Wikileaks and US dependancy on foreign countries

[RN7]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Critical_Foreign_Dependencies_Initiative

Seems the rest of the world is actualy important to America. I have my own ideas about this but which country does anybody think has the most influence over America in what it supplies or what America needs from it.

[Webstral]

We don't care about anyone else. Statements to the contrary are either propaganda or a cover story to send our enemies on wild goose chases. If we cared about someone else, wouldn't we be learning foreign languages from kindergarten onward? The defense rests, Your Honor.

[RN7]

We don't care about anyone else. Statements to the contrary are either propaganda or a cover story to send our enemies on wild goose chases. If we cared about someone else, wouldn't we be learning foreign languages from kindergarten onward? The defense rests, Your Honor.

Well that may be true to some degree but I think the US does care about certain essential resources, intrastructure or products that are either outside/or made outside of its territory.

[Webstral]

I do think we care about other nations. I just wouldn't want my wife caring about me the way we care about other countries.

[Trooper]

We don't care about anyone else. Statements to the contrary are either propaganda or a cover story to send our enemies on wild goose chases. If we cared about someone else, wouldn't we be learning foreign languages from kindergarten onward? The defense rests, Your Honor.

Sad but true...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=erYpXzE9Pxs

[rcaf_777]

The US cares about Canada, cuz we speak english eh!, (well almost the whole country) and we have alot of natural resoures like oil, and the US cares about the UK, cuz they speak english I think?

[Sanjuro]

If we cared about someone else, wouldn't we be learning foreign languages from kindergarten onward?
When we were busy turning large parts of the world pink (in old British Atlases, the Empire was pink) we just made the rest of the world learn English!

[RN7]

From looking the wikileaks list and a few other things there are quite a few things America should be caring about.

1) Oil and Energy: America's oil is running out. Every day America consumes 20 million barrels of oil. Half of this oil is imported from abroad, mainly from Canada, Saudi Arabia, Mexico and Venezuela. The largest oil and gas producer in America is a British oil company (BP), and two British oil companies (BP and Shell) own ten American oil refineries, nine deep water oil fields in the Gulf of Mexico, run the Prudhoe Bay oil field in Alaska and own 40,000 service stations across America. America also imports a lot of its electricity from Canada, well over $2 billion worth, and oil and gas pipelines important to America cross Canadian territory.

2) Mineral resources: Excluding coal most of the world’s major mineral resources are located outside of America. The main suppliers are located in Africa, Australia, Russia, Latin America and Canada, and the main producers of certain radioactive and refractory metals and rare earth metals are China and Russia. Western and certain state owned mining corporations dominate the exploitation of these resources, but the dominant mining companies from the developed world are not American but British owned or controlled; Rio Tinto, Anglo-American and BHP Billiton, who between them dominate the mining and processing of iron ore, aluminium, copper and nickel as well as diamonds, platinum, uranium and a host of other minerals. These companies also mine within America; borates in California and Colorado, copper in Arizona and Utah, coal in New Mexico and Wyoming, and drill oil and gas in Arkansas and the Gulf of Mexico.

3) Communications: If America needs to make a phone call, send an e-mail or fax, download an image or i-tune from a non-American website or look at satellite TV, seven undersea communications stations linking America with rest of the world are in Japan and ten more are in Britain. Three commercial satellite ground stations, including the world’s biggest, that is important to America are in Britain and owned by British companies.

4: Foreign Debt: China and Japan own more than two trillion dollars worth of US Treasury Securities, and another two trillion dollars worth of US Treasury Securities is owned by Britain, Brazil, Taiwan, Switzerland, Russia, Belgium, Germany, a number of oil exporting countries and banking centres in the Caribbean.

5) Medical Vaccines: Certain vaccines for diseases and medical treatments are produced by a small number of large biochemistry companies, some are American owned but most are not. Most of these products are only made in Europe by European companies mainly from Germany, Britain, France, Switzerland and Scandinavia, or Australia and Canada .

6) Machinery & Equipment: Certain types of metal fabrication machines are only made in Japan and Turkey. Certain types of power generators, components and turbines are only made in France, Germany, Japan and Mexico. Many types of chemicals and equipment are only made in Germany, and most medical radioisotopes are made in Canada.

7) Defence Equipment: Many vehicles, electronics and critical components in weapons used by the American forces are made in Britain, Canada, Germany and Israel by foreign owned companies. Canadian factories produce the Stryker armoured vehicle, electrics and optical systems and material for the AGM-130 missile. British companies produce munitions and components for the F-35 and missiles, components for US nuclear submarines, and vehicles, gears and transmissions for US military vehicles in South Africa.

8) Military Bases: A number of countries are important to the US Armed forces through the use of their military, air and naval bases; Principally Britain, Germany, Italy, Japan, Saudi Arabia, South Korea, Turkey, Canada and recently Australia. Britain also allows American forces uses of her bases at Gibraltar and Cyprus, and the British island territory of Diego Garcia in the Indian Ocean also houses considerable US forces and facilities. Many countries also share their intelligence assets with America, none more so than Britain were a number of bases are critically important to the US intelligence community. Molesworth houses the Joint Intelligence Center for US Defence Intelligence Agency and the National Geospatial Intelligence Agency. Flyingdales is part of America’s BMEWS network, alongside Clear Air force station in Alaska and Thule air base in Greenland. Flyingdales has a large AESA radar with range of over 3,000 miles and is a tracking facility for America’s National Missile Defence (NMD). The communication intercept and missile warning station at Menwith Hill is believed to be the largest electronic monitoring station in the world, and is a ground base for numerous American satellites operated by the National Reconnaissance Office on behalf of the NSA. GCHQ Bude is a satellite and signals intelligence base whose antennas are used to monitor the satellites of the INTELSAT, Intersputnik and INMARSAT communications networks over the Atlantic, Africa and the Indian Ocean, as well the Middle East and mainland Europe.

9) Foreign Ownership of America: Six countries (Britain, Japan, Netherlands, Canada, Germany and France) own more than 1.5 trillion dollars worth of America. Direct foreign investment in America came to the fore in the 1980’s when Japan started buying up swaths of New York and Californian real estate and car makers such as Toyota and Honda started making cars in America, however it has gone on since American independence. Of all the direct foreign investment in America close to 500 billion dollars of that is owned by Great Britain, including over 100 billion dollars worth of America’s manufacturing sector. Two British companies; BAE and Rolls Royce are major players in America’s defence and aerospace industry, owning factories across America which sells more products to the US Department of Defence than they do to Britain’s Ministry of Defence.

[Webstral]

I said we don't care about other countries. RN7, your so-called "facts" are media inventions intended to support a foreign policy based on appeasement and an education system in which American children are forced to learn more about other countries (with their foreign languages and Devil worship) than their own native English and Jesus.

(How was that? Am I ready for my own 30-minute slot four times a week?)

I don't need to tell all my compatriots that I write the aforegoing with the highest level of irony, I hope.

[dude_uk]

Nu-uh!

Obama gave David Cameron the totally secret "best super-dooper friends forever" handshake. I saw it on TV!

[95th Rifleman]

ant to see example sof countries with isolationist policies, look at Iran and North Korea.

[RN7]

I said we don't care about other countries. RN7, your so-called "facts" are media inventions intended to support a foreign policy based on appeasement and an education system in which American children are forced to learn more about other countries (with their foreign languages and Devil worship) than their own native English and Jesus.

(How was that? Am I ready for my own 30-minute slot four times a week?)

I don't need to tell all my compatriots that I write the aforegoing with the highest level of irony, I hope.

I think you need a good rest!

And the so-called facts are what they are, facts.

[Panther Al]

From looking the wikileaks list and a few other things there are quite a few things America should be caring about.

1) Oil and Energy: America's oil is running out. Every day America consumes 20 million barrels of oil. Half of this oil is imported from abroad, mainly from Canada, Saudi Arabia, Mexico and Venezuela. The largest oil and gas producer in America is a British oil company (BP), and two British oil companies (BP and Shell) own ten American oil refineries, nine deep water oil fields in the Gulf of Mexico, run the Prudhoe Bay oil field in Alaska and own 40,000 service stations across America. America also imports a lot of its electricity from Canada, well over $2 billion worth, and oil and gas pipelines important to America cross Canadian territory.

2) Mineral resources: Excluding coal most of the world’s major mineral resources are located outside of America. The main suppliers are located in Africa, Australia, Russia, Latin America and Canada, and the main producers of certain radioactive and refractory metals and rare earth metals are China and Russia. Western and certain state owned mining corporations dominate the exploitation of these resources, but the dominant mining companies from the developed world are not American but British owned or controlled; Rio Tinto, Anglo-American and BHP Billiton, who between them dominate the mining and processing of iron ore, aluminium, copper and nickel as well as diamonds, platinum, uranium and a host of other minerals. These companies also mine within America; borates in California and Colorado, copper in Arizona and Utah, coal in New Mexico and Wyoming, and drill oil and gas in Arkansas and the Gulf of Mexico.

3) Communications: If America needs to make a phone call, send an e-mail or fax, download an image or i-tune from a non-American website or look at satellite TV, seven undersea communications stations linking America with rest of the world are in Japan and ten more are in Britain. Three commercial satellite ground stations, including the world’s biggest, that is important to America are in Britain and owned by British companies.

4: Foreign Debt: China and Japan own more than two trillion dollars worth of US Treasury Securities, and another two trillion dollars worth of US Treasury Securities is owned by Britain, Brazil, Taiwan, Switzerland, Russia, Belgium, Germany, a number of oil exporting countries and banking centres in the Caribbean.

5) Medical Vaccines: Certain vaccines for diseases and medical treatments are produced by a small number of large biochemistry companies, some are American owned but most are not. Most of these products are only made in Europe by European companies mainly from Germany, Britain, France, Switzerland and Scandinavia, or Australia and Canada .

6) Machinery & Equipment: Certain types of metal fabrication machines are only made in Japan and Turkey. Certain types of power generators, components and turbines are only made in France, Germany, Japan and Mexico. Many types of chemicals and equipment are only made in Germany, and most medical radioisotopes are made in Canada.

7) Defence Equipment: Many vehicles, electronics and critical components in weapons used by the American forces are made in Britain, Canada, Germany and Israel by foreign owned companies. Canadian factories produce the Stryker armoured vehicle, electrics and optical systems and material for the AGM-130 missile. British companies produce munitions and components for the F-35 and missiles, components for US nuclear submarines, and vehicles, gears and transmissions for US military vehicles in South Africa.

8) Military Bases: A number of countries are important to the US Armed forces through the use of their military, air and naval bases; Principally Britain, Germany, Italy, Japan, Saudi Arabia, South Korea, Turkey, Canada and recently Australia. Britain also allows American forces uses of her bases at Gibraltar and Cyprus, and the British island territory of Diego Garcia in the Indian Ocean also houses considerable US forces and facilities. Many countries also share their intelligence assets with America, none more so than Britain were a number of bases are critically important to the US intelligence community. Molesworth houses the Joint Intelligence Center for US Defence Intelligence Agency and the National Geospatial Intelligence Agency. Flyingdales is part of America’s BMEWS network, alongside Clear Air force station in Alaska and Thule air base in Greenland. Flyingdales has a large AESA radar with range of over 3,000 miles and is a tracking facility for America’s National Missile Defence (NMD). The communication intercept and missile warning station at Menwith Hill is believed to be the largest electronic monitoring station in the world, and is a ground base for numerous American satellites operated by the National Reconnaissance Office on behalf of the NSA. GCHQ Bude is a satellite and signals intelligence base whose antennas are used to monitor the satellites of the INTELSAT, Intersputnik and INMARSAT communications networks over the Atlantic, Africa and the Indian Ocean, as well the Middle East and mainland Europe.

9) Foreign Ownership of America: Six countries (Britain, Japan, Netherlands, Canada, Germany and France) own more than 1.5 trillion dollars worth of America. Direct foreign investment in America came to the fore in the 1980’s when Japan started buying up swaths of New York and Californian real estate and car makers such as Toyota and Honda started making cars in America, however it has gone on since American independence. Of all the direct foreign investment in America close to 500 billion dollars of that is owned by Great Britain, including over 100 billion dollars worth of America’s manufacturing sector. Two British companies; BAE and Rolls Royce are major players in America’s defence and aerospace industry, owning factories across America which sells more products to the US Department of Defence than they do to Britain’s Ministry of Defence.

Not to pick nits, but...


As to Oil, you haven't been keeping track of things by the looks of it. Proven Oil Reserves (IE, Oil that we *know* is there, not that we *think* is there) has never been higher. In fact, the US is a net *exporter* of petroleum products, and we haven't touched the majority of those reserves inside the US or in Canada. I won't get into why as that will go political faster than anything - and this a bad thing. ;)

And while you are correct on the amount of foreign ownership of domestic mines and manufacturing centres, those are still *inside* the US: They can always have the ownership status changed in the case of a national emergency. In fact, having worked for a company that is involved in manufacturing, there is standard clauses inserted in the purchase contracts that specify the conditions where that can happen. Not easy mind, but...


But, if the crap well and truly hit the fan, that wouldn't be an issue.

And lets not forget that Europe was only able to do what it did in Libya because the US provided everything - after all, everyone else ran out of munitions by and large very early in the game (And to be fair, thats more because of the post cold war drawdown, and everyone got used to uncle sammie and the handouts he gives out) - and midair refuelling was all provided by the US.


Its very chic to america bash - and to be fair, sometimes we deserve it. But don't be blind about and remember all the things that wouldn't be so nice in all those other countries if it wasn't for that peculiar mix of kind hearted, friendly, weird, aggressive, and generous with anything jingoism that is America. ;)


And remember the source, and the sources source. A site hosted by someone who avows that he hates everything that America stands for, and a traitor that agrees with all that the former believes in. Doesn't mean that what was post was a lie: Its probably not. Its just judicially cherry picked to make the point they want it to make.

[Webstral]

I think you need a good rest!

And the so-called facts are what they are, facts.

Ah! So I didn't make it clear that I meant nothing of what I wrote. Was it the lack of emoticons? Obviously I'm no good at pretending to be parochial and/or arch-conservative AND having my readers understand that I'm just playing. I'll stick to being humorless.

[RN7]

Not to pick nits, but...


As to Oil, you haven't been keeping track of things by the looks of it. Proven Oil Reserves (IE, Oil that we *know* is there, not that we *think* is there) has never been higher. In fact, the US is a net *exporter* of petroleum products, and we haven't touched the majority of those reserves inside the US or in Canada. I won't get into why as that will go political faster than anything - and this a bad thing. ;).

Of course America's got loads of oil, its proven oil reserves are about 35 billion barrels according to the US Geological Survey, and sure Canada has loads of oil but its not in America. However the countries that export the most oil to America have a lot more (Canada-175 bb, Saudi Arabia-265 bb, Mexico-140 bb and Venezuela-300 bb) and unlike America who consumes 20 million barrels of oil a day, they consume considerably less even if you add China who is the second largest consumer in the world to their consumption figures.

Also America exports petroleum products, jet fuels, heating oil and gasoline, due to the fact it has the world biggest and most extensive refining industry, but it does not export barrels of crude oil in any large quantities that I'm aware of.

America's control of the world oil industry, even its own, has declined. It is still is word biggest consumer of oil by a country mile, it has the worlds biggest refining, drilling and exploitation industry, and is home to the worlds biggest oil company and home to many others, but it does not dominate the world oil industry as it did a quarter of a century ago.


And while you are correct on the amount of foreign ownership of domestic mines and manufacturing centres, those are still *inside* the US: They can always have the ownership status changed in the case of a national emergency. In fact, having worked for a company that is involved in manufacturing, there is standard clauses inserted in the purchase contracts that specify the conditions where that can happen. Not easy mind, but....

I think you will find that most countries have the same attitude and rules towards foreign ownership of their companies and resources. In fact America itself owns considerable parts of the economy and real estate of other countries in the developed and developing world, and I would't care to estimate how much of China's high value export manufacturing sector is controlled from the States. But America seems to have double standards about foreign ownership of its own industry and infrastructure. Its a crisis when China takes over a technology firm, or the Japanese build another car factory, or the Arabs buy a few docks and cranes, but its ok when the British buy swathes of America's oil and gas infrastructure or take over and open up factories that build parts for the entire American aerospace sector including the F-22 and B-2 Bomber.


But, if the crap well and truly hit the fan, that wouldn't be an issue.

And lets not forget that Europe was only able to do what it did in Libya because the US provided everything - after all, everyone else ran out of munitions by and large very early in the game (And to be fair, thats more because of the post cold war drawdown, and everyone got used to uncle sammie and the handouts he gives out) - and midair refuelling was all provided by the US.


Its very chic to america bash - and to be fair, sometimes we deserve it. But don't be blind about and remember all the things that wouldn't be so nice in all those other countries if it wasn't for that peculiar mix of kind hearted, friendly, weird, aggressive, and generous with anything jingoism that is America. ;)


And remember the source, and the sources source. A site hosted by someone who avows that he hates everything that America stands for, and a traitor that agrees with all that the former believes in. Doesn't mean that what was post was a lie: Its probably not. Its just judicially cherry picked to make the point they want it to make.

I would agree with most of what you say and I'm no America basher, but getting back to facts. The fact is that America is exposed to and dependent on the outside world far more than it cares to know.

[RN7]

Ah! So I didn't make it clear that I meant nothing of what I wrote. Was it the lack of emoticons? Obviously I'm no good at pretending to be parochial and/or arch-conservative AND having my readers understand that I'm just playing. I'll stick to being humorless.

Did you have a good sleep Webstral ;)