Tuesday, August 9, 2022
No Result
View All Result
Asbarez.com
NEWSLETTER
ՀԱՅ
  • Home
  • Top Stories
  • Community
  • Arts & Culture
    • Art
    • Books
    • Music
    • Theatre
    • Critics’ Forum
  • Op-Ed
    • Editorial
    • Opinon
    • Letters
  • Columns
    • By Any Means
    • My Turn
    • Three Apples
    • Community Links
    • Critics’ Forum
    • My Name is Armen
    • Living in Armenia
  • Videos
  • Sports
  • Home
  • Top Stories
  • Community
  • Arts & Culture
    • Art
    • Books
    • Music
    • Theatre
    • Critics’ Forum
  • Op-Ed
    • Editorial
    • Opinon
    • Letters
  • Columns
    • By Any Means
    • My Turn
    • Three Apples
    • Community Links
    • Critics’ Forum
    • My Name is Armen
    • Living in Armenia
  • Videos
  • Sports
No Result
View All Result
Asbarez.com
ՀԱՅ
No Result
View All Result

US Hopes to Cash in on Ukraine Crisis

by Contributor
March 6, 2014
in Featured Story, Latest, News, Top Stories
15
Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
Masses of pro-European Union demonstrators gathered in Kiev. Dec. 15, 2013. (Photo: AP)

Obama’s energy diplomacy can spell further profits for the likes of Exxon-Mobile, Halliburton while Ukraine crisis deepens.

BY ARA KHACHATOURIAN

The US is rushing to fast-track its ambitions to begin exporting its newfound natural gas resources to Europe in a scheme that is being framed as an effort by the Obama administration to undercut Russian President Vladimir Putin’s influence over Ukraine and Europe.

A front-page article in Thursday’s New York Times (“U.S. Hopes Boom in Natural Gas Can Curb Putin”) details the administration’s plan to leverage the US’s vast resources in order to exert influence in Ukraine, which is the second largest recipient of gas from the Russian state-run gas giant, Gazprom.

A closer read reveals that some greedy giants are already on the ground floor of this plan and are gearing up for a piece of this opportunity that has presented itself on the shoulders of a complicated democracy movement that has engulfed Ukraine and the former Soviet Union.

The US recently became the world’s largest natural gas producer largely by employing the controversial practice of hydraulic fracturing swath, known as fracking, which is deplored by environmental activists but embraced by President Obama, despite his advocacy for environmental protection.

“Over the past week, Congressional Republicans have joined major oil and gas producers like ExxonMobil in urging the administration to speed up oil and natural gas exports,” reported The New York Times adding that opposition by some Democrats, environmentalists and even US manufacturers has fallen on deaf ears in the Obama administration.

According to the Times, this new energy diplomacy has been at play in the State Department since 2011, when then secretary of state, Hillary Rodham Clinton, created the State Department’s Bureau of Energy Resources, installing US’s former ambassador to the Ukraine, Carlos Pascual as its head.

The New York Times reports that the 85-person bureau was created “for the purpose of channeling the domestic energy boom into a geopolitical tool to advance American interests around the world.”

Pascual told The New York Times that his team, in partnership with energy giants is helping countries to develop their own natural gas resource—aka reaping profits from resources in trouble spots while their population bleeds.

“Halliburton has started fracking for natural gas in Poland, while Shell last year signed a contract to explore for natural gas in Ukraine,” reported The New York Times.

The article acknowledges that even if fast-tracked, the flow of natural gas outside the US will not happen until 2017. Meanwhile, however, companies like Halliburton, which made a reported profit of $39 billion from the Iraq war, can cash in while the bankrupt Ukraine, which is in a dire financial crisis to feed its citizens, waits for handouts from the EU and others.

By 2017, as the oil giants line their already overflowing pockets with this Obama administration scheme, Russia has myriad opportunities to close the gas faucets to Ukraine to exert its own influence.

The US government can’t do more than pledge the $1 billion loan guarantee that Secretary of State John Kerry offered on Tuesday, and the cash-strapped EU can’t afford more than its pledge of $15 billion in aid. Yet, if the administration moves forward with its plan, energy giants can look forward to doubling, and even tripling their profits.

This is democracy at work in Washington. The US’s boom in natural gas is a boon for greedy oil companies.

Contributor

Contributor

Next Post

Armenian Genocide Survivors and the Woven Art to be Explored at CSUN

Comments 15

  1. john says:
    8 years ago

    Us style “democracy” and “human rights” in action.

    Reply
    • Andrew J Bennett Jr says:
      7 years ago

      Dick Cheney CEO of Halliburton murder the owners of Ukraine land/ GOLD. SILVER. OIL. GAS. NATURAL RESOURCES!

      Reply
  2. HARUT CHANTIKIAN says:
    8 years ago

    too little too late. If the Rusians takeover of Ukraine is succesful, Armenia will be next. 22 years of independence and corruption.

    Reply
    • James says:
      8 years ago

      I suppose you’d prefer a economically vibrant and corruption lacking future as in Portugal, Greece, Bosnia, Italy, and Ireland. Great future.

      Reply
    • GeorgeMardig says:
      8 years ago

      It is better to be taken over by Russia than Turkey

      Reply
      • HARUT CHANTIKIAN says:
        8 years ago

        I LIVED IN A COUNTRY WHERE THE CONSTITUTION WAS SUSPENDED, AND THE FREEDOM OF MOVEMENT WAS RESTRICTED. SECRET POLICE WILL VISIT A RESIDENCE IN THE MIDDLE OF THE NIGHT, AND TAKE A MEMBER OF THE FAMILY AWAY IN CUSTODY.
        FREEDOM – GEORGEMARDIG – FREEDOM

        Reply
  3. sona hamalian says:
    8 years ago

    I press “Like.”

    Reply
  4. Ani says:
    8 years ago

    Excellent article. Business as usual in Washington. Every war or coup d’etat is about how the US and its corporations can make vasts amounts of money. It’s the only way to sustain the American empire otherwise it will collapse. The involvement of the US in the Middle East for the last 60-70 years is proof of that.

    Reply
  5. Arn.Sweden. says:
    8 years ago

    The US will fail !.

    Arn.Sweden.

    Reply
  6. Hratch says:
    8 years ago

    The author wants to make it sound like it’s all about money. Of course someone’s always going to make money in everything that happens. When a person is born, someone makes money. When a person dies, someone makes money. When a person gets sick, someone’s going to make money. When a person flushes the toilet, someone is going to make money, etc…..

    We should be so lucky that there are such organizations with brilliant people to plan and execute such a scheme. What better way to curtail oligarchies and dictators who use tyranny and oppression against their weak peoples.

    Reply
  7. karakeuz says:
    8 years ago

    Another episode of regime change. This time the outcome has been a grandiose fiasco. The USA has no business, aside for its imperialistic expansion, interfering in Eastern Europe. The self appointed government in Kiev, western puppets and manequins ,will be the undertakers of the break up of the Ukraine. The reaction to this ” regime change” was predictable. It can not be expected that ethnic Russians comprising the majority in the Eastern Ukraine, Kharkov, Donetz, Odessa ( not to mention Russian Crimea) Dniepertrovs and other areas , will accept to live under the Kiev regime; who is openly hostile and antagonistic of everything Russian.. Self determination of the peoples is paramount; it trumps territorial integrity in its legal sense. The XX century Wilsonian concept which fuelled, amongst other races and etnias, the Armenian awareness for self determination and reivindication of nationhood. In Artsakh, Armenia is vindicating her right to self determination and Artsakhs inalieanble right to integrate with the motherland. In the Ukranian mess and crisis the West has created, they ought to understand that they are not dealing with jockeys at the horse races, but with a superpower with enormous natural resources,massive military strength and scientific acumen. Russia has every right to defend her ethnics; and her ethnics have every democratic right to chose their own destiny.

    Reply
  8. GB says:
    8 years ago

    Russia and Putin know how to play ENERGIZED democracy, and Snowden card!

    Reply

Leave a Reply to GeorgeMardig Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Recommended

Russian Border Guards Set Up Checkpoints In Meghri

Russian Border Guards Set Up Checkpoints In Meghri

7 hours ago
Azerbaijan to Connect to Nakhichevan Through Iran

Azerbaijan to Connect to Nakhichevan Through Iran

8 hours ago

Connect with us

  • About
  • Advertising
  • Subscribe
  • Contact

© 2021 Asbarez | All Rights Reserved | Powered By MSDN Solutions Inc.

No Result
View All Result
  • Home
  • Top Stories
  • Community
  • Arts & Culture
    • Art
    • Books
    • Music
    • Theatre
    • Critics’ Forum
  • Op-Ed
    • Editorial
    • Opinon
    • Letters
  • Columns
    • By Any Means
    • My Turn
    • Three Apples
    • Community Links
    • Critics’ Forum
    • My Name is Armen
    • Living in Armenia
  • Videos
  • Sports

© 2021 Asbarez | All Rights Reserved | Powered By MSDN Solutions Inc.

Accessibility

Accessibility modes

Epilepsy Safe Mode
Dampens color and removes blinks
This mode enables people with epilepsy to use the website safely by eliminating the risk of seizures that result from flashing or blinking animations and risky color combinations.
Visually Impaired Mode
Improves website's visuals
This mode adjusts the website for the convenience of users with visual impairments such as Degrading Eyesight, Tunnel Vision, Cataract, Glaucoma, and others.
Cognitive Disability Mode
Helps to focus on specific content
This mode provides different assistive options to help users with cognitive impairments such as Dyslexia, Autism, CVA, and others, to focus on the essential elements of the website more easily.
ADHD Friendly Mode
Reduces distractions and improve focus
This mode helps users with ADHD and Neurodevelopmental disorders to read, browse, and focus on the main website elements more easily while significantly reducing distractions.
Blindness Mode
Allows using the site with your screen-reader
This mode configures the website to be compatible with screen-readers such as JAWS, NVDA, VoiceOver, and TalkBack. A screen-reader is software for blind users that is installed on a computer and smartphone, and websites must be compatible with it.

Online Dictionary

    Readable Experience

    Content Scaling
    Default
    Text Magnifier
    Readable Font
    Dyslexia Friendly
    Highlight Titles
    Highlight Links
    Font Sizing
    Default
    Line Height
    Default
    Letter Spacing
    Default
    Left Aligned
    Center Aligned
    Right Aligned

    Visually Pleasing Experience

    Dark Contrast
    Light Contrast
    Monochrome
    High Contrast
    High Saturation
    Low Saturation
    Adjust Text Colors
    Adjust Title Colors
    Adjust Background Colors

    Easy Orientation

    Mute Sounds
    Hide Images
    Virtual Keyboard
    Reading Guide
    Stop Animations
    Reading Mask
    Highlight Hover
    Highlight Focus
    Big Dark Cursor
    Big Light Cursor
    Navigation Keys

    Asbarez.com Accessibility Statement

    Accessibility Statement

    • asbarez.com
    • August 9, 2022

    Compliance status

    We firmly believe that the internet should be available and accessible to anyone, and are committed to providing a website that is accessible to the widest possible audience, regardless of circumstance and ability.

    To fulfill this, we aim to adhere as strictly as possible to the World Wide Web Consortium’s (W3C) Web Content Accessibility Guidelines 2.1 (WCAG 2.1) at the AA level. These guidelines explain how to make web content accessible to people with a wide array of disabilities. Complying with those guidelines helps us ensure that the website is accessible to all people: blind people, people with motor impairments, visual impairment, cognitive disabilities, and more.

    This website utilizes various technologies that are meant to make it as accessible as possible at all times. We utilize an accessibility interface that allows persons with specific disabilities to adjust the website’s UI (user interface) and design it to their personal needs.

    Additionally, the website utilizes an AI-based application that runs in the background and optimizes its accessibility level constantly. This application remediates the website’s HTML, adapts Its functionality and behavior for screen-readers used by the blind users, and for keyboard functions used by individuals with motor impairments.

    If you’ve found a malfunction or have ideas for improvement, we’ll be happy to hear from you. You can reach out to the website’s operators by using the following email

    Screen-reader and keyboard navigation

    Our website implements the ARIA attributes (Accessible Rich Internet Applications) technique, alongside various different behavioral changes, to ensure blind users visiting with screen-readers are able to read, comprehend, and enjoy the website’s functions. As soon as a user with a screen-reader enters your site, they immediately receive a prompt to enter the Screen-Reader Profile so they can browse and operate your site effectively. Here’s how our website covers some of the most important screen-reader requirements, alongside console screenshots of code examples:

    1. Screen-reader optimization: we run a background process that learns the website’s components from top to bottom, to ensure ongoing compliance even when updating the website. In this process, we provide screen-readers with meaningful data using the ARIA set of attributes. For example, we provide accurate form labels; descriptions for actionable icons (social media icons, search icons, cart icons, etc.); validation guidance for form inputs; element roles such as buttons, menus, modal dialogues (popups), and others. Additionally, the background process scans all of the website’s images and provides an accurate and meaningful image-object-recognition-based description as an ALT (alternate text) tag for images that are not described. It will also extract texts that are embedded within the image, using an OCR (optical character recognition) technology. To turn on screen-reader adjustments at any time, users need only to press the Alt+1 keyboard combination. Screen-reader users also get automatic announcements to turn the Screen-reader mode on as soon as they enter the website.

      These adjustments are compatible with all popular screen readers, including JAWS and NVDA.

    2. Keyboard navigation optimization: The background process also adjusts the website’s HTML, and adds various behaviors using JavaScript code to make the website operable by the keyboard. This includes the ability to navigate the website using the Tab and Shift+Tab keys, operate dropdowns with the arrow keys, close them with Esc, trigger buttons and links using the Enter key, navigate between radio and checkbox elements using the arrow keys, and fill them in with the Spacebar or Enter key.Additionally, keyboard users will find quick-navigation and content-skip menus, available at any time by clicking Alt+1, or as the first elements of the site while navigating with the keyboard. The background process also handles triggered popups by moving the keyboard focus towards them as soon as they appear, and not allow the focus drift outside of it.

      Users can also use shortcuts such as “M” (menus), “H” (headings), “F” (forms), “B” (buttons), and “G” (graphics) to jump to specific elements.

    Disability profiles supported in our website

    • Epilepsy Safe Mode: this profile enables people with epilepsy to use the website safely by eliminating the risk of seizures that result from flashing or blinking animations and risky color combinations.
    • Visually Impaired Mode: this mode adjusts the website for the convenience of users with visual impairments such as Degrading Eyesight, Tunnel Vision, Cataract, Glaucoma, and others.
    • Cognitive Disability Mode: this mode provides different assistive options to help users with cognitive impairments such as Dyslexia, Autism, CVA, and others, to focus on the essential elements of the website more easily.
    • ADHD Friendly Mode: this mode helps users with ADHD and Neurodevelopmental disorders to read, browse, and focus on the main website elements more easily while significantly reducing distractions.
    • Blindness Mode: this mode configures the website to be compatible with screen-readers such as JAWS, NVDA, VoiceOver, and TalkBack. A screen-reader is software for blind users that is installed on a computer and smartphone, and websites must be compatible with it.
    • Keyboard Navigation Profile (Motor-Impaired): this profile enables motor-impaired persons to operate the website using the keyboard Tab, Shift+Tab, and the Enter keys. Users can also use shortcuts such as “M” (menus), “H” (headings), “F” (forms), “B” (buttons), and “G” (graphics) to jump to specific elements.

    Additional UI, design, and readability adjustments

    1. Font adjustments – users, can increase and decrease its size, change its family (type), adjust the spacing, alignment, line height, and more.
    2. Color adjustments – users can select various color contrast profiles such as light, dark, inverted, and monochrome. Additionally, users can swap color schemes of titles, texts, and backgrounds, with over 7 different coloring options.
    3. Animations – epileptic users can stop all running animations with the click of a button. Animations controlled by the interface include videos, GIFs, and CSS flashing transitions.
    4. Content highlighting – users can choose to emphasize important elements such as links and titles. They can also choose to highlight focused or hovered elements only.
    5. Audio muting – users with hearing devices may experience headaches or other issues due to automatic audio playing. This option lets users mute the entire website instantly.
    6. Cognitive disorders – we utilize a search engine that is linked to Wikipedia and Wiktionary, allowing people with cognitive disorders to decipher meanings of phrases, initials, slang, and others.
    7. Additional functions – we provide users the option to change cursor color and size, use a printing mode, enable a virtual keyboard, and many other functions.

    Browser and assistive technology compatibility

    We aim to support the widest array of browsers and assistive technologies as possible, so our users can choose the best fitting tools for them, with as few limitations as possible. Therefore, we have worked very hard to be able to support all major systems that comprise over 95% of the user market share including Google Chrome, Mozilla Firefox, Apple Safari, Opera and Microsoft Edge, JAWS and NVDA (screen readers), both for Windows and for MAC users.

    Notes, comments, and feedback

    Despite our very best efforts to allow anybody to adjust the website to their needs, there may still be pages or sections that are not fully accessible, are in the process of becoming accessible, or are lacking an adequate technological solution to make them accessible. Still, we are continually improving our accessibility, adding, updating and improving its options and features, and developing and adopting new technologies. All this is meant to reach the optimal level of accessibility, following technological advancements. For any assistance, please reach out to