[Vision2020] Re: LMT reporting US losses

[Phil Nisbet]

Sunil

When exactly did we lack access to Middle East Oil?  OPEC has only imposed 
short term sanctions in the past and they were fully open for business when 
we went into Iraq.  They were selling us their oil and at half the current 
price for the oil and with none of the costs a military involvement entails 
in either blood or lucre.

The pronciple buyers of Arab oil are Western Nations.  Thats where they have 
a market for their product.  So how exactly does physical possession of the 
oil fields have a benefit to us?

On the other hand, the money generated by the sale of oil to the West has 
allowed Islamic and Pan-Arabist dictators to purchase large quantities of 
arms and to initiate programs to gain advanced weapons systems.  That has 
made the Middle East a potential zone for world conflict and highly 
unstable.

The West has used that for decades as a means of paying for its oil, selling 
the various dictators arms and fostering small scale wars.  That process has 
kept the price of oil low, as we played one set of dictators off against 
another set.

I highly recommend you read the book "The Prize" as one that covers events 
and companies and governments involved in that process.

The reality is that taking the sanctions off of Iraq and simply allowing 
Saddam to stay in place was more likely to produce stable and low oil 
prices.  In terms of Realpolitik, that would have been the proper Imperial 
response.  Its what the Brits and the French did for half a century in the 
created Mandates that came out of the Ottoman Empire.

Phil Nisbet


>From: "Sunil Ramalingam" <sunilramalingam at hotmail.com>
>CC: vision2020 at moscow.com
>Subject: RE: [Vision2020] Re: LMT reporting US losses
>Date: Mon, 06 Feb 2006 21:44:12 -0800
>
>Matt,
>
>I suspect you'd call me ignorant no matter what I said, but what the hell, 
>I'll reply anyway.  I think the war in Iraq is entirely unrelated to the 
>so-called war on terror.  I'm not sure how one wages a war on a tactic, but 
>Iraq is a separate and unrelated war.
>
>I disagree with what Phil says about the war not being about oil.  I think 
>it's about securing access to Middle-East oil; I think one of the goals was 
>to be able to move our troops out of Saudi Arabia, and into Iraq.  I don't 
>know if the Administration is starting to give up on that one as things are 
>going so poorly; I wonder what is going on with the plan for long-term 
>bases.  Our 'liberal free press' hasn't done a good job keeping us informed 
>about that aspect of the occupation.
>
>I see Ted has also raised the issue of the long-term bases, so I won't say 
>any more.
>
>If Iraq's oil is being used to rebuild Iraq and make it a better country, 
>it's a pretty well-kept secret.  Someone ought to let the Iraqis know about 
>it.  They seem to have gotten the idea, from watching what goes on around 
>them, that reconstruction is about American companies lining their pockets 
>while they stay unemployed.
>
>I think the notion that we have the right to invade other countries to make 
>them better is a dangerous and arrogant one.  Perhaps we should demonstrate 
>that we can rebuild the Gulf Coast before we go around invading countries 
>that haven't harmed us and killing their people.
>
>Sunil
>
>
>>From: "Matt Decker" <mattd2107 at hotmail.com>
>>To: sunilramalingam at hotmail.com, rhayes at turbonet.com
>>CC: vision2020 at moscow.com
>>Subject: RE: [Vision2020] Re: LMT reporting US losses
>>Date: Mon, 06 Feb 2006 08:00:17 -0800
>>
>>Sunil,
>>
>>Isn't the war, a war on terrorism.Thus the war in afganistan, Indonsia, 
>>Phillipines, Iraq, and even Sudan. With all of these countries involved, I 
>>think its a little ignorant to say "this" war is about oil.
>>
>>Secondly, If the oil in Iraq is being used to rebuild Iraq and make it a 
>>better country, isn't that a good thing?
>>
>>
>
>
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