Many would regard the middle of a pandemic-induced economic crisis as the wrong time to sound the alarm about the potential dangers of profligate government spending. But as US President Joe Biden’s proposed $1.9 trillion economic rescue plan works its way through Congress, it is not only Republicans who are asking whether providing too much fiscal stimulus could be just as risky as delivering too little.
SÃO PAULO – Brazil is poised to take its place among the world’s petro-powers. Estimates of its newfound oil reserves place it in eighth place among oil-producing nations, ahead of Nigeria as well as Brazil’s rival for influence in Latin America,Venezuela. Such newfound wealth is normally a source of celebration. But Brazil’s President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, perhaps fearing the infamous “resource curse” that has blighted the development of so many countries blessed with mineral wealth, is determined that the new oil wealth not be turned into “nonsense.”
In 2007, huge oil deposits were discovered off Brazil’s coast. Modest estimates put these reserves at around 30 billion barrels. Crédit Suisse and other investment banks say that 50 billion barrels are available.
The discovery is the result of a strategic policy maintained through successive Brazilian administrations, something unusual in Latin America. In 1989, when the Iraq-Iran war sent shivers among oil-consuming nations, Brazil began to explore for energy both within and beyond its 200-nautical-mile protected zone. The size of the oceanic areas involved was enormous, thus earning the term “Blue Amazonia.”
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