NationStates Jolt Archive

Two and a half years and $202 billion into the war in Iraq, the United States has at least one significant new asset to show for it:

*****effective membership, through our control of Iraq's energy policy, in the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC), the Arab-dominated oil cartel.



http://www.gregpalast.com/detail.cfm?artid=471&row=0


Just what to do with this proxy power has been, almost since President Bush's first inaugural, the cause of a pitched battle between neoconservatives at the Pentagon, on the one hand, and the State Department and the oil industry, on the other. At issue is whether Iraq will remain a member in good standing of OPEC, upholding production limits and thereby high prices, or a mutinous spoiler that could topple the Arab oligopoly.




stay a member of course.
it's what the companies want.
thus they get.
never forget who runs the country (not just 'oil' corporations)

Haha.. Greg Palast... haven't heard from that nut in ages..

Also, congrats to us for joining OPEC.. I guess.. :)

Haha.. Greg Palast... haven't heard from that nut in ages..


He did go a little overboard criticizing George Galloway.
Galloway is anti-abortion.

But we can still be allies against the fascist regime that runs
america and their wars built on lies.



late summer 2002 (invasion spring 2003)
a congressional committee met with 'what to do about iraq?'
all the 'experts' that were invited to speak were all pro-war.
for WMD, Scott Ritter was not invited. here's a new interview w/him
http://www.democracynow.org/article.pl?sid=05/10/21/144258

no concern about the 1million or more Iraqis dead because of the
sanctions, which were not a force of nature. thus no Hans VonSpotnik
or Dennis Halliday.

oh, well, they had war planned for quite a while.
Maybe even the congress that voted & Clinton signed some
'free iraq' bill. whatever. as that's going to curve our criticism.
"if you're against this war, you're against Bush and therefore obviously
a Clinton and/or Dumb0crat supporter" not

OPEC? That club's lame. We're in the cool club. NATO.

*cries* but mummy i thought this war wasn't about oil...

*cries* but mummy i thought this war wasn't about oil...
I hate to disillusion you, but... ;)

1) The war wasn't about oil

2) The ministers have control of their own ministries

3) I wish we were a member of OPEC. Maybe we could begin to shape up the oil industry. Alas though, we aren't a member of OPEC so.....

no concern about the 1million or more Iraqis dead because of the sanctions, which were not a force of nature.

I believe the first American official to ask for "regime change" was Madeline Albright.

I also believe that if any Iraqis died as a result of the sanctions, there are two ways that could have been alleviated:

1. Saddam cooperates, or
2. The people looting the Oil for Food Program stop looting the program and let the aid flow to the Iraqis.

The investigations have shown that the program was essentially looted to the point of uselessness. And, it's evident that Saddam had no intention of cooperating.

Oh yes - now we know that there were no WMD. But before then, UNSCOM and the US and UK - and even the French and Russians said that he probably had chemical and biological weapons (heard David Kay say that today - and he says that's not in dispute). And we did find out something that would never have been discovered by inspectors - what happened to the weaponized anthrax that UNSCOM was looking for - that had been buried in the desert and destroyed by Dr. Taha without Saddam's knowledge or approval. The answer to a question that we would never have known through inspections.

But, Saddam could have given us access to Taha, and without the threat of death hanging over her head for destroying the anthrax in defiance of Saddam's orders, she might have talked.

I suppose that you will never blame Kofi Annan's son - nor will you blame anyone else listed as a looter in the UN report.

never forget who runs the country
Wal-Mart?
Microsoft?
McDonalds?
Myrth?
ME?

Wal-Mart?
Microsoft?
McDonalds?
Myrth?
ME?
Along the same trajectory:

Melkor Unchained?
Menelmacar?
My attorney?
Mr. Brown?
Max Barry???

Wal-Mart?
Microsoft?
McDonalds?
Myrth?
ME?
Richard Allen, but its supposed to be a secret, so don't tell anyone.