Unsettling Reverberations
Chapter 43
The news spread like an uncontrollable wildfire across the globe in a matter of a few days. Everyone was clamoring for more information, more detail about the affair that was now rocking the oil industry and the public’s psyche. Everyone was looking for heads to roll along with a rollback of oil prices to boot. Suspicions now abounded about OPEC and its role in price and quota fixing for greater profit. Many believed that free market economics based on supply and demand had been thrown out the window in favor of a rigged system controlled by the member states. The organization wasn’t considered either fair or transparent by many who tired of the high gas prices at the pump. Something needed to be done and done soon because the credibility of OPEC in the eyes of the world was taking a nosedive.
The Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries called an emergency meeting of its members at its headquarters in Vienna to urgently discuss the matter. The delegation from Bhutar begged off saying it was too busy with domestic unrest to attend. It thought it still had a little face to save and didn’t want to be publically berated by the other nations. The embarrassment factor was simply too high to tolerate in its opinion. In the end, it made no difference whether Bhutar attended or not. Its fate was already sealed and not for the better.
It turned out the meeting was short lived. The vote to expel Bhutar from the organization was 12 yes votes and one abstention. Bhutar would no longer be able to play with the big boys to set quotas and prices for black gold. It would be on its own and suffer the vicissitudes of the international markets and its marketers. And its economy would feel the consequences.
Pet, Jabbar and I were called to New York to present our findings to the staffers of the United Nations Security Council. It too would hold a special hearing on what was now being called the Bhutar Debacle by the press. We spent two days testifying about our investigation, but, more importantly, turned over copies of the documents lifted from Vlad’s computer. Our interrogators couldn’t believe the amount of information that Vlad had compiled over a six month period while working on behalf of the Bhutaris. It was all incriminating and all led directly to the doorstep of the Bhutari government.
Sanctions were called for and received without a dissenting vote or voice. The permanent members demanded a resolution to punish Bhutar for its misdeeds relating to both supporting terrorism and market manipulations. It would no longer be able to participate in trade negotiations involving oil and would have to abandon its support of terrorism, both in word and deed. People would be watching over its shoulder to ensure compliance with the edict. And any cheating or fibbing would result in additional sanctions by the council.
The outrage felt by other countries spilled over into an array of unilateral actions to further isolate and punish Bhutar. Longstanding trade agreements were breached, diplomatic relations broken and Bhutari products, namely oil, boycotted by many consumers in the international community. The shunned country was now struggling to keep its economic head above water. It was a dire sink or swim situation and Bhutar couldn’t even tread water. It was drowning in a sea of sharp rebukes, criticisms and admonishments for its unforgivable misdeeds. Its credibility sank in the eyes of the world and only one nation threw out a life preserver.
The United States refrained from sanctioning Bhutar and the reason was the huge American airbase on its soil. It was strategically vital to the American military to keep it up and operating at all costs as a stabilizing influence in the region and projection of U.S. might throughout the Middle East. It was to our advantage to do so and simply a matter of realpolitik of the geopolitical variety. Our country’s national security interests always came first. And there could be no room for a second place finish in this dangerous world.