Oil Prices and Unrest in the Middle East
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Disruption in the Middle East and North Africa has sparked a host of conflicting agendas, from getting off the oil economy once and for all to increasing domestic production. What will it all mean for the price of gasoline at the pump and for economic recovery? Also, Gadhafi forces score key victories against the rebels. On Reporter's Notebook, Mattel may have a genius for marketing but, what happened to Barbie in Shanghai?
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Making News
Gadhafi Forces Score Key Victories against Rebels ()
Rumors that Moammar Gadhafi was negotiating to leave Libya have been shot down as a distraction while Libyan forces conduct devastating attacks on Zawiyah, a city just 30 miles from Tripoli, where Gadhafi has total control. We update the situation in Libya with Peter Beaumont and Julian Borger of the Guardian.
Guests:
- Peter Beaumont: Guardian of London
- Julian Borger: Guardian of London, @julianborger
Links:
Main Topic
Politics, Oil Production and the Price of Gasoline ()
Moammar Gadhafi may or may not be driven from power. In the meantime, unrest and international sanctions have cut Libya's oil production by half. On Friday, unhappy Saudi Arabians plan a "Day of Rage," threatening instability for the biggest oil supplier of all. Fear of further disruption and rank speculation on oil are driving the price of gasoline higher. The concern of most Americans is the price of gasoline by the gallon, and it's rising fast -- even though the United States has plenty on hand at the moment. Should we increase domestic oil production? Tap into strategic reserves? Or jack up the Green Economy faster, whatever the cost?
Guests:
- Matt Wald: New York Times
- Daniel Weiss: Center for American Progress
- Robert Bryce: Manhattan Institute, @pwrhungry
- Anne Korin: Institute for the Analysis of Global Security
- Toby Jones: Rutgers University
Links:
- Obama Chief-of-Staff Daley on US strategic oil reserve (Meet the Press)
- Wald on Obama's consideration of tapping strategic oil reserve
- Weiss on America's dependence on oil, the need to shrink use (USA Today)
- Bryce on high cost of discouraging domestic oil production (WSJ)
- Bryce's 'Power Hungry: The Myths of 'Green' Energy and the Real Fuels of the Future'
- Korin's 'Turning Oil into Salt: Energy Independence through Fuel Choice'
- Jones' 'Desert Kingdom: How Oil and Water Forged Modern Saudi Arabia'
Reporter's Notebook
Barbie Packs Her Bags in Shanghai ()
Two years ago, Mattel opened a six-story, 36,000 square foot store on the fiftieth anniversary of its iconic Barbie doll. Now, Mattel is shutting down the Shanghai Barbie store and eight others around the country. Mattel says its Shanghai store "successfully accomplished its mission" and that a new Barbie brand strategy will be rolled out to reach even more Chinese consumers. But Mattel isn't the only genius retailer to have trouble in the world's fastest growing economy. Veteran journalist Ted Fishman is author of China, Inc: How the Rise of the Next Superpower Challenges America and the World.
Guests:
- Ted Fishman: 'China, Inc'
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