History of BP Includes Role in 1953 Iran Coup After Nationalization of Oil

[Donnachaidh]

http://www.democracynow.org/2010/5/6/history_of_bp_includes_role_in

As tens of thousands of gallons of oil continue to spew into the Gulf of Mexico from the BP oil spill we continue our series on BP. Sixty years ago, BP was called the Anglo-Iranian Oil Company. We look at the story of the company’s role in the 1953 CIA coup against Iran’s popular progressive Prime Minister Mohamed Mossadegh.


MORE at the link ---

[patrice]

1. K & R

[havocmom]

2. Yep. It's a bit of history more Americans need to learn about, and few schools will teach

Think how different today's world would be were it not for these greedy corporations setting policy for the world's leading 'democracies'. So many killed, so much suffering, so much profit from the pain of others.

[patrice]

9. They justify it all, quite successfully it appears, in the name of jobs. We need to figure out ways

to employ ourselves, cooperatively, so that we can tell BP and as many others as possible to fuck off.

[havocmom]

12. We have wars to protect oil interests because we need oil for our wars

Total insanity. The resources spent protecting oil interests from the people who have very legitimate reasons to be belligerent to oil companies and the armies that invade for them could sure be used to create industries that employ people to solve any number of other problems facing humans.

There will be economic and cultural shock no matter how we change our focus, but that is a poor reason for continuing the insanity. We took the wrong path. It is well past time to admit that, double back and travel a different route.

Always felt heaven and hell are both here, now, and available. The route determines the destination.

[dixiegrrrrl]

3. A tweet from Michael Moore:

"Interesting fact: Last time a country stood up to BP, it was Iran,
Then BP overthrew their government."

[sabrina 1]

7. MM gets it right as always.

That doesn't include the many brave citizens of countries like Colombia eg, still fighting BP today, who were murdered and tortured for standing up to them.

Makes you wonder why the supposedly most powerful nation in the world seems to be afraid to stand up to them also. We are even giving them the services of our Coast Guard and National Guard plus local law enforcement to help them protect the lies they have been telling. Something isn't right about this.

[polly7]

4. BP's Long History Of Destroying The World

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/06/08/bps-long-history-of-destr_n_604511.html

[Ernesto]

5. pretty much common knowledge

but good to be mentioned!

[Fumesucker]

6. Common knowledge?

I'd be surprised if one American in fifty knows this.

[Donnachaidh]

8. double that number for anyone under 50 years of age.

This little nugget of history is glossed over in today's history texts.

[Fumesucker]

11. I was talking to an Iranian some years back..

He was actually shocked that I knew the CIA overthrew the Mossadegh government in 1953, he said I was the first American he had ever had mention it to him although virtually all of them knew of the embassy hostage situation in 1979.

[Cresent City Kid]

10. I remember the "hostage crisis started it" rhetoric

Much like "9/11 came out of nowhere". I don't condone these reactions, but I see them as exactly that: reactions. Western govnerments and multi-national corporations were like a drunk in a bar spilling drinks on everyone and wondering why everyone wants to fight. Maybe drunk drivers plowing through pedestrians is a better analogy.