Iraq: of course it’s about oil

THE PRIME MINISTER’s hasty retreat from the admission that oil has anything to do with the US-led invasion and occupation of Iraq is both puzzling and revealing.

Defence Minister Brendan Nelson was stating the obvious when he remarked last week that the Middle East was an important supplier of energy and that protecting oil supplies in the region was a component of Australia’s defence strategy, just as it is a significant component of US defence strategy.


Since the end of the Second World War, the US has protected global oil reserves and supply routes not only for its own economic and military needs but also as a means of maintaining US hegemony.

During the Cold War, oil was used as a strategic resource by the US in pursuing its strategy of containment and the overall management of its Western leadership. This strategic use of oil has remained central to US grand strategy in the post-Cold War period.

The Canberra Times