's nothing special about the current climate. It's true that oil is now 10X more expensive than it was in the 1990s, but that only represents a fraction of US GDP - the US can still come out well ahead if its other economic assets (e.g., high tech weaponry) are worth more than oil. If I can always sell you enough missiles to soak up your extra oil money, it doesn't matter that you're making 10X more money now. A good analogy might be cocaine - it doesn't matter how much money you make, you can always blow it all on coke. So, yes, there will obviously be a shift in wealth (at least temporarily until conservation reduces demand for oil), but it doesn't imply a tectonic shift in power balance.

Slag: I think YOU mean Stubby. Hell of a womanizer, and as revolting a revolutionary as any can be found, I'll wager. He never answered a question that I had asked him, I admire that in revolting people, don't YOU? Last I heard he was banging some Russkie chicks and then??? Don't know if these women were married or not, he didn't seem the type to care and ALL it takes is one pissed off husband----WE've all been there I know. I'd had asked him, since he was headed to Moscow anyway, to tell Putin to call Nancy Pelosi @ 1-202-225-0100 and DEMAND IMPEACHMENT. And I tell ya, good ole Z is just crazy enough to pull it off and Putin called. If not, he's in the basement of Lubyanka and likely to be tied up for a while.

So, yes, there will obviously be a shift in wealth (at least temporarily until conservation reduces demand for oil), but it doesn't imply a tectonic shift in power balance.

I tend to disagree mildly.

We've seem a focus on globalizing wealth and money transactions. Example of this is the focus on depriving "the terrorists" of access to cash. This may be over in Israel where they just take over the bank accounts of people they suspect, prosecuting people here that may or may not have supported an organization that the gov belatedly places on a list, by suing them into bankruptcy, or through generic government sanctions and monitoring them.

I see the focus on wealth based geopolitics (impoverishing someone into oblivion) as being a double edged sword, particularly if the US is exposed by having their currency devalued to such an extent that it eats into any long term stability that it has. Likewise, although the rich have been helped by the globalization by creating their own supra-geo enclaves, the average person is stuck to their debts and obligations like flypaper (Today's news item: Americans will be vacationing at home.)

A temporary shift in wealth is enough to make the US a hobbled wildebeest that gets et up by the lion, particularly since we've taught everyone that positions of advantage should be exploited aggressively in the interests of, well, self-interest.

Nukes? Only compelling if you're the only one to have them.

A good analogy might be cocaine - it doesn't matter how much money you make, you can always blow it all on coke.

Sure, but that's really more of an indication of lack of discipline, confidence, low self-esteem and a posse of miscreants taking advantage. I just can't see someone uber-wealthy going through that much coke. They can buy it, but they'd drop dead long before they personally consumed it all.

A temporary shift in wealth is enough to make the US a hobbled wildebeest that gets et up by the lion, particularly since we've taught everyone that positions of advantage should be exploited aggressively in the interests of, well, self-interest.

The wealth differential is enormous. Yesterday I watched a YouTube video of a pride of lions trying to take down an elephant. It was around eight on one, but the effect was fairly comical - lions clinging desperately to the elephant like squirrels, trying to do some damage, while the elephant basically shrugged them off.

The US has weathered long periods of economic stagnation before and remained on top, just because it has enough wealth and developed industry to matter that much. Our economy is simply too large for it to be hobbled by any bit players - even a pack of them at once.