3 ms·

NSA's charter is explicit in it's scope, that much is obvious and clear. If you are a US citizen sending money abroad via SWIFT, well then you place yourself in

by rdxm 9y ago

NSA's charter is explicit in it's scope, that much is obvious and clear. If you are a US citizen sending money abroad via SWIFT, well then you place yourself into that purview, that's just a thing. The definition of an "ally" is a curious thing. I prefer to think of the ME as more of a realpolitik scenario. The countries you name lack any real connection to the US beyond the realpolitik at the end of the day.

bogomipz 9y ago
>"The countries you name lack any real connection to the US beyond the realpolitik at the end of the day." You might want to look up Occidental Petroleum of Houston, Texas: "Occidental's oil and gas operations in the Middle East are in Oman, Qatar, and the United Arab Emirates. The region produced 294 thousand barrels of oil equivalent (1,800,000 GJ) per day, representing approximately 46% of 2016 total worldwide production.The region also held 28% of the company's proved reserves in 2016. Occidental is the largest independent oil producer in Oman. In Qatar, Occidental is the second-largest oil producer offshore and is a partial owner in the Dolphin natural gas project, which delivers gas to Oman and the United Arab Emirates. In early 2011, Occidental partnered with Abu Dhabi's state oil company in developing the Shah Field, one of the largest natural gas fields in the Middle East, through a joint venture known as Al Hosn Gas. Al Hosn Gas became operational in 2015."[1] You might want to also read up on the Dolphin gas pipeline in the UAE as well: "Occidental Petroleum of the US and Total of France each have a 24.5 percent equity stake in the Dolphin gas pipeline project."[2] Then there's the old U.S stalwarts: Chevron Over-seas Petroleum (Qatar), Pennzoil Qatar Oil Co, Mobil Oil Qatar. And Penzoil, Caltex and Shell are all in U.A.E as well. I would say military bases, arms sales, joint infrastructure projects and U.S business interests all qualify as pretty substantial connections to the U.S. Sources: [1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Occidental_Petroleum https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Occidental_Petroleum [2] http://www.uae-embassy.org/about-uae/energy/uae-and-global-oil-supply http://www.uae-embassy.org/about-uae/energy/uae-and-global-o...

by rdxm 9y ago

bogomipz 9y ago

>"The countries you name lack any real connection to the US beyond the realpolitik at the end of the day." You might want to look up Occidental Petroleum of Houston, Texas: "Occidental's oil and gas operations in the Middle East are in Oman, Qatar, and the United Arab Emirates. The region produced 294 thousand barrels of oil equivalent (1,800,000 GJ) per day, representing approximately 46% of 2016 total worldwide production.The region also held 28% of the company's proved reserves in 2016. Occidental is the largest independent oil producer in Oman. In Qatar, Occidental is the second-largest oil producer offshore and is a partial owner in the Dolphin natural gas project, which delivers gas to Oman and the United Arab Emirates. In early 2011, Occidental partnered with Abu Dhabi's state oil company in developing the Shah Field, one of the largest natural gas fields in the Middle East, through a joint venture known as Al Hosn Gas. Al Hosn Gas became operational in 2015."[1] You might want to also read up on the Dolphin gas pipeline in the UAE as well: "Occidental Petroleum of the US and Total of France each have a 24.5 percent equity stake in the Dolphin gas pipeline project."[2] Then there's the old U.S stalwarts: Chevron Over-seas Petroleum (Qatar), Pennzoil Qatar Oil Co, Mobil Oil Qatar. And Penzoil, Caltex and Shell are all in U.A.E as well. I would say military bases, arms sales, joint infrastructure projects and U.S business interests all qualify as pretty substantial connections to the U.S. Sources: [1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Occidental_Petroleum https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Occidental_Petroleum [2] http://www.uae-embassy.org/about-uae/energy/uae-and-global-oil-supply http://www.uae-embassy.org/about-uae/energy/uae-and-global-o...