Topic: Total Oil

Bloomberg reports that crude oil released from the U.S. Strategic Petroleum Reserve is being shipped to the port of Rotterdam in Europe by a French energy company. This move is questioned given the administration's stated goal of lowering domestic gasoline prices through these reserve releases.

Christophe de Margerie, the CEO of French oil giant Total SA, died in a plane crash at Moscow's Vnukovo Airport after his private jet collided with a snowplow. The incident occurred as de Margerie was actively pursuing energy deals with Russia despite international sanctions. The suspicious nature of the accident has led to various theories regarding potential foul play given the CEO's opposition to EU energy policies.

The Swedish Navy continues a "fucked up" hunt for a suspected Russian submarine off the coast of Stockholm. Meanwhile, the CEO of Total Oil, Christophe de Margerie, dies in a plane crash in Moscow. The hosts discuss the suspicious nature of the crash and de Margerie's opposition to sanctions against Russia, noting his 30-billion-dollar deal with Gazprom.

An analysis of President Obama's speech delivered in front of his helicopter regarding the crisis in Iraq. The summary points out that the only allies mentioned—France and the UK—are those with direct oil interests in the region (Total and BP), reinforcing the theory that the mission is about protecting the Kurdish oil corridor.

A report from a producer at NATO HQ suggests that the conflict in Mali is primarily about protecting oil pipelines and interests for companies like Total. Despite a minimal weapons cache found, international donors have pledged over $4 billion in aid to the country.

The military intervention in Mali is analyzed as a resource war rather than a counter-terrorism operation against Al-Qaeda. The hosts link the conflict to Total Oil and Qatar Petroleum's interests in newly discovered gas fields on the Mali-Algeria border, suggesting the U.S. is providing support to secure French corporate assets.