Iraq oil forgotten?
November 22, 2005 4:49 AM   Subscribe

The reason for the US war on Iraq seems to have got lost by the media in amongst all the other news. So here is an update.
posted by donfactor (20 comments total)

This post was deleted for the following reason: one-link newsfilter hot-topic post



 
Sorry about this single link post, but this used to be a news filter and this needs looking at again before it gets lost in US political slanging matches.
posted by donfactor at 4:51 AM on November 22, 2005


No, it doesn't. Most people on MetaFilter already agree with this position, and it doesn't need to be rehashed again, anymore than we'd need to post another link on how Bush stole both elections. We all agree on it, so it doesn't need to be discussed. If you want to change the opinions of a truly varied political spectrum, try posting this on Fark (although it won't be posted).
posted by Deathalicious at 4:52 AM on November 22, 2005


I don't believe it, and I don't believe Bush stole two elections either.
posted by A189Nut at 5:04 AM on November 22, 2005


I agree with A189Nut. Why would you assume that everyone (or even most everyone) on MetaFilter agrees with your liberal bias?
posted by unclejeffy at 5:15 AM on November 22, 2005


Well you didn't think the US would go to war to enrich another country, did you?
posted by clevershark at 5:16 AM on November 22, 2005


Much less free them! *rolls eyes* Were the one with the evil dictactor.
posted by wheelieman at 5:21 AM on November 22, 2005


Lets keep this thread sane please?
posted by wheelieman at 5:22 AM on November 22, 2005


Sorry about this single link post. Yeah, well just don't do it. There's no shortage of links.

The Iraqi constitution prevents the current government or the occupying powers entering any long-term contracts for the Oil until a properly democratic government is in place. Now why would the supposed robber-barons write in that provision? You tell me.
posted by grahamwell at 5:33 AM on November 22, 2005


"this used to be a news filter"

The who with the what now where?
posted by selfnoise at 5:42 AM on November 22, 2005


donfactor seems to only do single link posts. But since this is just a link to Reuters it is pretty lame (whatever you think about the reasons for war).
posted by keijo at 5:43 AM on November 22, 2005


One link to Reuters? Dude, pass the dutchie.

Long term? Who needs 'em? They've already been producing 2 million barrels a day. For who? What companies? Exported to where, now?

Robber-barons don't need no stinkin' contracts.
posted by loquacious at 5:46 AM on November 22, 2005


Sorry about this single link post, but this used to be a news filter and this needs looking at again

How many mistakes can you find in this sentence?
posted by languagehat at 5:48 AM on November 22, 2005


Crude Designs: The Rip-Off of Iraq’s Oil Wealth. Took just one minute to find the full report, donfactor, which would've made a much stronger post.
posted by mediareport at 6:01 AM on November 22, 2005


The Spoils of War - How Iraq looses 200bln. to US and British Oil.
posted by Balisong at 6:03 AM on November 22, 2005


How many mistakes can you find in this sentence?

Yeah, that's some serious confusion there. Where the heck did this "omigod! no single link posts!" stuff come from, anyway?
posted by mediareport at 6:03 AM on November 22, 2005


It's not generally "omigod!", but I think in the case of IraqiNewsfilter one should aim even higher than normally (i.e. a lot more than a single editorialised link to Reuters). But now this is turning too much into Metatalk.
posted by keijo at 6:07 AM on November 22, 2005


unclejeffy: "I agree with A189Nut. Why would you assume that everyone (or even most everyone) on MetaFilter agrees with your liberal bias?"

Hey, don't lump me in with him. He's representative of idiots, not of liberals.
posted by Plutor at 6:14 AM on November 22, 2005


In retrospect it's become clear that somewhere along the way GWB's administration developed a bias for war in Iraq and ultimately found the justification it was looking for to go ahead. What other main motivation for this bias than oil wealth / independence may be posited? All the rest, Saddam the dictator, WMD's, etc, look more like enablers or rationales as time goes on.

It's the only thing that makes sense from a national security perspective. They saw an opportunity to reduce the effect of a long-standing national weakness, America's dependence on foreign oil and connected it with terrorism, perhaps imagining oil wealth to be funding terrorism in some big-picture sense.

Oil remains a critical resource and dependence on a foreign resource may have been understood, one or two hundred years ago, to be a perfectly good reason to go to war. But not in the 21st century. Nations are not supposed to start wars any longer over resources. We're supposed to trade with each other instead.

So, if you like, they really did have America's interests at heart. But not in a way they could legitimately sell. Note their inability to sell the idea to anyone but Great Britain and Spain. Note also the similarity between this way of thinking and politics. The whole deal has the look of a bill being proposed that carries a main effect and then little side-effects designed to get enough others on board to have it pass.

As far as single link news posts are concerned, perhaps they're a reasonably efficient way to continue these major-topic conversations given MeFi's format? To even begin covering all the relevant material, wouldn't this one have to be a page-full of links?
posted by scheptech at 6:17 AM on November 22, 2005


We all agree on it, so it doesn't need to be discussed.Um, no we don't.

Though I will agree that there's not much point in opening up this discussion again. Political discussions here are less an exchange of ideas and more an exchange of artillery fire.
posted by DWRoelands at 6:18 AM on November 22, 2005


If it was solely about oil then Saddam would still be in power. Oil was a factor but not the only factor.
posted by StarForce5 at 6:24 AM on November 22, 2005


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