CIAO Focus, March 2010

Back to focus index

CIAO Focus, June 2010: America’s Dependence on Foreign Oil

Monthly data on the origins of crude oil imports in March 2010 has been released and it shows that three countries exported more than 1.00 million barrels per day to the United States. The top five exporting countries accounted for 66 percent of United States crude oil imports in March while the top ten sources accounted for approximately 86 percent of all U.S. crude oil imports. The top five sources of US crude oil imports for March were Canada (2.020 million barrels per day), Saudi Arabia (1.149 million barrels per day), Mexico (1.086 million barrels per day), Venezuela (0.984 million barrels per day), and Nigeria (0.939 million barrels per day). The rest of the top ten sources, in order, were Angola (0.490 million barrels per day), Iraq (0.475 million barrels per day), Brazil (0.299 million barrels per day), Algeria (0.276 million barrels per day), and Russia (0.248 million barrels per day). Total crude oil imports averaged 9.292 million barrels per day in March, which is an increase of 0.612 million barrels per day from February 2010.

Canada remained the largest exporter of total petroleum in March, exporting 2.517 million barrels per day to the United States, which is an increase from last month (2.490 thousand barrels per day). The second largest exporter of total petroleum was Mexico with 1.265 million barrels per day.

Source: U.S. Energy Information Administration

From the CIAO Database:

Five Alternatives that Make More Sense than Offshore Oil

The Political Economy of Oil in the U.S.-Iran Crisis: U.S. globalized oil interests vs. Iranian regional interests

Oil or Climate Politics? Avoiding a Destabilising Resource Split in the Arab Middle East

Blood Oil in the Niger Delta

Nigeria: A Prime Example of the Resource Curse? Revisiting the Oil-Violence Link in the Niger Delta

Outside Sources: *

How Dependent are we on Foreign Oil? (U.S. Energy Information Administration)
http://www.eia.doe.gov/energy_in_brief/foreign_oil_dependence.cfm

Oil Dependence is a Dangerous Habit (Center for American Progress)
http://www.americanprogress.org/issues/2010/01/oil_imports_security.htm

lBP disaster and climate talks in Bonn (Financial Times Podcast)
http://www.americanprogress.org/issues/2010/01/oil_imports_security.html

Extent of BP's Liability Still Murky (NPR)
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=127561028

* Outside links are not maintained. For broken outside links, CIAO recommends the Way Back Machine.

Back to focus index

CIAO Focus, May 2010: Debt Crisis in Greece

Greece reached agreement with the International Monetary Fund (IMF), the European Commission, and the European Central Bank (ECB) on a focused program to stabilize its economy, become more competitive, and restore market confidence with the support of a €110 billion (about $145 billion) financing package.

Negotiators…wrapped up details of the package, involving budget cuts, a freeze in wages and pensions for three years, and tax increases to address Greece's fiscal and debt problems, along with deep reforms designed to strengthen Greece’s competitiveness and revive stalled economic growth.

In Athens, Greek prime minister, George Papandreou, announced the unprecedented deal, meant to shore up Greek finances with decisive upfront measures and prevent a crisis of confidence from undermining the Greek economy and spreading to other members of the eurozone and elsewhere. The measures, representing a break from the past, aim to bring Greece’s public finances under control and modernize the Greek economy.

--International Monetary Fund

From the CIAO Database:

Adjustment Difficulties in the GIPSY Club

Foreign Trade Specialization and International Competitiveness of Greece, Portugal, Spain, Turkey and the EU 12

Is Greece heading for default?

How Did the 2008 Economic Crisis Affect: Social and Political Solidarity in Europe?

CIAO Atlas: Greece

Outside Sources: *

Greece Debt Crisis (Financial Times)
http://www.ft.com/greece

Europe’s Test—What Greece’s Debt Crisis Means for the World (Carnegie Endowment)
http://www.carnegieendowment.org/publications/index.cfm?fa=view&id=31009

Greece debt crisis: timeline (The Guardian)
http://www.guardian.co.uk/business/2010/may/05/greece-debt-crisis-timeline

World Bank Dialogue with Greece
http://web.worldbank.org/WBSITE/EXTERNAL/COUNTRIES/WBEUROPEEXTN/GREECEEXTN/0,,contentMDK:20239856~hlPK:478802~menuPK:391218~pagePK:141137~piPK:217854~theSitePK:391212,00.html

* Outside links are not maintained. For broken outside links, CIAO recommends the Way Back Machine.

Back to focus index