{"id":227926,"date":"2023-01-23T12:00:28","date_gmt":"2023-01-23T12:00:28","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/?p=227926"},"modified":"2025-01-10T15:06:28","modified_gmt":"2025-01-10T15:06:28","slug":"perus-natural-resources-cia-linked-us-ambassador-meets-with-mining-and-energy-ministers-to-talk-investments","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/2023\/01\/perus-natural-resources-cia-linked-us-ambassador-meets-with-mining-and-energy-ministers-to-talk-investments\/","title":{"rendered":"Peru\u2019s Natural Resources: CIA-linked US Ambassador Meets with Mining and Energy Ministers to Talk \u2018Investments\u2019"},"content":{"rendered":"<blockquote><p><em>Peru has large reserves of copper, gold, zinc, silver, lead, iron, and natural gas. After a coup overthrew left-wing President Pedro Castillo on 7 Dec 2022, the US ambassador, CIA veteran Lisa Kenna, met with mining and energy ministers to discuss \u201cinvestments\u201d. Europe is importing Peruvian LNG to replace Russian energy.<\/em><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<div id=\"attachment_227927\" style=\"width: 560px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/Peru-mining-US-ambassador-CIA-1536x864-1.jpg\" ><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-227927\" class=\"wp-image-227927\" src=\"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/Peru-mining-US-ambassador-CIA-1536x864-1-1024x576.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"550\" height=\"309\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/Peru-mining-US-ambassador-CIA-1536x864-1-1024x576.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/Peru-mining-US-ambassador-CIA-1536x864-1-300x169.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/Peru-mining-US-ambassador-CIA-1536x864-1-768x432.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/Peru-mining-US-ambassador-CIA-1536x864-1.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 550px) 100vw, 550px\" \/><\/a><p id=\"caption-attachment-227927\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">CIA veteran and US ambassador in Peru, Lisa Kenna, with the country&#8217;s mining minister, on 18 Jan 2023<\/p><\/div>\n<p><em>20 Jan 2023 &#8211; <\/em>The US ambassador in Peru, Lisa Kenna, is a CIA veteran who supported a <a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/geopoliticaleconomy.com\/2022\/12\/10\/peru-coup-president-pedro-castillo\/\" >parliamentary coup in December 2022<\/a> that overthrew the South American nation\u2019s democratically elected left-wing president, Pedro Castillo.<\/p>\n<p>Castillo was subsequently imprisoned for 18 months without due process, setting off massive protests across Peru. The unelected government responded with extreme violence, killing approximately 50 protesters in just over a month.<\/p>\n<p>One day before the December 7 coup, the former <a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/geopoliticaleconomy.com\/2022\/12\/14\/coup-us-ambassador-peru-cia\/\" >CIA officer turned US ambassador met with Peru\u2019s defense minister<\/a>, who then told the country\u2019s powerful military to turn against President Castillo.<\/p>\n<p>httpv:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=WNR_CI2U__w<\/p>\n<p>Since then, Kenna has been quite busy, regularly meeting with top officials in Peru\u2019s coup government, including unelected President Dina Boluarte and her ministers.<\/p>\n<p>On January 18, the US ambassador sat down with Peru\u2019s minister of energy and mining, as well as its vice minister of hydrocarbons and vice minister of mining.<\/p>\n<p>Peru\u2019s Ministry of Energy and Mines boasted that they discussed \u201cinvestment\u201d opportunities and plans to \u201cdevelop\u201d and \u201cexpand\u201d the extractive industries.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"500\" data-dnt=\"true\">\n<p lang=\"es\" dir=\"ltr\">\ud83d\udd34 Un di\u00e1logo institucional de alto nivel entre Per\u00fa y Estados Unidos, que abord\u00f3 temas de desarrollo del sector minero, sostuvo hoy el ministro Oscar Vera Gargurevich y Lisa Kenna, embajadora estadounidense en el Per\u00fa. <a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/USAmbPeru?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" >@USAmbPeru<\/a> <a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/35CRV5unSl\" >pic.twitter.com\/35CRV5unSl<\/a><\/p>\n<p>&mdash; Ministerio de Energ\u00eda y Minas (@MinemPeru) <a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/MinemPeru\/status\/1615863013868707841?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" >January 19, 2023<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p>Peru is a country rich in natural resources, especially minerals. Spanish colonialists exploited the South American nation\u2019s substantial silver and gold reserves, and today transnational corporations see it as a very profitable resource hub.<\/p>\n<p>One of Earth\u2019s top producers of <a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/fondoeditorial.up.edu.pe\/uncategorized\/la-investigacion-sobre-mineria-en-el-peru\/\" >copper, lead, zinc, tin, silver, and gold<\/a>, Peru\u2019s economy relies heavily on the mining sector, which represents more than half of total national exports and over 10% of GDP.<\/p>\n<p>The world\u2019s three largest transnational mining corporations \u2013 BHP, Rio Tinto, and Glencore \u2013 are heavily invested in Peru, along with other prominent companies from Canada, Brazil, Switzerland, Britain, the US, Japan, and Australia.<\/p>\n<p>Peru is the planet\u2019s second-biggest <a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.visualcapitalist.com\/visualizing-the-worlds-largest-copper-producers\/\" >copper producer<\/a> (after its neighbor Chile), meaning it will become increasingly important in the global shift toward renewable energy technologies.<\/p>\n<p>US investment banking giant Goldman Sachs stated in 2022 that \u201c<a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.goldmansachs.com\/insights\/pages\/copper-is-the-new-oil.html\" >copper is the new oil<\/a>\u201d, writing: \u201cThe critical role copper will play in achieving the Paris climate goals cannot be overstated\u2026 As the most cost-effective conductive material, copper sits at the heart of capturing, storing and transporting these new sources of energy\u201d.<\/p>\n<p>Peru is also a significant producer of liquified natural gas (LNG). Its LNG exports are largely overseen by foreign corporations like Shell.<\/p>\n<p>Europe became the top importer of Peruvian LNG in 2022, after the European Union boycotted Russian energy over the <a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/geopoliticaleconomy.com\/2022\/12\/29\/cia-nato-sabotage-attacks-russia\/\" >proxy war in Ukraine<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>While natural resources are not the only reason for these coups in Latin America, they are a significant factor.<\/p>\n<p>Following the violent putsch in Peru\u2019s mineral-rich neighbor Bolivia in 2019, a critic wrote to billionaire Elon Musk on Twitter, \u201cYou know what wasn\u2019t in the best interest of people? The US government organizing a coup against Evo Morales in Bolivia so you could obtain the lithium there\u201d.<\/p>\n<p>Musk replied, \u201c<a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/peoplesdispatch.org\/2020\/07\/28\/we-will-coup-whoever-we-want-elon-musk-and-the-overthrow-of-democracy-in-bolivia\/\" >We will coup whoever we want! Deal with it<\/a>\u201d.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-8421\" src=\"https:\/\/geopoliticaleconomy.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/Elon-Musk-Bolivia-coup-whoever-we-want.jpg\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 539px) 100vw, 539px\" srcset=\"https:\/\/geopoliticaleconomy.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/Elon-Musk-Bolivia-coup-whoever-we-want.jpg 539w, https:\/\/geopoliticaleconomy.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/Elon-Musk-Bolivia-coup-whoever-we-want-300x211.jpg 300w\" alt=\"Elon Musk Bolivia coup whoever we want\" width=\"539\" height=\"379\" \/><\/p>\n<h3>Peru\u2019s President Castillo: \u2018We want our natural resources to directly benefit the people\u2019<\/h3>\n<p>When he ran for office in 2021, left-wing presidential candidate Pedro Castillo had made one of the central themes of his campaign the need to reassert popular control over Peru\u2019s natural resources.<\/p>\n<p>Condemning foreign companies for \u201cpillaging\u201d the country, he called to <a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.larepublica.co\/globoeconomia\/socialista-pedro-castillo-apunta-a-renegociar-convenios-tributarios-de-mineras-en-peru-3179618\" >renegotiate contracts<\/a> to ensure that 70% of all proceeds from mining went to the state, to fund social programs.<\/p>\n<p>A few weeks before the presidential elections, Castillo said, \u201cLet\u2019s be clear: these decades of betrayal, corruption, and cynicism are the symptoms of this neoliberal system dedicated exclusively to the <a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/PedroCastilloTe\/status\/1361683551448662018\" >exploitation of our people and natural resources<\/a> for the benefit of a few scoundrels\u201d.<\/p>\n<p>When he entered office, Castillo was very limited in what he could do politically. The right-wing opposition had a majority in the congress, and they were hellbent on destabilizing and eventually removing him with a presidential \u201cvacancy\u201d. They used Peru\u2019s legislature and the heavily politicized and corrupt judiciary to launch constant attacks against Castillo, as part of a campaign of systematic persecution and lawfare.<\/p>\n<p>But Castillo did what he could. The president announced a \u201csecond agrarian reform\u201d and declared, \u201cWe are <a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.gob.pe\/institucion\/presidencia\/noticias\/586636-presidente-castillo-rescatamos-los-recursos-naturales-del-pais-para-todos-los-peruanos-en-el-marco-de-la-segunda-reforma-agraria\" >rescuing the resources of the country<\/a> for all Peruvians\u201d. He explained his goal: \u201cWe want our natural resources to <a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/gestion.pe\/peru\/politica\/pedro-castillo-queremos-que-nuestros-recursos-naturales-beneficien-directamente-al-pueblo-nndc-noticia\/\" >directly benefit the people<\/a>\u201c.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"500\" data-dnt=\"true\">\n<p lang=\"es\" dir=\"ltr\">Presidente <a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/PedroCastilloTe?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" >@PedroCastilloTe<\/a>: &quot;Hoy rescatamos los recursos del pa\u00eds para todos los peruanos. El guano de las islas permitir\u00e1 que los agricultores solventen a las familias m\u00e1s necesitadas como parte de la Segunda Reforma Agraria&quot;. <a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/hashtag\/SiempreConElPueblo?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" >#SiempreConElPueblo<\/a> <a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/MpmTebnJjN\" >pic.twitter.com\/MpmTebnJjN<\/a><\/p>\n<p>&mdash; Presidencia del Per\u00fa \ud83c\uddf5\ud83c\uddea (@presidenciaperu) <a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/presidenciaperu\/status\/1498031862022873091?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" >February 27, 2022<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p>Castillo\u2019s government made plans with left-wing <a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/elperuano.pe\/noticia\/197395-presidente-castillo-los-recursos-naturales-del-pais-tienen-que-ser-para-los-peruanos\" >President Gustavo Petro<\/a> in neighboring Colombia to develop gas infrastructure in Peru and expand internal use.<\/p>\n<p>This was part of Castillo\u2019s progressive economic model of import substitution industrialization, which aimed to grow local industry and boost domestic consumption, so Peru would not rely exclusively on low value-added exports.<\/p>\n<p>Immediately after ousting Castillo, however, Peru\u2019s coup regime returned to the neoliberal economic model of the Washington Consensus, prioritizing foreign corporate investment over internal development.<\/p>\n<p>The Ministry of Energy and Mines tweeted on January 18 that it had just conducted a \u201chigh-level institutional dialogue between Peru and the United States, which addressed themes of development of the mining sector\u201d.<\/p>\n<p>US Ambassador Kenna met with Peru\u2019s minister of energy and mining, \u00d3scar Vera Gargurevich; vice minister of hydrocarbons, Enrique Bisetti Solari; and vice minister of mining, Jaime Ch\u00e1vez Riva.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"500\" data-dnt=\"true\">\n<p lang=\"es\" dir=\"ltr\">El ministro Vera agradeci\u00f3 el apoyo del Gobierno norteamericano en temas minero-energ\u00e9ticos y reiter\u00f3 la voluntad del Gobierno Nacional, cuya prioridad es la masificaci\u00f3n del gas natural, la seguridad energ\u00e9tica y el desarrollo petroqu\u00edmico en el sur del pa\u00eds. <a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/qTc7Uv0Gvz\" >pic.twitter.com\/qTc7Uv0Gvz<\/a><\/p>\n<p>&mdash; Ministerio de Energ\u00eda y Minas (@MinemPeru) <a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/MinemPeru\/status\/1615863059255332868?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" >January 19, 2023<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p>The ministry said they discussed \u201cthemes linked to the expansion of natural gas, mining investments, and the development of renewable energies in our country\u201d.<\/p>\n<p>It added that \u201cMinister Vera was grateful for the support from the North American government in mining-energy issues, and he reiterated the will of the national government, whose priority is the expansion of natural gas, energy security, and the petrochemical development of the south of the country\u201d.<\/p>\n<h3>Mining dominates Peru\u2019s economy<\/h3>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/geopoliticaleconomy.com\/2023\/01\/19\/peru-resources-mining-gas-investment\/\" >TO CONTINUE READING Go to Original &#8211; geopoliticaleconomy.com<\/a><\/p>\n<p>_______________________________________________<\/p>\n<p><em>(Se puede <a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/geopoliticaeconomica.com\/2023\/01\/20\/recursos-peru-eeuu-cia-mineria-energia\/\" >leer este art\u00edculo en espa\u00f1ol aqu\u00ed<\/a>.)<\/em><\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 40px;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/06\/Ben-Norton.jpeg\" ><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignleft size-full wp-image-136554\" src=\"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/06\/Ben-Norton.jpeg\" alt=\"\" width=\"100\" height=\"100\" \/><\/a> <em>Benjamin Norton is an investigative journalist, analyst, writer and filmmaker. He is the founder and editor of <\/em>Multipolarista<em> and is based in Latin America.<\/em> <em>His website: <\/em><em><a target=\"_blank\" href=\"http:\/\/BenNorton.com\" >BenNorton.com<\/a><\/em><em>\u00a0<\/em> <em>(<\/em><em>Publicaciones<\/em> <em><a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/geopoliticaeconomica.com\/author\/benjamin-norton\/\" >en espa\u00f1ol aqu\u00ed<\/a><\/em><em>.)<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>20 Jan 2023 &#8211; Peru has large reserves of copper, gold, zinc, silver, lead, iron, and natural gas. After a coup overthrew left-wing President Pedro Castillo on 7 Dec 2022, the US ambassador, CIA veteran Lisa Kenna, met with mining and energy ministers to discuss \u201cinvestments\u201d. Europe is importing Peruvian LNG to replace Russian energy.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":227927,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[53],"tags":[867,417,232,550,393,555,626,1126,1050,541,2139,2060,329,2137,70],"class_list":["post-227926","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-latin-america-and-the-caribbean","tag-anglo-america","tag-bullying","tag-capitalism","tag-corruption","tag-coup","tag-elites","tag-greed","tag-hegemony","tag-imperialism","tag-latin-america-caribbean","tag-peru","tag-profits","tag-resources","tag-south-america","tag-usa"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/227926","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=227926"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/227926\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":284861,"href":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/227926\/revisions\/284861"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/227927"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=227926"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=227926"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=227926"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}