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Iraqi Oil Law
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According to the Bush Administration, the notion that the occupation of Iraq was a means to gain control over that country’s vast oil reserves is “nonsense” and “a myth.” However, in February, 2007, the proposed draft of a new law to structure Iraq’s oil industry was leaked, and it is now being considered by the Iraqi parliament. Several key features of the law would:
* Allow two-thirds of Iraq’s oil fields to be developed by private oil corporations. In contrast, the oil industry has been nationalized in every other major Middle Eastern producer for over 30 years.
* Place governing decisions over oil in a new body known as the Iraqi Federal Oil and Gas Council, which may include foreign oil companies;
* Open the door for foreign oil companies to lock up decades-long deals now, when the Iraqi government is at its weakest.
Overall, the law would secure the agenda of ExxonMobil, Chevon, and the other majors, robbing the Iraqi people of their most basic source of wealth. Much is at stake. With 115 billion barrels of proven reserves ($7 trillion worth at $64 per barrel) and another 215 billion possible or likely ($14 trillion), there’s nearly a million dollars of oil for every Iraqi citizen. It’s a vast and precious national resource—but only if Iraqis are allowed to control it themselves.
* Allow two-thirds of Iraq’s oil fields to be developed by private oil corporations. In contrast, the oil industry has been nationalized in every other major Middle Eastern producer for over 30 years.
* Place governing decisions over oil in a new body known as the Iraqi Federal Oil and Gas Council, which may include foreign oil companies;
* Open the door for foreign oil companies to lock up decades-long deals now, when the Iraqi government is at its weakest.
Overall, the law would secure the agenda of ExxonMobil, Chevon, and the other majors, robbing the Iraqi people of their most basic source of wealth. Much is at stake. With 115 billion barrels of proven reserves ($7 trillion worth at $64 per barrel) and another 215 billion possible or likely ($14 trillion), there’s nearly a million dollars of oil for every Iraqi citizen. It’s a vast and precious national resource—but only if Iraqis are allowed to control it themselves.
Aug 10, 2007 1:37 AM
Re: Iraqi Oil Law
It's there. So either we ensure it's safe use and dist or China, North Korea, and Iran does. This is like saying, you are not going to jail to be butt molested. Bend over and cough sir. If you have ever been to county, you know that is just part of the process. No way around it.
By: ejayerik
Re: Iraqi Oil Law
So... what your saying is, USA has only safe uses for oil and China just wants to butt molest coughing sirs?
I dont get it.
I dont get it.
By: meat
Re: Iraqi Oil Law
My reading of Ejayerik's meaning is that the world is full of booty bandits, and Iraq's butt is purr-ty. But really, shouldn't the guy with the tin badge get safe use of the butt? After all, it's there. Welcome to county lock-up, Iraq. Now cough three times and make a human pyramid! No way around it.
Hope that helps with the decoding, Meat.
Hope that helps with the decoding, Meat.
By: loqi
Re: Iraqi Oil Law
Private enterprise is a GOOD THING...unless, of course, you're a communist or a despotic dictator.
Jim Hightower is complaining because the largest oil reserve is no longer under the control (by force) of a murderous thug like Hussein, who used oil profits to reward suicide bombers in Israel?
Hightower must be an idiot, socialist, Saddam sympathizer, or an anti-semite...or a mixed bag of all the above.
Notice he leaves out any mention of where the profits go...he just complains that the most capable companies are being hired to do the work.
He must HATE that the fact that the U.S. government doesn't prevent private companies from exploring for and refining oil in the United States. I guess he'd rather the government have entire control over the distribution of oil. What a moron. Loosen your tin-foil hat, Hightower...it's cutting off circulation to your ass.
Jim Hightower is complaining because the largest oil reserve is no longer under the control (by force) of a murderous thug like Hussein, who used oil profits to reward suicide bombers in Israel?
Hightower must be an idiot, socialist, Saddam sympathizer, or an anti-semite...or a mixed bag of all the above.
Notice he leaves out any mention of where the profits go...he just complains that the most capable companies are being hired to do the work.
He must HATE that the fact that the U.S. government doesn't prevent private companies from exploring for and refining oil in the United States. I guess he'd rather the government have entire control over the distribution of oil. What a moron. Loosen your tin-foil hat, Hightower...it's cutting off circulation to your ass.
By: ynot_tony
Re: Iraqi Oil Law
I think one of his points was the we were told that oil had nothing to do with us going to war in Iraq, even though most people of at least average intelligence knew it had something to do with it. It basically proves once again (and again, and again) that they fed us all these lies to go to war.
So we are just going to rape that country out of their oil and make sure these companies (not the Iraq population) keep posting record profits year after year so feed our good ol' American Greed. (Well, for those in the correct tax bracket)
So we are just going to rape that country out of their oil and make sure these companies (not the Iraq population) keep posting record profits year after year so feed our good ol' American Greed. (Well, for those in the correct tax bracket)
By: IceLed
Re: Iraqi Oil Law
So, you're saying the Iraqi government and the entire world community is going to let evil U.S. companies STEAL all the oil profits? Or are you just easily taken in by Hightower's socialist rhetoric?
Judging by your comments, yes. You're filled with class envy.
Invading Saudi Arabia would have been far easier, if oil was all we wanted.
Judging by your comments, yes. You're filled with class envy.
Invading Saudi Arabia would have been far easier, if oil was all we wanted.
By: ynot_tony
Re: Iraqi Oil Law
I think it's precisely the point that Saudi Arabia is already tapped out.
Iraq has untapped reserves, making it possible to increase its rate of extraction, unlike most other big proven oil reserves of the world. The Saudi Royal Family's despotism has been a U.S. Ally for the past few decades. Saddam Hussein's (U.S. installed) despotism had stopped being obedient to the U.S. in the nineties. At the time of the U.S. invasion, Iraq had long-since nationalized its oil operations, leaving the transnationals out in the cold, and had recently decided to switch its oil trade from the dollar to the euro. It is a violation of international law for an occupying power to significantly alter the economy of the people being occupied. And the Iraqi economy has been reformulated from top to bottom over the past four years. But that's no great surprise, since it's also a violation of international law to launch a military invasion without a Security Council resolution in the first place.
But I'm a bit puzzled here, Tony. I thought the latest reason for this military occupation was to bring the blessings of democracy to the unfortunate Iraqi people. Well, since handing over the oil to Western private capital is such a beneficial thing for Iraqi's, why not just hold another one o' them elections on the issue?
Iraq has untapped reserves, making it possible to increase its rate of extraction, unlike most other big proven oil reserves of the world. The Saudi Royal Family's despotism has been a U.S. Ally for the past few decades. Saddam Hussein's (U.S. installed) despotism had stopped being obedient to the U.S. in the nineties. At the time of the U.S. invasion, Iraq had long-since nationalized its oil operations, leaving the transnationals out in the cold, and had recently decided to switch its oil trade from the dollar to the euro. It is a violation of international law for an occupying power to significantly alter the economy of the people being occupied. And the Iraqi economy has been reformulated from top to bottom over the past four years. But that's no great surprise, since it's also a violation of international law to launch a military invasion without a Security Council resolution in the first place.
But I'm a bit puzzled here, Tony. I thought the latest reason for this military occupation was to bring the blessings of democracy to the unfortunate Iraqi people. Well, since handing over the oil to Western private capital is such a beneficial thing for Iraqi's, why not just hold another one o' them elections on the issue?
By: loqi
Re: Iraqi Oil Law
I think maybe he thought that the oil would be a steady source of wealth for the "new" democratic Iraq, which would help it become independent. I don't know if it would really help that much, but that's what I think he means.
By: tvthefleshtone
Re: Iraqi Oil Law
Umm..the only thing obviously wrong about this video is its presentation. Animation on youtube is handy but the mainstream media needs to be the people that get this out in a way that everyone can understand it. Something tells me a cartoon format is not that way.
I'm not entirely sure why idiot, Saddam sympathizer, and anti-semite need to go in the same box as socialist. Socialism exists in most industrialized nations, including the US, SOCIAL security and UNITED STATES Postal Service to name two.
Capitalism is a great idea, but remember...
"Corporation, n. An ingenious device for obtaining individual profit without individual responsibility."
- Ambrose Bierce
I'm not entirely sure why idiot, Saddam sympathizer, and anti-semite need to go in the same box as socialist. Socialism exists in most industrialized nations, including the US, SOCIAL security and UNITED STATES Postal Service to name two.
Capitalism is a great idea, but remember...
"Corporation, n. An ingenious device for obtaining individual profit without individual responsibility."
- Ambrose Bierce
By: jimmythecuban
Re: Iraqi Oil Law
lol, woooow. way to disagree with someone who disagrees. Im totally on your side now. =P Your right tony. we should totally step on every civilization that has something we want. Take with brute force is actually probably the best policy. (CHOUGH*hitlertookpolandthesameway*cough) pardon.
By: meat
Re: Iraqi Oil Law
So you two are saying that if large US oil companys would be allowed two prospect for oil in Iraq any way they please that it would benefit the people of Iraq?
Please...
Please...
By: Langos
Re: Iraqi Oil Law
Come on man, the oil companies wouldn't even have to hire Iraqi people. Do you think the companies would wanna hire and train people when they have people who are very capable for the job ? So much for getting Iraq's infrastructure back on track.
By: D3NIS
Re: Iraqi Oil Law
I can't disagree with properly-run capitalist companies. They're in there to make the most profit with the least expense.
Now, I think the main question here isn't whether the narrator is some EVIL socialist or whether the gas CEO's are money-hungry stealers; the main question is what happens to the people.
The idea of humanity has been destroyed, replaced with labels and categories given by mainstream media.
What happens to the people in Iraq? What will companies do at the expense of the people? AND what did happen to the liberation and rebuilding of Iraq? The United States has the power to take over a country in a week. But for such a powerful country, surely it isn't out of their ability to rebuild infrastructure in a country the size of one of our own states.
You might ask "Who cares?", but I pray that you're not the same person who wonders why they hate us 10-20 years from now. At the rate we're going, Iraq will never be a "beacon of democracy" in the Middle East.
Now, I think the main question here isn't whether the narrator is some EVIL socialist or whether the gas CEO's are money-hungry stealers; the main question is what happens to the people.
The idea of humanity has been destroyed, replaced with labels and categories given by mainstream media.
What happens to the people in Iraq? What will companies do at the expense of the people? AND what did happen to the liberation and rebuilding of Iraq? The United States has the power to take over a country in a week. But for such a powerful country, surely it isn't out of their ability to rebuild infrastructure in a country the size of one of our own states.
You might ask "Who cares?", but I pray that you're not the same person who wonders why they hate us 10-20 years from now. At the rate we're going, Iraq will never be a "beacon of democracy" in the Middle East.
By: teichou
Re: Iraqi Oil Law
First, can i get a verified source on this? because a cartoon on youtube isn't proof thats its true.
And if it is the only real problems i have with it is that one they did lie to us, and two the council that governs the oil but not run by iraqis
And if it is the only real problems i have with it is that one they did lie to us, and two the council that governs the oil but not run by iraqis
By: cheezsteak
Re: Iraqi Oil Law
Holy crap! What if we didnt rely on oil so much? what if we drove electic cars? what happened to those things anyhow?
By: meat
