Comments on: Brazilian Ethanol and The Race for Iran

By: masoud

masoud — Tue, 02 Feb 2010 18:33:50 +0000

I just wanted to make sure that there wasn’t some new tech upgrade that I was missing. I think the symbolism/politics is preciseley it. This is afterall precdent for cooperation on ‘alternative engergy’. And there are other areas of alternative energy where these two nations could cooperate. It’s actually a somewhat shockingly brazen hint for Lula to drop.

Almost as juicy is the possibility that this current spate of cooperation leads Brazil to start cooperating with Iran on building civilian aircraft which the US has prevented Iran from getting form America or Europe. Brazil only makes smaller jets, but they’re definetly a step up from the Tupolev’s of the world. This would be a huge blow to US strongarm tactics.

By: Jon Harrison

Jon Harrison — Tue, 02 Feb 2010 17:30:57 +0000

Masoud is quite right. I wasn’t saying Iran was smart in pursuing ethanol; I don’t think they are. And could the Iranians be working with Brazil more for political than for energy reasons?

By: rfjk

rfjk — Tue, 02 Feb 2010 15:23:16 +0000

Its not the Brazilian/Iranian sugarcane deal that’s the story, its what Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva said standing next to President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad of Iran, during a state visit that put the finishing touches on these bilateral economic agreements.

“We don’t have the right to think other people should think like us.”

The real story is the article Ben Katcher linked to in Newsweek:

“END OF THE ROGUE
The world that created ‘rogue states’ is gone, and the sooner Washington recognizes it, the better.”

Every now and then someone publishes an article that “gets it.” This Nader Mousavizadeh is one such fellow and a “consulting senior fellow at the International Institute for Strategic Studies in London.”

By: masoud

masoud — Tue, 02 Feb 2010 14:48:52 +0000

Food ethanol is a horrible source of energy for almost any country in the world other than brazil. Iran lives in the middle of a drought plaugued region and most years is forced to import grain to meat domestic demand. Reliance on this fuel has put an upwards pressure on food prices in South America. True, Iran may one day be forced to import uranium as well, but there is not much of an opportunity cost trade-off, it’s more of just a cash transaction. Mastering the technology is one thing, but i don’t see the logic of implementing projects of any large size. Unless i’m mistaken, and food ethanol can now effectively be made using the cellulose waste products of currently grown crops.

By: Jon Harrison

Jon Harrison — Tue, 02 Feb 2010 12:56:09 +0000

Wouldn’t they be interested in ethanol for the same reason they claim to be interested in nuclear power, that is, energy diversity? Iran has the second largest reserves of both oil and gas in the world. But those supplies will run out eventually. Additionally, the more oil and gas that can be exported the more Iran earns in hard currency, etc.

By: masoud

masoud — Tue, 02 Feb 2010 01:28:34 +0000

forgive my ignorance, but what use are biofuels to Iran?

By: JohnH

JohnH — Mon, 01 Feb 2010 23:31:30 +0000

So now we can look forward to a media campaign asserting that ethanol is an existential threat to Israel?

By: Jon Harrison

Jon Harrison — Mon, 01 Feb 2010 23:24:51 +0000

And what is the difference between Brazil and the U.S.? Brazilian policy is not a captive of Israel and the Israel Lobby. It’s as simple as that.