I love the allegations that the invasion of Iraq was for control of Middle Eastern oil fields, and American control of those fields.
What I want to know is, since we invaded, won and now pulled out. Why the hell is the price of gas STILL so high?
Just trying to follow that logic.
Why did Exxon-Mobil set a record for quarterly earnings when gas was nearly $5 a gallon?
"This year I'm voting Republican. The Democrats left a bad taste in my mouth."
-Monica Lewinsky
How much oil was drilled in this country?
Yes, it is interesting to see that people want evidence of WMD, yet accuse the U.S. of going to war for oil without providing credible evidence of their own. They never provide proof to back up the assertion... it is the same old, tired argument.
shareI think most of these yahoos could get evidence of WMD's,and STILL squeal about it.
All I can say is Bush finally stood up to the radical islamists instead of coddling and using empty rhetoric.
the range of issues here is too complex.
The war in Iraq was always about removing Saddam and about the oil and the reconstruction of the country. Basically in simple terms go into a resource rich country, demolish it then rebuild it using your contractors and the oil revenue pays for that.
Problem is most americans take a simplistic view of thing, good guys and bad guys, right and wrong etc when things are way more complex. If USA was really serious about freedom and democracy it would invade Saudi Arabia. For christs sake there is the most fundamentally islamic countries in the world. They don't allow alcohol and women have literally no rights!
Iraq under Saddam was not perfect but women had rights and it was a progressive middle eastern country. Saddam was an evil dictator but that evil was good enough to surpress the islamist there. look at the place now it is a mess. now you have a country on the verge of civil was, thousands of US soldiers dead, and hundreds of thousands of Iraqi's dead and in the end for what?
I think this movie portrays this conflict really well. What exactly has either side won here?
QUOTE: "The war in Iraq was always about removing Saddam and about the oil and the reconstruction of the country. Basically in simple terms go into a resource rich country, demolish it then rebuild it using your contractors and the oil revenue pays for that. "
Oil revenue pays for that...ok...so we destroy a country, and use the revenue from that destroyed country to keep a war going...and...
That is the most simplified (and insane) reason I've heard so far. And makes absolutely no sense.... if the revenue from oil keeps this circle rolling, how come it STILL costs billions of U.S. tax dollars?
look i admit i gave a most simplistic insight. i could probably write about 50 000 words with both the pros and cons and still not even scratch the surface of this. read up on Fiscal policy and you may understand how a government spending billions can prop up an economy ( i do have an economic major).
Basically and lets just use nice round figures so that is easy to understand:
USA gov spends $x on war, this pays for equipment, fuel, salaries of the personnel etc. Say you have 10000 people in the army. that is 10,000 people receiving a regular salary. They buy cars, mc donalds, go on holidays etc. a small portion of that goes back in taxes whether it be personal taxes or goods and services taxes. the reminder of the funds goes back into the community to people who provide these goods and services to the personal, and these providers in turn generate income and more taxes.
now back to the iraq situation. you have spent this money on the army some of which has already gone back into the community. Now you have sent the army in there to invade and say there has been a lot of destruction. as iraq has a resource that everyone else news (oil), that country can generate the income to spend on rebuilding now. And who gets the contract? the occupiers of course. they rebuild the roads, oilfields etc. They may also get very favourable trading terms as well for the commodity. There was an example sorry can't find the link, bout the french being pissed off about the american companies getting all the contracts to rebuild the oilfields. Anyway now you have all these us companies earning money, but more importantly you control a strategic resource, the oil. You can directly or indirectly determine who gets it, by supporting governments that support use policy and this has a value as well, one that is quite hard to work out in monetary terms.
Once again mate that is a very simplistic view of how it works, in real life it is much more complex but don't throw around personal insults as in the end it cheapens your arguments.
and still none has thrown their thoughts on saudi arabia. why don't we remove them?
how are they good guys? they are islamic extremists! at least saddam cracked down on the islamic terrorists
Do you have any idea as to how close Bush was to the Saudi royal family? They bought off the Bushes very earlier on. They helped him to become president, and of course, The Bushes remembers the quid pro quo. Saudi Arabia will never be touched, even though Osama Bin Laden came from there.
Sapere Aude!
Also, the fact that it funneled billions into companies like Halliburton or Blackwater, whith close ties with Bushco and "Darth Vador" Cheiney, might have played a role. Not to mention the millions that went poof ! they're gone. Not to mention that they charged outrageous prices for things like electric wiring, then hired the first poor schmuck they found on the streets willing to win a few cents to survive another day (some soldiers even got electrocuted in the showers) Some people made LOTS of money on this, "collateral damage" be damned…
shareOgnjenzec, that wasn't an insult; simply how I saw your point. Personally, I feel, would American control of the area be really such a bad thing?
True, American culture and politics have our flaws, but where there MAY be pockets of oppression (real and imagined)there's no outright genocide going on.
Personally I think that those who don't live here and criticize so heavily really have no idea how life is here; and those who live here and criticize have no clue what life is like outside their own little circle.
JMHO
agree with your point there, still would much rather live in an US dominated world rather that some others available.
but the bigger you are the more people will look into your actions and ultimately find your flaws
Guys... Here's how it really is:
Look at the companies that are doing big-business in Iraq.
Look at who owns those companies.
Look at who pushed for this war.
There's your answer.
You can be willfully ignorant of the truth if you want, but the rest of the world knows what this war was about, and what your foreign policy is about.
OK, not for oil reason you say.
Then what was it for?
Humanitarian reasons? America could not stand by while Iraq and Libya oppressed their people. The fact these countries have any links to oil is just a coincidence of course.
When then, will the god loving American army be rolling into Africa were genocide and corruption have been commonplace for decades.
I mean I know Africa doesn't have any oil but that isn't a factor is it?
Uh, no. It absolutely WAS for oil. And revenge. And also, Africa does have oil reserves... Libya, which you cited as an example of an oil-rich country, is an African nation. As is Nigera, where there is massive, ongoing oil extraction.
shareUh, no, not really.
If you take even the current cost of a BBL and assume that 100% of the revenue generated comes to the US it still doesn't pay for the cost of the war. And the US could never get 100% of the revenue, and there is lifting costs, transportation costs, etc.
In short, anyone who could push a pencil knew going into the war that we could not extract enough oil out that country to finance the war.
I am not denying oil was a factor, but not Iraqi oil per se. The desire was greater stability in the region and less threat to the oil supply for the world, because as everyone can see oil price fluctuations have a great effect on the world economy.
Please note, I am not arguing the rightness or the wrongness of the war - just railing against the simplistic view that it was all over Iraqi oil.
I agree; understand your frustration. Saddam was a ticking time bomb; he had used weapons in Halabja, he destroyed the Marsh Arabs, gave sanctuary to Abu Nidal, had the Salman Pak training facility for terrorists, allowed terrorists to operate in his country (Zarqawi), and paid families of suicide bombers... plus, even the UN wasn't convinced of his honesty regarding WMDs! Clinton during his terms said he thought Saddam still had weapons, and now there's a regional alert that Syria may use nerve agents? Where do you think Assad got them from/learned how to develop them? We had been flying over Northern Iraq so Saddam didn't go in and wreak revenge on the Kurds.
Saying it was about oil just proves that someone doesn't understand the region or the history or purposefully is ignoring it because they are an idealogue. I had various problems with Bush, but I always thought Saddam was a total disaster waiting to happen.
As for the Saudi's, I have HUGE problems with them, namely how they treat their women (they can't drive, must be covered, etc), and the muttawa, who allowed a girls school to burned because they weren't properly clothed for viewing by non family males. The royal family has donated heavily to the Dems and GOP, so I doubt anything will happen there.
That argument only holds water as long as you assume the decision makers are working for the benefit of all Americans, as opposed to those who finance their campaigns.
Lobbyists and vested interests push for a war.
American citizens pay heavily for said war (both in money and lives).
Certain companies like Haliburton make massive fortunes (unsurprisingly, the same ones who paid the lobbyists)
Result: Iraq a wasteland ripe for takeover by ISIS. Tens of thousands of Americans dead. American image worldwide is damaged. Small group of companies are rolling in profits.
Africa has loads of oil.
shareFunny, I feel the same way when Americans (most often Republicans on experience to date) make idiotic, provably false statements about Europe.
I'd also argue that no matter how good you think your own culture is, you have no right to try and force that on others, especially when it's done to further your own ends. (Why else did you oppose Russia?)
This image of "The world's policeman" sounds very noble and moral (and is great propaganda), until you realise that enforcement is selective and largely based on how much it would benefit America politically and financially.
Nothing wrong with looking out for the interests of your citizens - It's one of the main purposes of government - but claiming it's anything other than calculated self-interest is something between disingenuous and hypocritical. Doing it by destabilising other governments just makes you the school yard bully.
They want the US tax payer to pay for it. This money is diverted into the pockets of the weapons and oil companies. They tell the politicians what to do and makes billions from it.
sharehttp://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=rumsfeld+oil&sm=3
"Would the assets of a country be important for the recovery of that country. You bet."
In other words, "Once we *beep* up Iraq, we will use their oil to pay for the recovery."
=====================
i won’t discuss all what you wrote but the quotes
"If USA was really serious about freedom and democracy it would invade Saudi Arabia. For christs sake there is the most fundamentally islamic countries in the world. They don't allow alcohol and women have literally no rights!"
do you really weigh what you say before you say it?
i hope you are young man cause if you are an old American man and this is how you think, then you gave me a bad impression about American people.
First of all, we Saudi Arabia are "islamists" (you use it as an insult but you didn’t know that it’s something that every muslim is proud of it) because we don’t allow alcohol?
I mean C’mon?
What did alcohol do to you American people huh?
do You know how many problems your country has because of it?
do you what it causes both on mental level and health level?
the child neglect?
car accidents rates because of it?
ok you could argue whatever you want but give me a clear argument about this statement of your’s
"women have literally no rights!"
Now, do you know the culture of Saudi Arabia and what are your resources?
Please don’t tell me it’s the media!
media isn’t a reliable source and that’s a well known fact espicially in a country like America
What rights are you talking about?
What rights America provide for women that we don’t provide?
Do you know Feminism exists in your country but not ours?
Is women rights to let her show her skin whenever she feels like it?
Is it to let her *beep* whomever she wants?
Is it to let her out of her femininity and vulnerability "which us men admire in here" to make her look and act like a man.
For gods sakes, you Americans created so many ways for sex like Sadism etc because of all this sex free rights *beep*
Do you know what we enjoy the most and make us crave women in here?
It’s a girls smile, hair smell, laugh, hair and most importantly her shyiness
but when it comes to you that’s not enoght.
cuz you got used to it.
you want her body and after you get used to it; you search for other wierd ways to fullifull yourself like sadism and such and what a shame is that.
you don’t know how precios she can be.
A man here typically marries when he is 25-26.
Now look how he will treat her after all these years waiting for her.
a tear from her would be the would to him.
but in your case all i can say is what you guys say "why pay for a cow if you are getting the milk for free" look how low is that.
You find it ok for your sister to get *beep* around even your mama.
will i don’t
Here our girls have pride. So we do
If you want a girl here that cost you (marriage) cuz girls in our country know they are precios.
Here, most females are happy with the way they live and they know it is the best lifestyle they could ever have.
But nothing is perfect.
Even with our religion and culture, problems occur here also. I ain’t gonna make it like heaven.
But the important thing is that we follow our religion and what it says because of good intensions
But you guys do it for your own benifts.
=============
This is unrelated to what i wrote before but related to the thread "subject"
Iraq is doing *beep* right now
NO boss to control the country
no government
civil war
no saftey no *beep*
all that because of America
Ok, even if America was after the oil.
Put everything back at place?
No they didn’t because of how low they are.
No wonder no trusts America
I mean who knows; Today it is Iraq; Tommorow it is another country
Now, do you know why Iran develop uranium?
America goes nuts about and it has all the power it needs and threatens anyone else who tries to has it or even has it for defensing themselfs
America has the wierdest logic.
Any typos were unintentional.
I ain’t a native speaker
I respect English.
Thanks for bearing with me.
ok so a few replies to this.
Can woman become a minister in suadi arabia?
can she vote or chose whom to marry and not get sold off to the highest bidder?
Is she even allowed to drive?
No to all of the above!
I have nothing personally against saudis arabia but everywhere you look where there is islam and another religion there is conflict, bosnia, kosovo, israel, india, phillipines, thailand, nigeria etc.
I am not saying that islam is fundamentally bad, all religious fanatics are the same in my opinion, but to claim that saudi arabia is a free country, well i don't see it that way.
By the way your enlist is very good don't apologise for little typos and I am young but not an american!
I am so glad that this is your reply
I created a false image about you
You see
Sometimes when i reply to a post and reveil that i am Arab, I get attacked and joked by the young people mostly.
Anyway,
Your reply was respectfull and i think you think properly and logically LOOOL!
Now the answer to your list of Q’s
"Can woman become a minister in suadi arabia?"
Not now but i think this might happen very soon
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/09/26/world/middleeast/women-to-vote-in-saudi-arabia-king-says.html?_r=1&pagewanted=all
"can she vote or chose whom to marry and not get sold off to the highest bidder?"
LOOOL!
The way it goes is that a women from the family of the man "say his mom or sister" search for her child or brother the girl he wants. "not literally searching but she will check girls that she knows or strange girls in weddings or other occasions maybe ask her sister to help her out. You know its a women business LOOOOL!"
He can describe her looks and her morals that he prefers.
The family member (like we said the mother or sister, Both even) search for the girl that matches his attributes.
Then the mothers do their business. Then they arrange a meeting for the girl and the guy with the presens of the parents of the girl
so the room has the guy, the girl and the parents.
they can chat a bit (girl and guy) then he leaves.
we hear a lot of funny stories about this meeting. one of them usually mess it up because their are strangers and virgins never talked to the other gender
girl get too shy and responds in a funny way or even say funny things same goes with guy etc
Anyway.
Now, 4 scenarios might happen:-
1-Both of them might not like eachother and thats it
2-The guy might not like her so he tell his mother and she apologises for the girl’s mother
3-(The senario that you are asking about) The girl might not like the guy for whatever reason (his looks, she wants to get marry later.....etc) and you know the precedure.
4- both like eachother he proposes
It is not like bedding LOOOOOOL!
But the father of the girl usually asks about your job and your money so that he can assurse that the guy can afford what they might need in the future.
"Is she even allowed to drive?"
No, but the reason is that we are afraid that it might causes a lot of problems that leads to furnicating
"I am not saying that islam is fundamentally bad, all religious fanatics are the same in my opinion, but to claim that saudi arabia is a free country, well i don't see it that way."
I am really glad to hear those three lines
no country is perfect no one is and we all have our flaws
I know that it might seems so bad and that women don’t have no rights here etc
but there were many surveys that were done for girls asking if they like it in saudi arabia
the majority the girls had a positive opinion and didn’t want to change anything
Here the girl takes care of the house or hire a maid if she wanted to work
and the man goes to his job (it is like what you normally imagine if i asked you about what a married couple life be like>)
simple as that and life is so good when it’s simple.
you can check our crime records
furnicating records
drug records
Etc
but choose a reliable source
you will be surprised
god knows the right set of rules that gives the best results and can ensure the least damage
it can assure protecting your rights
if you want me to talk more about this point in islamic view i will or you can check for it by your self even.
you would be surprise by how it can assure a good envoiroment for every individual.
You see, sometimes we don’t reflect Islam properly (in a bad way sometimes we reflect it)
"all religious fanatics are the same in my opinion"
Exactly
Islam is a religion that is not related to being Arab or being very religious and the others not etc
NO
it should work for anyone.
Thanks again for your delightfull reply
you were not forcing me into something and you didn’t attack my religon nor me
and i am definitly trying to do the same to you.
nice discussing man
mohammed_yb08:
I Really appreciate your honest and non-insulting post. I really wish yours was the prominent opinion coming out of the Islam world.
I like how you explain the two main differences, that being "alcohol and women's rights". I have to say RIGHT ON!!!!
We BOTH see the shortcomings in our worlds; and with our own religions.
BUT: we both see the advantages in it.
I feel Christianity has been a driving force, and a source of compassion and solace for many people through the years.
I can see the same for Islam; however I feel the perception is nowadays Islam has taken the place of Christianity in the Middle ages. I know that may seem confusing, or not the best way to make a point.
It seems you may be as ashamed of the jihadists as I am of idiots like Fred Phelps and his gang of fanatics.
Anyway, I just wanted to say that. So many opinions about the war and its reasons, conditions, and combatants.
I know the Bible speaks of "Wars and rumors of war", I'm sure the Koran probably has the same verse. I think we are all basically following a script written long ago, and the "good guys" and "bad guys" will constantly play each other's roles until the final act.
graeshadowe-24-676603:
Thanks
Although when i read it again i feel kind of ashamed of the language i used. It was kind of harash.
"I really wish yours was the prominent opinion coming out of the Islam world."
Sorry to say it isn’t. People’s opinions varies a lot where you go about the simplist things as you know.
"I like how you explain the two main differences, that being "alcohol and women's rights". I have to say RIGHT ON!!!!"
I think most of what i mentioned you already know. So, Thanks again for the a complimant. I wish other people would see it from our point of view using an objective logic.
"We BOTH see the shortcomings in our worlds; and with our own religions.
BUT: we both see the advantages in it."
Exactly, Exactly, Exactly. I couldn’t say it better myself. It isn’t perfect but it has some great advanteges that might even compensate. Exactly
"I feel Christianity has been a driving force, and a source of compassion and solace for many people through the years."
No doubt. Religion is the only that can provide a bit balanced enviroment. It makes people afraid of punishment when they do bad things and it promises them heaven when they are patient about the harm that other people might do to them.
"I can see the same for Islam; however I feel the perception is nowadays Islam has taken the place of Christianity in the Middle ages. I know that may seem confusing, or not the best way to make a point."
You know, both of them are really much a like in many fields.
you pray we pray. You fast (from food) we do to. Some of the versus you have in bible are almost the same in quran ......etc
"It seems you may be as ashamed of the jihadists as I am of idiots like Fred Phelps and his gang of fanatics."
Of course i am. if Islam was ok with the act of terrorism then it would’ve been a bad religion. Because religion should make sense and logical. Killing innocent (sometimes babies) people doesn’t make sense it’s quiet the opposite. It’s insanity by all it’s means. But i should point out that jihad is different from terrorism. Jihad is required when a muslim country has a war ,say iraq then when a ruler of another muslim country (that wants to help iraq) calls his people to defend iraq that would be jihad. it’s an act of helping and definding another invaded country. Even in war we have rules given by our religion. Like a soldier can’t use his weapon on any unarmed man not to mention the women, babies and old men.
"the "good guys" and "bad guys" will constantly play each other's roles until the final act."
I dunno if you are quoting from the bible but our prophet said a similar thing about what you wrote above.
You must have wisdom.
No one can says that he is pure and is a good man and he doesn’t sin. Saying that is a sin itself.
Like you said, we play eachother’s roles to the last act.
Thanks again for your reply
"the "good guys" and "bad guys" will constantly play each other's roles until the final act."
I dunno if you are quoting from the bible but our prophet said a similar thing about what you wrote above.
You must have wisdom.
No one can says that he is pure and is a good man and he doesn’t sin. Saying that is a sin itself.
Like you said, we play eachother’s roles to the last act."
LOL, I won't claim wisdom, and it definitely isn't a direct quote. But I do believe the Bible speaks of "the bottom rail being on top", and well, it seems to fit.
But yes, the main principles of both religions should be adhered to by more.
I hope it doesn't offend you when I say that the war wasn't for oil alone, but definitely to let the radicals of Islam know that enough is enough. That is all I meant.
And I hope that the clear-thinking on BOTH sides will prevail before more lives are lost; and the dance goes on.
Sorry gents, but I have to respectfully disagree with both of you on the topic of religion.
Putting aside women's rights and sexual morality for the moment...
I appreciate that religion may give you (either individually or as a group) a sense of community, belonging, etc... And I recognise the value of those, however, historically religion has been used as an excuse, justification and rationale for so very many acts of violence that I find it hard to understand why anyone would be associated with it.
Perhaps I should be more specific and say "organised religion". I could list dozens of examples on both sides (Christian/Muslim) where "respected religious leaders" have advocated the most appalling acts of brutality. I'm sure you're both aware so won't bore you here unless requested.
My question to you both is... Why the need for religion? Are you saying that you (personally) are incapable of caring for those around you without the need for a figure with a big stick threatening you? (Or dangling a treat in front of you).
You both seem like educated, intelligent people who are willing to see the point of view of others, so perhaps one/both of you can explain why you wouldn't be capable of the same understanding and intelligence without [your] god?
We haven't even addressed the fact that by definition at least one of you is wrong in their beliefs (or both of you if I'm right).
In any case, please don't take offence, I'm merely trying to inject a third viewpoint and understand why you both find religion to be so crucial.
ognjenzec got it just right... It is absolutely incredible to people from most of the world how naive the average american is in relation to politics... And how Manicheistic they are too.
To even imagine that oil wasn't (a huge) part of the equation is... Astonishing...
That's the same kind of people which is able to say "the government does lie to people"... Which, by the way, is nonexistent in any other part of the world...
Guys, come on... Enlighten up a bit! Ad a few years of History, Geography, Geopolitics and Political Theory to your curriculum. I'm saying that not because I despise Americans, but because I like you and would love to see you grow to your full potential...
.......
I'm sorry about my bad English. It isn't my first or even 5th language. Any corrections are welcome
I agree with your statement. I do believe that the Haliburton Company which has the contract for oil in Iraq, (Cheyny and Bush) that they knew that there were no weapons. A small country of less that 8 million peoples.
It was about oil! And I agree that the Saudis are responsible for a lot of S...
No, he didn't. He put them in office. Saddam may have been a dictator, but his successors, installed by the US deposing Saddam, are the radical Islamics. Iraq's government is on better terms with Iran than when Saddam was in power. As usual, the US controllers got it wrong and their sycophantic worshipers continue to get it wrong.
shareBush is dolt who would probably suspect Iceland to be holding WMD's if he thought he heard a pancake shaped like Jesus' face tell him they were there. Hows about we not praise drastic action from a world leader based on flimsy standards of just cause. We're clearly capable of calling out Islamists for the same reckless decision making.
shareIf there is any evidence of WMD I'm open to it. Present some?
Bush went to war on faulty evidence of WMDs dressed up to seem as legitimate evidence, and still to this day they haven't been found.
What about all the radical Christians in the US, going on holy wars against oil-rich countries because God told them to? GWB stood up to radical Islamists??? He attacked and destroyed a country that was unable to defend itself (NOT having any weapons except the old ones the US sold them) and killed hundreds of thousands of innocent people. Sounds like a definition of cowardice to me .... The US is the real terrorist state, you've just had all sense propagandised out of your head!
shareThere were no radical Islamists in Iraq, at least not threatening ones, the Hussein regime itself saw to that. Afghanistan and Iraq are two very different countries very far away from each other.
The fact is the US dollar is the base currency exchange for oil, which gives the US some extremely important advantages economically. Many countries in the middle east had been striving for decades to change this status quo, including Libya, so in the end the war wasn't about oil itself, but the revenue it created for the American economy.
On top of that the US is a country that has been at war since inception, if not with another country then with itself. The military industrial complex is so deeply entrenched in the US economy that if it weren't at war, it would have a massive negative impact on it.
To put it drastically bluntly, Iraq was in the wrong position at the wrong time, and in the end millions of people have died or had their lives destroyed because of nothing more than human nature, in this case greed.
yes, but the US who went to invaded Iraq with that allegation. The onus is on them to prove, not the other way around.
shareAll your discussion is pointless. Will you Americans accept the fact, that things being served on TV on a silver plate with the cherry on top doesn't have to be truth? Just go watch Oliver Stone's "JFK" and let your brain loose.
shareDon't be so naive.
something terribly clever.
Dude you are aware of the sensitivity of the oil (saudi-russia etc) market, right? You dumb dumb dumb person.
shareHow much oil was drilled in this country?
If you look online you'll find the profit margins listed for various industries and corporations; this is the actual PROFIT. It's about 10%, which is in line with a LOT of other industries; don't get lulled into thinking the dollar amount is the important figure; it's not. The profit margin percentage is. If oil companies were making huge percentage profits that would be one thing; they're not.
A lot of the price for gas is the result of state and federal taxes as well. About 40 to 50 cents on average goes to that alone. The price per barrel and cost to refine/ship has multiple variables affecting it. If we had more local production/refining, some of those costs would be more controlled or more predictable (although with the Fed govt involved and regulation happy, maybe that wouldn't be the case).
OPEC is the reason for oil prices. Oil prices are the reason for gas prices. It's got nothing to do with drilling in Iraq.
It is a fact that companies like ExxonMobil and BP have oil operations in Iraq. If you think for a second that they are stealing the oil you are but a fool. Iraq is rewarded handsomely for their reserves just like Saudi Arabia, Kuwait and any other oil rich nations are. To begin with oil companies are in Iraq by invitation. It's very complicated to drill for oil on a homegrown basis. The US and UK paid for nearly all the repairs and upgrades to the Iraqi oil production infrastructure with a forgiven loan.
Not only is the US and the West for that matter not making money off Iraqi oil, we are losing money!
Well what is the reason then? You just like to kill people? Americans favorite pastime.
shareBarely bothered reading a few replies before I noticed they're all written by americans. All I can say to all of you is *insert the nastiest insult u can think of here*. You complain about the gas prices reaching 5$ a gallon? Actually did some fact checking and the (average per state) minimum wage in the U.S. exceeds 7$/hour. Well in my beloved european country our minimum wage is of 1.23$ an hour with the price of gas being over 7$/gallon. So before you complain and try to justify your invasion in the middle east compare your prices with countries that haven't done any invasions lately.
share[deleted]
Never understood the logic of the war being about oil. If we wanted oil from Iraq, we could have simply made nice with Saddam. Iraq's oil fields are still nationalized and controlled by Iraqis.
shareIt's not about making gas cheap for Americans. It's about giving control of the oil reserves to the oil companies. The US govt is looking after their interests, not yours.
shareThe oil companies do not control Iraq's oil fields. Iraq controls their own oil fields. Oil companies have to bid out contracts to explore and drill.
shareIt's important to realize that US war in Iraq turned out to be a complete failure. American interest in natural resources in the Middle East is not a novel phenomenon; rather, it has a long history. The American invasion of Iraq is not an outlier in that sense. The objective in Iraq was to install a client state that would act favorably towards American strategic interests in the region and be hospitable to private corporate oil interests. The US was unsuccessful because of popular resistance to the occupation and perhaps as consequence, an Iraqi state that was less willing to go along with the US. Instead what we have now is an Iraqi state which is dominated by Shias and is inclined towards supporting Iran, going towards reversing decades of violent rivalry between the two nations. This scenario is definitely not what the US state wanted going into the war.
As a side note, I find it amusing that you seem to conflate the interests of average working Americans with those of the American elite.
You say succinctly a lot of truth about the USA and the insanely stupid, criminal invasion and occupation of Iraq. Having read a number of posts made here (not all, because life's too short and most of them aren't worth the time), the ignorance of so many U.S.Americans once again becomes all too clear. Before the invasion, there were people knowledgeable about the history, politics, sociology, and culture of Iraq, who tried to talk sense, and tried to get the people in power to act responsibly and wisely, or at least not to act as stupidly as they did, but many powerful people in and out of the administration were determined to finally invade Iraq, as they'd been longing to for so long.
The whole sad story, featuring the fantastical fictions and lies of Rafid Ahmed Alwan al-Janabi, and the administration's stubborn insistence on basing their (and the country's) actions on those lies, despite having plenty of warning about the probable untruth of what that man was saying--well, it all makes me sick and disgusted. It all amounts to what seems to me among the worst periods of USAmerican history. I can't even bear to think about the lives lost and ruined in all this, of so many Iraqi citizens as well as military, diplomatic, NGO and other professionals of many nationalities, for this neo-con obsession and greed. I knew that Iraq had many problems and caused its share of problems before the invasion, and Saddam Hussein and his people were pretty monstrous, but this was no way to address those issues. Even I, just a plain, non-expert citizen living in Texas, could tell that much at the time. It makes me tired and sick to think of it, and we (not just the USA) won't be past the effects of all this in many years, or probably ever.
Multiplex: 100+ shows a day, NONE worth watching. John Sayles' latest: NO distribution. SAD.
Why do you think we have had forces in the Persian Gulf region for almost 40 years, to guard the carpet and dates trade?
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