[Article] US buys oil from Iraq

Hobbes

http://www.observer.co.uk/international/story/0,6903,882512,00.html

And after giving out about France doing it, the US now goes and starts getting it's oil from Iraq as well.

gandalf

Ahh but Hobbes it will soon be their oil !!!

(sorry I mean being held in "protective administration" for the Iraqi people :rolleyes: ).

What a pack of hypocrites.

Gandalf.

HJ Simpson

Typical American hypocracy

bonkey

Originally posted by Hobbes
And after giving out about France doing it, the US now goes and starts getting it's oil from Iraq as well.

Its even worse than that.

The US hasnt started getting its oil from Iraq....its increased the amount. It has been getting oil from Iraq for a long time...and now its getting more.

From the article :

Weeks before a prospective invasion of Iraq, the oil-rich state has doubled its exports of oil to America

How ironic..."please sell us more oil Saddam, so that when we invade you we wont have a shortage at home."

jc

hallelujajordan

Originally posted by bonkey


How ironic..."please sell us more oil Saddam, so that when we invade you we wont have a shortage at home."

jc

If the supply of Iraqi oil wasn't so particularly important to Bush, don't you think he would make a point of NOT buying Iraqi oil.

Bonkey, a while ago we discussed this at length and I tried to argue the importance of the Iraqi oil fields in GB's motivation to go to war . . .

Can you now accept that oil is the prime motivator for this war, and the reason that Bush etc . . will go against world opinion and proceed with an unjust war that will kill up to half a million Iraqi's . . . .

It'll be interesting to see in a few years time, when america contols most of the oil in the world, will they use that stranglehold on the world, as Iraq once tried to do?

spoofer

an unjust war that will kill up to half a million Iraqi's . . . .

How do you figure half a million?
Why no more????

JohnK

Typical of Bush. He's full of crap!

Hobart

Typical of this current administration. Can't wait for tomorrow when Colon Powell gives his justification speech to the UN!!


and yes I do mean Colon....................

bonkey

Originally posted by hallelujajordan
If the supply of Iraqi oil wasn't so particularly important to Bush, don't you think he would make a point of NOT buying Iraqi oil.

Of course.

And whats the reason that he has had to double his increases? The problems in Venezuela, which have led to a shortfall in world production which OPEC is unable/unwilling to fully offset.

But there's always an option...its just that the welfare of his nation's economy would appear to be more important than their moral objection to a tyrant - something I touched on in a recent thread I started, so I'm not going back into it now.

Bonkey, a while ago we discussed this at length and I tried to argue the importance of the Iraqi oil fields in GB's motivation to go to war . . .

Can you now accept that oil is the prime motivator for this war, and the reason that Bush etc . . will go against world opinion and proceed with an unjust war that will kill up to half a million Iraqi's . . . .

Unless you assert that the US will remove Iraq from OPEC, then no, I do not accept it. OPEC determine how much oil they will produce on a daily basis, and while Iraq remains within OPEC - regardless of its ruler - then the US has SFA control over its output.

Even were that to happen, and should the US then use Iraq's oil to start offsetting the world shortage, you can bet your bottom dollar that the remaining OPEC nations will cut production further to offset the increase and to maintain their stranglehold on world oil prices. While Iraq may have the largest oil reserves in the world, there are limits to its production, and while the other OPEC nations remain in charge of their own destiny, there is simply no way that controlling Iraqi oil is an effective end-gambit.

Were the US to simply "commandeer" all of Iraq's oil, then yes - they most certainly could avoid being struck by this themselves, but the economic backlash from the rest of the world (who would be crippled) would be equally damaging to their economy, if not moreso.

This is tieing back to what I originally argued...viewing this as "all about Iraqi oil" is simply inaccurate. The fact that the US can already buy Iraqi oil to make up some of their shortfall shows that they already have access to the stuff.

One can also put a reasonably strong argument foreward that the results of a war will result in a net loss of oil production for the short-medium term, which will have seriously negative impacts on the US. Given that Bush's major failing at the moment is the economy - which is what sunk his dad after he won a war - the last thing he can do is screw the economy coming up to re-election. Perhaps in the long run it would benefit the US, but that would then assume that either Bush is a martyr - sacrificing his career as a politican for the long-term good of his nation, or that Bush is simply lining up cash for the oil companies and doesnt care about the nation.

This latter argument, while enticing for those who have no respect at all for Bush, fails to explain how the rest of the Republicans are behind him. If it is so obvious, how has he fooled them, or is the entire party on the take?

So - what is it to be?

Is Bush a genuinely sincere politican, willing to risk sacrificing his political future for the benefit of the nation? If thats the case, then the man deserves far more credit than anyone (including his supporters) on this forum has given him.

Or is Bush the ultimate con-man, lining his oil-connected buddies' and family's pockets whilst managing to fool the entire Republican party into believing something else - despite it being "obvious" or "clear" that this is about Iraqi oil?

At the moment, I cant see a third option if this is all about Iraqi oil. Maybe that cause I'm not devious enough for international politics.

jc

Sand

But ultimately oil giants such as Chevron, Exxon, BP and Shell saved the day by doubling imports from Iraq from 0.5m barrels in November to over 1m barrels per day to solve the problem.

My god, *corporations* buying oil from wherever they can get it to take advantage of shortages. Whilst of course all these corporations receive their trading orders from the White House they do have some curious independance from it. They having an obligation to profit driven shareholders and the White House to fad driven voters.

The trade, though bizarre given current Pentagon plans to launch around 300 cruise missiles a day on Iraq, is legal under the terms of UN's oil for food programme.

Legal. UN approved plan lads - It *must* be good right? Think of it as the corporations donation for extra Iraqi foodstuffs before the potential war.

But Saddam has offered lucrative contracts to companies from France, China, India and Indonesia as well as Russia.

Good to see at least 3 of those nations politicians are marching in perfect lockstep with their oil men - even if Bush isnt:)