Future of Iraq: The Spoils of War
January 7th, 2007The first reference I could find on Cryptogon to the U.S. stealing Iraq’s oil was in 2002. That was just a lunatic conspiracy theory back then…
Via: Independent:
Iraq’s massive oil reserves, the third-largest in the world, are about to be thrown open for large-scale exploitation by Western oil companies under a controversial law which is expected to come before the Iraqi parliament within days.
The US government has been involved in drawing up the law, a draft of which has been seen by The Independent on Sunday. It would give big oil companies such as BP, Shell and Exxon 30-year contracts to extract Iraqi crude and allow the first large-scale operation of foreign oil interests in the country since the industry was nationalised in 1972.
The huge potential prizes for Western firms will give ammunition to critics who say the Iraq war was fought for oil. They point to statements such as one from Vice-President Dick Cheney, who said in 1999, while he was still chief executive of the oil services company Halliburton, that the world would need an additional 50 million barrels of oil a day by 2010. “So where is the oil going to come from?… The Middle East, with two-thirds of the world’s oil and the lowest cost, is still where the prize ultimately lies,” he said.
Oil industry executives and analysts say the law, which would permit Western companies to pocket up to three-quarters of profits in the early years, is the only way to get Iraq’s oil industry back on its feet after years of sanctions, war and loss of expertise. But it will operate through “production-sharing agreements” (or PSAs) which are highly unusual in the Middle East, where the oil industry in Saudi Arabia and Iran, the world’s two largest producers, is state controlled.
Opponents say Iraq, where oil accounts for 95 per cent of the economy, is being forced to surrender an unacceptable degree of sovereignty.
Actually, even back then I didn’t think it was a conspiracy theory. Heck, even in 1991 with the first gulf war I didn’t think it was a conspiracy theory – it was the plain obvious truth. Of course, living outside the USA helped shaped my thoughts, since I had access to better news on the matter…
But guys, it will provide jobs!
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,2089-2517659,00.html
Conspiracy FACT. I’ve come to dislike the term conspiracy theory. That term has become synonymous with crack-pot, paranoid wacko etc.(Thank you X-Files). I agree, when one lives outside of the USA for a good period of time one’s vision becomes much clearer.
Speaking of the “war business”, the editorial or Terry Jones (of Monty Python fame) at ‘The Guardian’ is worth a read:
http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/story/0,,1983865,00.html
We Actually Won the Iraq War, Hooray!…
As all the other reasons for the Iraq invasion and occupation are tossed aside for being either intentional deceptions (WMDs) or just plain feel-good nonsense (democracy, human rights, whatever), the real reason for the war has been a total success:……
No oil company is going to sign a contract with an illegitimate government that will fall as soon as the US pulls out, and doesn’t control its territory in the meantime. This war won’t have any spoils, laws or no laws.
What makes you think they’ll be pulling out? Those are pretty big bases they’re building in Iraq …
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/11072377/
Yeah, like I said before: What part of ‘Superbase’ don’t you understand?
https://cryptogon.com/?p=178
the most lying and despicable administration in memory and thats including nixon and reagan
thas the real prollem.
per se superbase should not worry, its there, we can use or not.
lying of bush administration HUGE prollem.
isg report also HUGE prollem, ISG married to stay and rot policy, absolutely.
isg report also complains about kurds inviting turks and norwegians to drill oil, this is red flag.
massive contracts with oil companies not just red flag, but invite terro attacks
bush policy completely doomed and disastrous.
stop the surge by any means necessary and bring the troops home.
thats all.
very scary if ya the mommy or daddy or family of somebody could be deployed.
if the reporters arent saying arent more troops gonna get killed, they should just turn in their press badges and go home and stay in a ditch
bye
oh btw, I saw meredith viera practically lean over and slap teddy kennedy for introducing legislation to stop the surge.
after a venomous start where she calls our own teddy a venomous hissed ***sir*** she practically leaped out of her chair and smacked him in the face and then kept kicking him under the table.
just saying, lady, ya can go sit on a road in iraq, right next to an ied any time ya like. we just dont want our troops there.
Not to mention 106 smaller bases, 14 “enduring” (permanent) bases, and the world’s largest embassy compound (larger than Vatican city):
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/12319798/
http://www.motherjones.com/news/outfront/2005/03/enduring_bases_iraq.html
http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/opinion/224055_iraqbases.html
Besides, says right here troops in Iraq through 2016:
http://www.washtimes.com/national/20060717-124948-7563r.htm
Who’s leaving?
Saudi Aramco might want a seat at that table.