Over a Barrel: Breaking the Middle East Oil Cartel

By Raymond J. Learsey

Book Overview

Longtime commodities trader Raymond J. Learsy lifts the veil of the Mideast oil cartel, showing how OPEC manipulates the oil markets and destabilizes the world's economy. With refreshing candor and an insider's perspective, Learsy explains how OPEC: twists bogus perceptions of oil scarcity to hike prices and gain political power is compromised by Islamist terrorist connections that fuel anti-American hatred with dollars from our own wallets keeps Third-World nations in abject poverty despite their rich oil deposits and became the de facto master of Iraq's newly liberated oil fields A sharp, sweeping survey of OPEC's methods of economic dominance, this book explains how to bust the Mideast oil cartel and chart our own course toward energy independence.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1595550364
• ISBN13: 9781595550361
• Release Date: January 2005
• Publisher: Nelson Current
• Length: 274 Pages
• Weight: 0.05 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.1" x 5.7" x 8.6"

Customer Reviews

Politics and Wall Street Trump Math and Science

I already stated my opinion as a reply to Dr Heinberg's criticism of the book. However I summarize my reply into a comment. "Over a Barrel": Breaking The Middle East Oil Cartel knows that Politicians and Financiers rule the world. The poor naive Scientists and Mathematicians believe that Theories and Algorithms will always be trumped By The President and his family's friends in Saudi Arabia. The book is a must read for every naive American voter before November, 2008. Otherwise; They will place another man in The White House who is owned by The Oil Special Interest countries and corporations.

The truth about the oil cartel, with a plan to break them

I read for two reasons: entertainment and education. If a book fails at achieving one of the two, then I consider it a waste of time. However, Raymond Learsy's commentary on the current oil market was hardly that. Learsy built a successful career in commodities trading and spent some of that career in the Middle East. His is the opinion of a capitalist and not a politician, which is a breath of fresh air for someone with limited knowledge on the current subject.In this book, Learsy tackles the problem of America's dependence on foreign oil like a veteran problem-solver. He first identifies the problem clearly while also doing away with much of the myth about America's oil dependence that seems to have flooded the mainstream press as of late. He then gives an historical account of how this problem came to be including the rise to power of OPEC. Then, he gives a detailed plan for how we can get ourselves out from under the boot of OPEC and free ourselves of the shackles of foreign oil dependence. Before I read this book, I had little insight into the problem we face as a nation when it comes to energy and foreign oil dependence. Now, I realize not only the complexity of problem, but I am also aware of a way to remedy it. I have Raymond Learsy to thank for that. I think this is a book all policy makers and political leaders should read. For that matter, it's a book all voters should read. It comes highly recommended from this reviewer. Reviewed on behalf of readandreview.com

The Whole Truth

Finally, a book that debunks the myth that we are running out of oil. The author clearly and definitively proves the lies and deception wrought upon the world by OPEC and the oil majors. This book should be required reading of every American.

Open your eyes!

As a complete novice to the in's and out's of the oil market, I found Mr. Learsy's book, "Over a Barrel" an eye opening experience. I think the information is quite interesting and I am surprised that his incites into the connection of between the extremely high price of oil and the collusion that seems to exist between the Bush administration and OPEC is not more widely reported. This book is well researched and personal. Mr. Learsy is trying to reveal the facts as they are in our global race to consumption. Mr. Learsy does something quite unusual in that he combines the scholarly attention to detail and facts with the practical knowledge of the workings of the commodity market (he has been a commodities trader for years he tells us). Rarely to we find practice and theory working so closely together. He presents an argument that proves what many of us already feel; that oil prices are artificially manipulated and maintained by creating the appearance of scarcity. We are being manipulated by our fears once again. His argument for the existence of vast untapped oil reserves is quite compelling and one can feel in his prose the passion that he feels about how to change the our cultural dependency upon those who have been proven to be our enemies. I found it interesting that Mr. Learsy also offers advise on conservation and shows a way towards reducing our overwhelming dependency upon oil. As i was reading the book i was expecting an argument for greater consumption and was surprised by his ideas for energy efficiency and the reduction of waste. this is definitely recommended reading for anyone who wants to understand why oil prices, and especially the prices at the pump, are so high.