NationStates Jolt Archive


It's A War For Oil -Howard

Rotovia-
05-07-2007, 13:31
At what point did conservatives start admitting the insults we've been slinging at them...?

Mid East oil crucial to our future: PM
Thursday Jul 5 12:15 AEST

The Middle East is crucial to Australia's strategic and economic future, Prime Minister John Howard said in a major speech outlining his government's foreign policy direction.

In an address to the Australian Strategic Policy Institute in Canberra on Thursday, Mr Howard highlighted the fight against terrorism and the need to secure a major oil supply as reasons to stay the course in Iraq.

He warned there would be "no holiday" from the struggle against terrorism which had its genesis in Islamic extremism.

"Islamist terrorism will remain a threat to Australia, to Australian interests and to our allies, globally and in South East Asia," he said.

Mr Howard said many strategic challenges including terrorism, demand for energy resources and competition between rival powers converged in the Middle East.

His speech came as the government released an update of Australia's defence priorities.

"Our major ally and our most important economic partners have crucial interests there," Mr Howard said.

"In these circumstances it is all the more critical that the coalition succeed in establishing a stable democratic Iraq that is capable of defending itself against al Qaeda and the internal enemies that wish to tear it apart.

"Despite the dreadful continuing violence and our frustration at the rate of political progress, the government remains committed to staying in Iraq with our coalition partners until the Iraqi security forces no longer require our support.

"The consequences of western failure and defeat in Iraq are too serious to allow our policy to be dictated by weariness, frustration or political convenience."

While India and China were emerging as global powers, the US would not lose its predominant global position, he said.

"We are unlikely to see the emergence of a serious rival to liberal market-based democracy as an organising principle," he said.

However, there was a danger globalisation would facilitate terrorism and transnational crime and spark a resurgence of protectionist policies that could lead to disputes over commodities like oil.

"It will remain the case that, because of our size and location, Australia cannot afford to wait until security threats reach our shores before we do anything about them," he said.

"Whether in Afghanistan or Iraq, it would not only run counter to our national interests, but also to our national character to let (terrorists) prevail."

Intelligence assessments indicated Australia was likely to be called on to take the lead in a range of possible missions in the region over the coming years, he said.

Mr Howard said Labor had a long record of neglecting defence.

Australian Greens leader Bob Brown said Mr Howard's admission that the invasion of Iraq was linked to securing the oil supply is damning.

"Prime Minister John Howard's belated admission that the invasion of Iraq is linked to the major stake of energy dependency underlines his dishonesty in 2003," Senator Brown said in a statement.

"Saddam Hussein's oil, not weapons of mass destruction, was in the Bush-Blair-Howard mindset in this monumental mistake which has cost a reported 67,000 civilian lives.

"It has boosted global terrorism and undermined Australia's homeland security.

"Mr Howard has put oil corporations' interests ahead of Australians' domestic security."


©AAP 2007
Andaras Prime
05-07-2007, 13:40
Wow, what an intelligent thing to say near elections:rolleyes:

It's actually been interesting, if not scary, to see the transformation of Howard through Iraq and other issues to nothing but a right-wing hack job who strawmans the Opposition labor party as communists and terrorists. Thank god he'll be gone by the end of the year.
Johnny B Goode
05-07-2007, 14:33
There is only one response to that.

http://img503.imageshack.us/img503/5296/johnhowardposterru7.jpg
Soleichunn
05-07-2007, 14:44
Too bad you don't have one about the current government's tendency to 'forget' important things.
Kryozerkia
05-07-2007, 15:13
A politician telling the public the truth? What's next, a politician that actually gives a damn?
Regressica
05-07-2007, 15:28
lol, the only reason Howard dropped that in his speech was because earlier in the day in even more explicit language Nelson said the same basic thing, contradicting years of government PR. Now Howard and the gang are trying to smooth everything over. I bet you Nelson is getting an arse-kicking in the back room but.
Ariddia
05-07-2007, 16:24
Australia has admitted for the first time that securing the supply of oil is a key motive for its involvement in the US-led war in Iraq.

Brendan Nelson, the defence minister, said "energy security" was one of the main priorities behind his country's support for the war, which is unpopular among Australians.

Nelson told the Australian Broadcasting Corporation that Australia's priorities were set out in a defence and security review being released on Thursday "and resource security is one of them".

(Article (http://english.aljazeera.net/NR/exeres/0FFC121D-AA79-4932-B5FA-CDD6C8F77B50.htm))

I'm not too sure what to think about them finally admitting it...
Call to power
05-07-2007, 16:34
so it was the Australians who invaded for oil, I knew it all along!:p
Ariddia
05-07-2007, 16:38
Oh, and before anyone starts challenging the source (you never know, here in NSG :rolleyes:), you can also get this from Voice of America (http://voanews.com/english/2007-07-05-voa8.cfm), the BBC (http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/6272168.stm), the Sydney Morning Herald (http://www.smh.com.au/news/National/Howard-to-link-oil-and-Iraq-war-report/2007/07/05/1183351325634.html), and the Guardian (http://www.guardian.co.uk/australia/story/0,,2119110,00.html), among many others.
Vetalia
05-07-2007, 16:39
Doesn't Australia already have a significant amount of oil, natural gas, uranium and coal? I don't really see the logic in it considering the huge amounts of fossil fuels, uranium and renewable resources they can use for their energy needs domestically.
Ceia
05-07-2007, 16:39
Can he clear up whether Iran will or will not be next? My pom-poms are getting dusty.
Ariddia
05-07-2007, 16:39
I don't really see the logic in it

Well, ask the Australian government... Apparently they see some logic here.
Hamilay
05-07-2007, 16:41
Wow, really, we wanted the oil too? I thought the main and only reason we sent troops to Iraq was following the lead of our federal government in Washington. :p
Johnny B Goode
05-07-2007, 16:43
Well, ask the Australian government... Apparently they see some logic here.

Well, they're run by John Howard.
Vetalia
05-07-2007, 16:46
Well, ask the Australian government... Apparently they see some logic here.

Yeah, it sounds like the "war for oil" is just a postbellum explanation they came up with due to the utter lack of logic, planning or justification for the original invasion.
Northern Borders
05-07-2007, 17:28
It has always been about the oil. 9/11 was just an excuse, anyone with a brain knows that.
New Manvir
05-07-2007, 19:51
A politician telling the public the truth? What's next, a politician that actually gives a damn?

Now lets not get carried away, that's just silly...:D
The Lone Alliance
05-07-2007, 21:16
Howard... Captain Obivious!
CanuckHeaven
06-07-2007, 03:25
It has always been about the oil. 9/11 was just an excuse, anyone with a brain knows that.
Operation

Iraq

Liberation

:D
Jeruselem
06-07-2007, 05:32
No no no - Australia invaded Iraq to steal it's Uranium! :D
USMC leathernecks2
06-07-2007, 20:15
Am I missing something or was there no quote in there, by Howard, saying he invaded for oil?