To: elmatador who wrote (102118 ) 8/7/2013 6:42:53 PM From: Snowshoe Respond to of 219497 A Century of International Potash Intrigue bloomberg.com Despite losing World War I, Germany managed to maintain its stranglehold over the world’s potash supplies. In 1919, the Weimar government created the Reichskalirat (Potash Council) to supervise the Germany potash syndicate, or Kalisyndikat, “in accord with the general welfare of the German people.” That meant limiting production, guaranteeing high prices and levying punitive taxes on imports of potash into Germany should any other country be so foolish as to start up its own potash mines. ***** The Franco-German cartel continued to thrive through the 1930s, despite growing tensions between the two countries. New U.S. companies that entered the market in the 1930s mysteriously ended up obeying the dictates of the Kalisyndikat, suggesting the Nazis kept the cartel alive and well until the outbreak of World War II. Other nations and territories that started mining potash -- Poland, the Soviet Union, Spain, even Palestine -- entered the syndicate in return for a cut of the total production quota. The postwar order destroyed the old potash cartels, but new ones took their place. The end of the Cold War ushered in the current arrangement splitting the industry between the North American group and the now-imperiled one based in Belarus. The latest potash drama may seem like something new, with a heavyweight -- Uralkali -- looking to exit rather than police an existing syndicate. A century of history, however, suggests the end game will be the same: by robbing Belarus of profits it needs, Russia probably will gain further control over its onetime partner and with it a bigger piece of the world’s cunningly contested potash trade.