Well before the US and UK led the invasion of Iraq, the two countries were under suspicion about their intentions for Iraq’s oil. When asked on February 6 2003 in a BBC Newsnight programme whether the war in Iraq was about oil, Tony Blair responded:
Let me just deal with the oil thing … the oil conspiracy theory is honestly one of the most absurd when you analyse it. The fact is that, if the oil that Iraq has were our concern, I mean we could probably cut a deal with Saddam tomorrow in relation to the oil. It’s not the oil that is the issue, it is the weapons.
But then again, the commander of the USCENTCOM during the Iraq War, General John Abizaid, came to see things rather differently: “Of course [the Iraq war] is about oil, we can’t deny that.”
So what part did oil really play in the Iraq War? Various members of the US and UK administrations have provided evidence that Iraq’s rich oil reserves were a major Anglo-American interest in the Middle East, and control of Iraq’s reserves was always going to be a huge gain for US and British oil corporations.
But reducing the war in Iraq to this motive alone would be too simplistic, and as the Chilcot Report makes plain, the explanations for the war are highly complex. Still, some factors are more significant than others.
Oil does appear to be one of the central ones, if not in the way that most observers suggest – that is, to guarantee an open flow of Iraqi oil to the US and British economies. Instead, we should think of the oil imperative as part of a much more complex system of factors that drove the 2003 invasion.
Balance of power
The US’s global hegemony – its capacity as a great power to get other states to support its geopolitical and economic goals – depends on a highly contingent and transitory set of circumstances. Since the late 1940s, Middle Eastern oil has only become more vital for maintaining the US’s global supremacy, and in a more complex way than just a simple grab of oil reserves.
Above all, oil is part of a general strategy to maintain and exercise global power, and it’s a central part of the US-centred global system. Middle Eastern oil has played a central role in the rise and continuation of the supremacy of the US and its close allies, arguably the central geopolitical story of our times.
If a hegemonic power wants to impose its political and economic authority over a region, it doesn’t do it by mere fiat, but by serving and balancing the interests of its allies and clients. The economies of various US allies, among them Japan and the countries of Western Europe, are to various extents dependent on oil imports; the US’s Middle East clients, the oil monarchies, require American protection and support.
The US has accordingly consolidated its strategically dominant position in the Middle East by effectively controlling the “global oil spigot”. This is also an effective way to ward off any competition for the top position in this inter-state hierarchy, as all the US’s competitors are heavily dependent on Middle East oil – in particular China.
The question of US influence over oil-rich countries in the Middle East has become increasingly important after World War II. The so-called Carter Doctrine sums up this development perfectly:
Let our position be absolutely clear: An attempt by any outside force to gain control of the Persian Gulf region will be regarded as an assault on the vital interests of the United States of America, and such an assault will be repelled by any means necessary, including military force.
Three and a half decades on, the Middle East’s oil remains one of the central pillars of world politics, to ensure, with the use of violence if necessary, that Middle Eastern oil remains accessible, free-flowing, cheap, and firmly under US control.
Since the end of the Cold War, the US has waged several ground and air wars in the region – two in Iraq, one in Afghanistan, and one in Libya – and is currently threatening more. Each conflict has of course its own specific objectives, but there is a common denominator: the need to keep the oil of the region free-flowing, inexpensive, and under the firm control of the US and its friends.
American strategists don’t simply want to obtain oil. If you have money, that’s easy. They also want to eliminate all potential competitors, safeguarding the region politically and militarily so that the flow of oil from the Middle East to world markets remains under their direct control.
Business as usual
As for Britain, which enthusiastically supported the US-led war in Iraq in sharp contrast to most of the US’s European allies, the partnership with the US wasn’t simply a manoeuvre for influence on the global stage, and nor was it the fruit of imperial delusion. Britain also had a clear material interest in being awarded a share of the spoils in the form of trade, contracts, and access to markets and natural resources.
This is not a matter of supposition or conjecture. In October 2002, five months before the invasion of Iraq, the then-trade minister, Baroness Symons, told BP executives that the British government was working to secure a good share of Iraq’s oil and gas reserves for British energy corporations as a reward for Blair’s strong military commitment to US operations for regime change in Iraq.
Confidential minutes released as a result of Freedom of Information request by Greg Muttitt, (co-director of the campaign group Platform), reveal that in several meetings with BP and Shell executives detailed plans were drafted by British government to exploit oil opportunities in post-Saddam Iraq.
Many view all this as evidence of a conspiracy, but that is reductive. These events are part of a larger balance of global economic and political mechanisms – a tangle of political and economic interests coverging under the rubric of “regime change”.
Vested interests representing energy, weapons and influential segments of the media and communications industries are entrenched in key sectors of Western governments. These interests are concerned with maintaining their privileged position, and key elements of the US and British elite respond directly.
This was not a conspiracy; it was simply business as usual.
Plantagenet on Sun, 10th Jul 2016 7:15 pm
Nothing has changed since 2002.
Here we are 14 years later and Oil is still a prime motivator for Obama’s current wars in Iraq and Syria, as well as his intervention in the war in Libya.
Its still simply business as usual.
Anonymous on Sun, 10th Jul 2016 7:40 pm
Here we are, years later, and plantaidiot still thinks its ‘obmama’s wars, or some such nonsense.
Its still simply plantafool as usual.
eugene on Sun, 10th Jul 2016 7:56 pm
Some people have difficulty with complex thinking. Called single track minds.
Persian People on Mon, 11th Jul 2016 12:09 am
On behalf of the Iranian Special Forces I would like to thank Bush and Blair for providing us with the greatest anti-armour weapons lab ever developed. It gave us and our partners great opportunity to field test all manner of anti-armour weapons against your best equipment. It was a great success from our end. We’d also like to thank the British and Andrican taxpayer for picking up the tab. It wasn’t a cheap exercise in anti-armour technology and we def couldn’t have afforded it without your help. There’s a reason why USA talks about air strikes against Iran and not armoured columns. That reason is a highly effective and battle tested anti-armour capability. Thanks y’all!
joe on Mon, 11th Jul 2016 2:50 am
When Blair said oil is not the prime motivation, I believe him. Regime change in Iraq was a certainty when Clinton 1 signed it into law in the 1990s.
The problem is westerners ignorance of what they are dealing with. Just like Vietnam, Sunni and Shia muslims mistrust Christian’s and hate whites, its that simple. Liberal westerners call this ‘irrational’ so they ignore it as it does not fit their silly ideas of rational economic actors. How Iraq happened is mixed bag, from zionism, to exceptionalism and show boating, muscle flexing, military adventurism etc. They also ignored the wishes of the American people who to be honest didnt care much about Saddam until American kids were dying in shitholes called Falluja. If it wasnt so tragic it would be funny. Oil was just one of the many stupid reasons.
But the MAIN reason was that Bush and Blair lied that Saddam had wmd. Thats the only certain fact. Lets never forget that please.
yoshua on Mon, 11th Jul 2016 4:19 am
Every department in Baghdad was bombed, burned and looted… except for the oil department… which was heavily guarded by western forces after Baghdad fell.
Obama promised to leave Iraq… since Bush had already signed an agreement with the new Iraqi government to leave.
ISIS was not a problem as long as they were fighting the Assad regime in Syria… but when they turned against Iraq and threatened to take down Iraq and the control of the oil fields… they became a threat to western interests.
Iran controls today the Shia government in Baghdad… which is a threat to Saudi dominance over the Arabian Peninsula. A sectarian war between Shia and Sunni Muslims have broken out on the Peninsula… a classic example of divide and rule.
JuanP on Mon, 11th Jul 2016 5:36 am
The Iraq war was an act of genocide, a series of war crimes, a crime against humanity, and a crime against peace. According to international law all these offenses are punishable by law. The fact that nobody has been prosecuted for these crimes is irrefutable proof that international laws and treaties can be systematically ignored by the the terrorist USA government and its minions with complete impunity. In a world ruled by law George W. Bush and all his accomplices would have been tried and executed a long time ago.
Yankees go home! Trump for US President! Anyone but Hillary!
Dustin Hoffman on Mon, 11th Jul 2016 6:03 am
Oil was definitely the prime directive.
A friend at work had a service man that was part of the invasion force. They were approaching a site deemed a possible WMD installation. They were order not to secure, but proceed to the nearby oil facility and secure. Shortonoil was correct, when Saddam triggered Uncle Sam by refusing to accept petrodollars as payment, that sealed his fate.
Saddam had due cause to invade Kuwait. They were pumping oil out of his wells via slant drilling. They were to pay after being caught stealing. They refused and said what are you going to do about it…Uncle Sam will protect us.
He should have listened, but needed the cash to pay for past bill due from his Iran war-
joe on Mon, 11th Jul 2016 11:45 am
Hey dustin, they didnt secure because everyone knew there was no wmd.
Dustin Hoffman on Mon, 11th Jul 2016 11:48 am
Hey Joe if everyone knew than why didn’t the journalist report it?
PracticalMaina on Mon, 11th Jul 2016 1:19 pm
Dustin, think Wellstone, Halliburton was gonna get there’s.
Fear the man with the pig heart.
Dustin Hoffman on Mon, 11th Jul 2016 2:35 pm
Practice. Talking to the wrong guy, fella
Listen both you and Joey, I lived up in Boston during those times…went to several events, one of which was by Scott Ritter…
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scott_Ritter
Prior to the invasion of Iraq in March 2003, Ritter stated that Iraq possessed no significant weapons of mass destruction (WMD) capabilities, becoming “the loudest and most credible skeptic of the Bush administration’s contention that Hussein was hiding weapons of mass destruction.”[1] He received harsh criticism from the political establishment but became a popular antiwar figure and occasional talk show commentator as a result of his stance, later proven to be correct
Both you two are not telling me anything.
Actually let ME tell you…
Went to Washington DC twice at major protest gatherings before the invasion…
Little media coverage.
Did the same in Boston…spoke out at work…was ridiculed.
I know the deal….so what…
efarmer on Mon, 11th Jul 2016 8:42 pm
Owning the currency petroleum most often trades in and having influence in most places where it comes from is how one has an empire or superpower since the 20th century. It is why the behavior associated with maintaining this position is continuous. Until such time the power of petroleum is diminished by events or advances, it will simply be “the shit”.
tk on Tue, 12th Jul 2016 6:07 am
https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=LUmWdL3F7z0#t=635
PracticalMaina on Tue, 12th Jul 2016 2:56 pm
I knew there would be no weapons found, unfortunately voting age adults wouldn’t listen to a young teen.
PracticalMaina on Tue, 12th Jul 2016 2:57 pm
I was lucky to have an intelligent teacher explain to me how in bed we were with every middle eastern villain.
GregT on Tue, 12th Jul 2016 8:13 pm
The plan to divide Iraq along religious and ethnic lines goes back long before 2001. Oil was not the original motivating factor, but rather the spoils. Washington knew that the American public would never agree to the invasion. 911 changed public support, even though Iraq had nothing to do with it.
https://syria360.wordpress.com/2014/11/24/from-the-yinon-plan-to-the-yaalon-strategy/
joe on Wed, 13th Jul 2016 3:27 am
Anyone interested in the tragic life of John Cantile can view the propaganda video made by isis.
http://tinyurl.com/h8jkode
Its a video on the London Metro website.
Cantile is visibly thin, he appears sick and can hardly walk.
He reminds me of Winston Smith.
The whole video is a hollywood set, they even rolled out a few dozen cars to fill up the street to make it look like business as usual.
He makes a comment like ‘the people can us filming’. For me thats code for its all fake.
The man is broken, but he doesnt love Big Brother yet. God loves him. May his end be swift, his place in heaven is certain, please pray for him.
joe on Wed, 13th Jul 2016 3:36 am
Dustin, dont drink the cool aid. They lied. Chilcott report says they ‘exaggerated’. Clinton1 had already signed regime change into law in the 1990s. The claimed Iraq could bomb the uk in a 45minute window. After 9-11 the American people were scared and the cure was warfever. As for the media, they DID report it! Just not the msm who work for the 1%, wake up.
Dustin Hoffman on Wed, 13th Jul 2016 5:59 am
Sure Joe Six Pack….just because you put it down here…its all true.
Chug another Bud, bud…
The Good Old Boy circle strikes again!
joe on Wed, 13th Jul 2016 10:26 am
Thats just weak dude.