Mr T
Senior Member
The British and especially the French are very keen on preserving their colonial influence and advantages
Libya is a former Italian colony. Britain and France administered it after the war, but allowed it to gain independence a matter of years later. Whereas France fought tooth and nail to stop Algeria becoming independent. So you're talking rubbish.
I didn't talk about prices, I talked about supply, and leverage in negotiations. This is called the strategic picture, not immediately visible or short term results. And check the news, earlier this month the Saudis FAILED to convince the rest of OPEC to increase production.
Eh, what are you talking about? There's no shortage of oil for NATO members, so prices are what count. And the Saudis released supplies because OPEC wouldn't increase production. They've also indicated they will personally increase production. They don't need a permission slip from OPEC to do that. Which is why some other OPEC members like Iran and Venezuela are angry, as they need oil prices as high as possible to bolster their domestic support.
Making deals with Qaddafi makes him stronger in the long run, why do that when there's a golden opportunity for an intervention and overthrow him?
Who cares if Gaddafi is strong if you want access to Libya's resources? Better to be best friends with him.
Afghanistan and Libya are at least blatantly different in one respect, geography. Look at where each country is and it's no surprise Afghanistan made deals with China. At the same time those are not the only deals nor the biggest deals Afghanistan is making.
Good grief, man, we live in the 21st century, not the 19th! Geography isn't a bar to investment or mining contracts to the extent you suggest it is. Look at all the investment China has already run into Africa. Which continent do you think Libya is part of?! And don't you even know that China was buying a fair chunk of Libyan oil before the war? Don't you think it could do the same afterwards?
And my point, which you miserably failed to note, is that helping someone establish a government is no guarantee against them making deals with other countries.