When I last wrote about the crisis in Egypt, I mused that it was different from Tiananmen Square in that the media being used to organize protestors in China was fax, but in Egypt the internet, specifically Facebook and Twitter were being used. Well, it turns out that I was optimistic about the ability of social media to thwart the information crack-down of governments. Egypt turned off the internet. And people went back to the old technologies of fax and ham radio. Where there’s a will, there is a way.
Some of the faxes going into Egypt are copies of Wikileaks documents about Egypt. In another story in the news today, Hillary Clinton has called for a summit of U.S. ambassadors. Reports suggest that between 180 and 260 (different reports, different numbers) ambassadors have been summoned to Washington by Clinton for a first ever meeting of its kind. The agenda is reported to be a discussion of Wilikeaks impacts on foreign policy, events in Egypt, and ways to cut foreign aid in the budget.
Already the events in Egypt are driving up the price of oil, as markets become nervous about the world-wide distribution networks. On Friday crude oil hit $90/bbl, an increase of 4.3%, suggesting that oil at the pumps will be significantly higher this summer. Politicians in Washington have gone back to their respective corners, with Republicans chanting “Drill, Baby, Drill” and Democrats clamoring for increased investment in alternative fuels. I’m hoping that this crisis doesn’t make us forget the importance of protecting our clean air and clean water while we scramble to react to energy insecurity.
Driving the market jitters is the fact that Egypt is home to two important distribution points, the Suez Canal and the Sumed pipeline. The Suez Canal carries $1.8 million barrels of oil products daily, and the Sumed pipeline carries 1.1 million barrels daily. Adding to market nervousness is the proximity of Egypt to other oil producing nations, which actually produce more oil than Egypt, and could be subject to similar protests because of their repressive regimes.
The Mid-East is a powder keg, ready to explode in ways we haven’t witnessed in over 30 years. To the credit of both parties, the leaders in both chambers of congress seem to be standing shoulder to shoulder with Obama and Clinton as they find their way through their foreign policy decisions. Hopefully they will be able to calm war mongers, both foreign and domestic, and keep our supplies of fuel secure until we can move toward greater independence from oil imports.
Just as the Egyptians discovered that they needed to find new ways of communicating when the government interfered in freedom of speech, the US needs to stop retreating to comfortable corners of ideology and start talking about energy (and by extension) food security. (Don’t you just love surprise endings?)
Homework
BBC Reports on the Use of Old Technologies in Egypt
Clinton Calls For Ambassador Summit
Egypt Unrest Ignites Oil Market Fears
Carbon Footprints
Food Security
Some of the faxes going into Egypt are copies of Wikileaks documents about Egypt. In another story in the news today, Hillary Clinton has called for a summit of U.S. ambassadors. Reports suggest that between 180 and 260 (different reports, different numbers) ambassadors have been summoned to Washington by Clinton for a first ever meeting of its kind. The agenda is reported to be a discussion of Wilikeaks impacts on foreign policy, events in Egypt, and ways to cut foreign aid in the budget.
Already the events in Egypt are driving up the price of oil, as markets become nervous about the world-wide distribution networks. On Friday crude oil hit $90/bbl, an increase of 4.3%, suggesting that oil at the pumps will be significantly higher this summer. Politicians in Washington have gone back to their respective corners, with Republicans chanting “Drill, Baby, Drill” and Democrats clamoring for increased investment in alternative fuels. I’m hoping that this crisis doesn’t make us forget the importance of protecting our clean air and clean water while we scramble to react to energy insecurity.
Driving the market jitters is the fact that Egypt is home to two important distribution points, the Suez Canal and the Sumed pipeline. The Suez Canal carries $1.8 million barrels of oil products daily, and the Sumed pipeline carries 1.1 million barrels daily. Adding to market nervousness is the proximity of Egypt to other oil producing nations, which actually produce more oil than Egypt, and could be subject to similar protests because of their repressive regimes.
The Mid-East is a powder keg, ready to explode in ways we haven’t witnessed in over 30 years. To the credit of both parties, the leaders in both chambers of congress seem to be standing shoulder to shoulder with Obama and Clinton as they find their way through their foreign policy decisions. Hopefully they will be able to calm war mongers, both foreign and domestic, and keep our supplies of fuel secure until we can move toward greater independence from oil imports.
Just as the Egyptians discovered that they needed to find new ways of communicating when the government interfered in freedom of speech, the US needs to stop retreating to comfortable corners of ideology and start talking about energy (and by extension) food security. (Don’t you just love surprise endings?)
Homework
BBC Reports on the Use of Old Technologies in Egypt
Clinton Calls For Ambassador Summit
Egypt Unrest Ignites Oil Market Fears
Carbon Footprints
Food Security
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