Consolidating Financial Information (Details 2) (USD $) In Millions	9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2011	Sep. 30, 2010
Cash Flows from Operating Activities:
TOTAL CASH FLOWS FROM OPERATING ACTIVITIES	$ (972)	$ 83
Cash Flows from Investing Activities:
Capital expenditures	(806)	(618)
Asset dispositions	68	20
Government Grants Received	55	0
Capital Contributions	0	0
Intercompany Capital Redemptions Investing Activities		0
Increase in restricted cash (Note 8)	(32)	(2)
Return of investment in The Reserve Primary Fund	0	26
TOTAL CASH FLOWS FROM INVESTING ACTIVITIES	(715)	(574)
Cash Flows from Financing Activities:
Short term debt and overdrafts incurred	190	94
Short term debt and overdrafts paid	(93)	(64)
Long term debt incurred	3,003	1,625
Long term debt paid	(1,674)	(1,229)
Proceeds from issuance of preferred stock	484
Preferred stock dividends paid	(7)	0
Common stock issued	7	1
Capital contributions	0	0
Intercompany Capital Redemptions Financing Activities		0
Intercompany dividend paid	0	0
Dividends paid to minority shareholders	(15)	(10)
Debt related costs and other transactions	(20)	(21)
TOTAL CASH FLOWS FROM FINANCING ACTIVITIES	1,875	396
Effect of exchange rate changes on cash and cash equivalents	(67)	(162)
Net Change in Cash and Cash Equivalents	121	(257)
Cash and Cash Equivalents at Beginning of the Period	2,005	1,922
Cash and Cash Equivalents at End of the Period	2,126	1,665
Parent Company [Member]
Cash Flows from Operating Activities:
TOTAL CASH FLOWS FROM OPERATING ACTIVITIES	(455)	(113)
Cash Flows from Investing Activities:
Capital expenditures	(167)	(231)
Asset dispositions	61	1
Government Grants Received	0
Capital Contributions	0	0
Intercompany Capital Redemptions Investing Activities		12
Increase in restricted cash (Note 8)	0	0
Return of investment in The Reserve Primary Fund		26
TOTAL CASH FLOWS FROM INVESTING ACTIVITIES	(106)	(192)
Cash Flows from Financing Activities:
Short term debt and overdrafts incurred	0	0
Short term debt and overdrafts paid	0	(4)
Long term debt incurred	212	993
Long term debt paid	(350)	(974)
Proceeds from issuance of preferred stock	484
Preferred stock dividends paid	(7)
Common stock issued	7	1
Capital contributions	0	0
Intercompany Capital Redemptions Financing Activities		0
Intercompany dividend paid	0	0
Dividends paid to minority shareholders	0	0
Debt related costs and other transactions	(1)	(21)
TOTAL CASH FLOWS FROM FINANCING ACTIVITIES	345	(5)
Effect of exchange rate changes on cash and cash equivalents	0	0
Net Change in Cash and Cash Equivalents	(216)	(310)
Cash and Cash Equivalents at Beginning of the Period	792	802
Cash and Cash Equivalents at End of the Period	576	492
Guarantor Subsidiaries [Member]
Cash Flows from Operating Activities:
TOTAL CASH FLOWS FROM OPERATING ACTIVITIES	44	23
Cash Flows from Investing Activities:
Capital expenditures	(19)	(14)
Asset dispositions	0	0
Government Grants Received	0
Capital Contributions	0	0
Intercompany Capital Redemptions Investing Activities		0
Increase in restricted cash (Note 8)	0	0
Return of investment in The Reserve Primary Fund		0
TOTAL CASH FLOWS FROM INVESTING ACTIVITIES	(19)	(14)
Cash Flows from Financing Activities:
Short term debt and overdrafts incurred	0	3
Short term debt and overdrafts paid	0	0
Long term debt incurred	0	0
Long term debt paid	0	0
Proceeds from issuance of preferred stock	0
Preferred stock dividends paid	0
Common stock issued	0	0
Capital contributions	0	0
Intercompany Capital Redemptions Financing Activities		0
Intercompany dividend paid	0	0
Dividends paid to minority shareholders	0	0
Debt related costs and other transactions	0	0
TOTAL CASH FLOWS FROM FINANCING ACTIVITIES	0	3
Effect of exchange rate changes on cash and cash equivalents	(3)	0
Net Change in Cash and Cash Equivalents	22	12
Cash and Cash Equivalents at Beginning of the Period	38	17
Cash and Cash Equivalents at End of the Period	60	29
Non-Guarantor Subsidiaries [Member]
Cash Flows from Operating Activities:
TOTAL CASH FLOWS FROM OPERATING ACTIVITIES	(321)	404
Cash Flows from Investing Activities:
Capital expenditures	(620)	(367)
Asset dispositions	7	19
Government Grants Received	55
Capital Contributions	(11)	(136)
Intercompany Capital Redemptions Investing Activities		0
Increase in restricted cash (Note 8)	(32)	(2)
Return of investment in The Reserve Primary Fund		0
TOTAL CASH FLOWS FROM INVESTING ACTIVITIES	(601)	(486)
Cash Flows from Financing Activities:
Short term debt and overdrafts incurred	190	91
Short term debt and overdrafts paid	(93)	(60)
Long term debt incurred	2,791	632
Long term debt paid	(1,324)	(255)
Proceeds from issuance of preferred stock	0
Preferred stock dividends paid	0
Common stock issued	0	0
Capital contributions	11	136
Intercompany Capital Redemptions Financing Activities		(12)
Intercompany dividend paid	(240)	(237)
Dividends paid to minority shareholders	(15)	(10)
Debt related costs and other transactions	(19)	0
TOTAL CASH FLOWS FROM FINANCING ACTIVITIES	1,301	285
Effect of exchange rate changes on cash and cash equivalents	(64)	(162)
Net Change in Cash and Cash Equivalents	315	41
Cash and Cash Equivalents at Beginning of the Period	1,175	1,103
Cash and Cash Equivalents at End of the Period	1,490	1,144
Consolidating Entries and Eliminations [Member]
Cash Flows from Operating Activities:
TOTAL CASH FLOWS FROM OPERATING ACTIVITIES	(240)	(231)
Cash Flows from Investing Activities:
Capital expenditures	0	(6)
Asset dispositions	0	0
Government Grants Received	0
Capital Contributions	11	136
Intercompany Capital Redemptions Investing Activities		(12)
Increase in restricted cash (Note 8)	0	0
Return of investment in The Reserve Primary Fund		0
TOTAL CASH FLOWS FROM INVESTING ACTIVITIES	11	118
Cash Flows from Financing Activities:
Short term debt and overdrafts incurred	0	0
Short term debt and overdrafts paid	0	0
Long term debt incurred	0	0
Long term debt paid	0	0
Proceeds from issuance of preferred stock	0
Preferred stock dividends paid	0
Common stock issued	0	0
Capital contributions	(11)	(136)
Intercompany Capital Redemptions Financing Activities		12
Intercompany dividend paid	240	237
Dividends paid to minority shareholders	0	0
Debt related costs and other transactions	0	0
TOTAL CASH FLOWS FROM FINANCING ACTIVITIES	229	113
Effect of exchange rate changes on cash and cash equivalents	0	0
Net Change in Cash and Cash Equivalents	0	0
Cash and Cash Equivalents at Beginning of the Period	0	0
Cash and Cash Equivalents at End of the Period	$ 0	$ 0