Labour politician and former UK environment minister Michael Meacher has slammed Prime Minister Tony Blair and US President George Bush for starting a war he says was to secure oil interests.
“The reason they attacked Iraq is nothing to do with weapons of mass destruction, it was nothing to do with democracy in Iraq, it was nothing to do with the human rights abuses of Saddam Hussein.”
“It was principally, totally and comprehensively to do with oil, This was about assuming control over the Middle East and over Iraq, the second largest producer and also over Saudi Arabia next door.”
“It was about securing as much as possible of the remaining supplies of oil and also over the Caspian basin, which of course is Afghanistan.”
— Michael Meacher
I think we all already knew that.
The US government doesn’t care about the Iraqis or the people of the Middle East, all they’re after is the oil.
[Source: Al Jazeera]
Subzero, you write an excellent blog. I’ve taken to reading it every day. I rarely agree with you on matters of international affairs, but I find your perspective interesting.
In this case, though, the idea that the Iraq war was about securing oil interests makes no sense. There were many far easier paths to less expensive oil, including just cutting a deal with Saddam (which a different American president might well have done). Or, if you believe that the United States was bent on securing oil by military conquest (which I do not believe, but which is a popular view in the world), why not pick an easier target? There are lots of them.
The only respect in which the war in Iraq was over oil is the obvious one — that the Middle East and the Persian Gulf are of strategic significance only because of the oil. Without the oil, the West would not be very interested in what happens there, just as it isn’t interested in most of the southern hemisphere. But that does not mean that the United States fought the war to seize the oil, or to manipulate its supply. If that were the objective, the far easier path would have been to accept the demands of most of the world, lift the sanctions, and not care very much what Saddam might have done.
TigerHawk, Thank you for the kind words 🙂
I’m happy you enjoy reading my blog.
And it’s only normal that we have different points of view on some things and different perspectives. I think all perspectives and views are interesting and necessary.
As for the Iraq war, I understand your point of view.
But then what was the war for if not for oil?
Weapons of mass destruction?! Everyone knew there were none there.
The Iraqi people? I don’t really think the US cares, because the world is full of countries that are like Iraq or even worse.
The first Iraq war was about Iraq’s weapons and power and it becoming a threat to Israel, oh and to liberate Kuwait too.
But for this war, I can’t find any other reason but to have exclusive access to the second largest oil reserve in the world as well as extend the US control over the region.