The Independent on Sunday continues its excellent reporting on the origins and scandal behind the soon to be introduced, US approved, Iraqi oil law. Last week the IoS reported that Bearing Point, a Virginia based contractor, heavily advised the Ministry of Oil on the law. This week we discover that Bearing Point contributed more than … Read More
War
The “Demonization” of Muslims and the Battle for Oil
Interesting article by Michel Chossudovsky, published in Global Research, and by Scoop. Throughout history, he writes, “wars of religion have served to obscure the economic and strategic interests behind the conquest and invasion of foreign lands. These wars were fought with a view to securing control over trading routes and natural resources.
The Future of Iraqi oil as proposed by the ISG
this is a guest post from Munir Chalabi, an Iraqi Political Analyst living in London. The US Democrats and the Republicans may disagree on many tactics and probably on part of the strategy for how to sustain the military occupation of Iraq, but when it comes to the strategy for the future of Iraqi oil … Read More
Don’t Forget Recommendations 62 and 63
Great blog by Tom Hayden in the Huffington Post about the Iraq Study Group. Writes Hayden: “Recommendations 62 and 63 confirm that control of Iraqi oil is a fundamental premise of Administration policy. Recommendation 62 says the US government should help draft an oil law that “creates a fiscal and legal framework for investment.” It … Read More
Bush: Actually, it IS about oil
While talking to Rush Limbaugh last week, and in his last minute campaign barnstorming for Republican candidates, George Bush confirmed his fear of Islamic extremists who “control oil resources” – and then immediately talked about “a country that doesn’t like us with a nuclear weapon”. You think maybe he’s thinking about Iran? “Give me a … Read More
Petro-Imperialism
“Few lies have wound up injuring Americans more” than the persistent denial that the war in Iraq is about oil and America’s failed energy strategy, according to author Kevin Phillips who reviews the evidence in the first section of his superb new book, American Theocracy. If that’s not on the top of your reading stack … Read More
“Crude Awakening”
In the latest issue of Ms. Magazine, Martha Burk’s “Crude Awakening” draws fresh connections between the United States’ oil interests and its willingness to overlook gross violations of women’s rights, especially in oil-rich nations. Writes Burk: “Whether supporting gender apartheid abroad, or sacrificing feeding programs for U.S. women and children so that ExxonMobil can get … Read More
Former British Foreign Minister Helped Oil Giants with Iraq Contracts
Dramatic new evidence has been released of high-level lobbying for Iraqi oil contracts, on behalf of oil companies BHP Billiton and Shell. New documents show that Malcolm Rifkind, the former British Foreign Secretary, lobbied Dick Cheney for Shell and BHP Billiton to obtain a major Iraq oil contract, just weeks after the 2003 invasion. Rifkind, … Read More
Climate Change More of a Threat Than Global Terrorism
The US and UK Government’s obsession with the “War on Terror”, recently renamed the “Long War” by military commanders is completely counter-productive and misguided, according to a leading UK think-tank. It is also distracting politicians from more fundamental threats to global security, such as climate change.
Talking Real Money
In the produce section at the grocery store the other day, I was pleased to see cherries are in season. I wasn’t pleased to see they cost nine dollars a pound. These were not organic cherries but conventional, pesticide-sprayed fruit. What makes them expensive is that they were trucked in from Michigan or Washington State … Read More