Wednesday, March 12, 2003
[posted by jaed at 7:54 PM]It's all about the oil:
The French oil company, TotalFinaElf, has been much discussed amid speculation that its remarkably rich deals with Saddam Hussein are a big part of the motive for Chirac's actions. EuroPundits offers a brief history of the company (where are the permalinks?? Scroll down to the March 9 post titled "France's Mighty Elf"):
It reported a 2002 net income of 6.26 billion euros, with operations in hydrocarbons and chemicals that span Europe, Africa, North & South America, as well as the Middle and Far East. (1) What is it? Total Fina Elf: France's massive petrochemical company that, for over 40 years, has made and dethroned African leaders with the consent, if not the support, of the French government.
In order to understand France's Elf, you have to understand its history...
