Basra oil fuels fight to control Iraq’s economic might

The province sits on as much as 20 percent of the Middle East’s oil reserves.

Basra, Iraq – It could be an “empire,” says one Shiite militia leader. For the provincial governor, Basra’s future is shimmering skyscrapers. He wants the Iraqi port city to be another Arab metropolis, perhaps the next Dubai.

Many Iraqis


With its oil proceeds, Basra Province provided Baghdad nearly 90 percent of its budget of $40 million this year. And there is more money to come, if Iraq fully repairs and expands its war-ravaged oil infrastructure. Basra sits on some of the world’s largest untapped reserves. In fact, the bulk of Iraq’s estimated 200 billion barrels in potential deposits are here.

The fight for a stake in Basra’s riches is often desperate and violent. Whoever comes out on top, they will hold great sway over the country, and much influence in the Middle East. Now that British forces have left Basra city, and are preparing for a full withdrawal from Basra Province by year-end, many Basrawis worry that this fight for control of Basra’s petroleum wealth will further increase, perhaps growing into an all-out war.

Christian Science Monitor