Quantum's plan in QoS was about money. Not power, revenge, terror, ideology or anything else. Just money.
That's what SPECTRE was all about. Money. Except for OHMSS, in which Blofeld wanted recognition as the current Count de Bleauchamp, and amnesty from past crimes. He was simply less subtle in trying to achieve this goal than those behind Quantum. Which probably destroyed him in the end.
Quantum would be a lot scarier if they wanted to do more than just become an overpriced water utility company.
Why would you think that being "an overpriced water utility company" was all that Quantum wanted? And what's wrong with that? To control the water supply of an entire nation is pretty scary. Assuming control of any natural resource . . . is pretty damn scary. It may not be that dramatic (unless it's oil or some kind of mineral like gold or diamonds), but it's scary.
My original comment about the water company was somewhat tongue in cheek, but I did think that plan seemed rather small given that the country was ... Bolivia.
But I've been thinking more about it since reading the comments in this thread. QUANTUM's plan may have been about the money, but the plan was also a way for the film makers (Forster? Haggis?) to comment on the geopolitical dynamics:
- U.S. foreign policy in South America, i.e., dealing with thugs to get access to oil
- the UK's diminished role in the world (think about the speech that the minister gave to M)
- QUANTUM's manipulation of two major powers b/c QUANTUM tricked the US and UK into thinking there was oil
That approach is certainly in the spirit of Fleming, who often included fascinating speculations about the other fronts in the cold war, such as Istanbul or Jamaica
Obviously, this makes the plot seem even more different -- and much more ambiguous -- than plots that revolve around a madman who wants to start WWIII between two superpowers (YOLT, TSWLM, TND).
I'd be interested in hearing from anyone who can shed light on the geopolitics lurking below the surface of QOS.