'The Iraq war was about oil' - what is this based on?

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  1. cloclo93's Avatar
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    'The Iraq war was about oil' - what is this based on?
    Can somebody please explain to me what people specifically mean when they say that the reason why Iraq was invaded in 2003 was oil? Did removing Saddam Hussein from power help the US/UK get more oil or something?
  2. Azaro's Avatar
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    Re: 'The Iraq war was about oil' - what is this based on?
    no it did not, it only benefited russia
  3. Snagprophet's Avatar
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    • Location: Bournemouth, England
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    Re: 'The Iraq war was about oil' - what is this based on?
    It's just newspeak for the West doing anything.
  4. Suetonius's Avatar
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    Re: 'The Iraq war was about oil' - what is this based on?
    Everything to do with Iraq is about oil. It constitutes 95% of its exports.
  5. Whitechapel's Avatar
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    Re: 'The Iraq war was about oil' - what is this based on?
    Iraq sits on a reservoir of an estimated $1 TRILLION worth of Oil.
  6. patrickinator's Avatar
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    Re: 'The Iraq war was about oil' - what is this based on?
    it was about regime change. Remember that at the time public opinion was for the iraq war, although we were fooled into thinking that they had WMD.

    however there is no doubt that the world is a safer place without saddam hussein!
  7. patrickinator's Avatar
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    Re: 'The Iraq war was about oil' - what is this based on?
    (Original post by Whitechapel)
    Iraq sits on a reservoir of an estimated $1 TRILLION worth of Oil.
    North sea oil is worth $1trillion of oil, that is quite an insignificant amount.
    Source?
  8. Whitechapel's Avatar
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    Re: 'The Iraq war was about oil' - what is this based on?
    (Original post by patrickinator)
    North sea oil is worth $1trillion of oil, that is quite an insignificant amount.
    Source?

    http://theiraqidinar.com/2012/02/13/...ver-ten-years/

    It was in a British paper too, mind you it was a year or so ago.
  9. Snagprophet's Avatar
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    Re: 'The Iraq war was about oil' - what is this based on?
    I just want to see what the whole 'we did it for oil' was about. Do we get a discount or something? Or was Saddam Hussein going to stop selling it or something?
  10. Wileyyy's Avatar
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    Re: 'The Iraq war was about oil' - what is this based on?
    (Original post by Snagprophet)
    I just want to see what the whole 'we did it for oil' was about. Do we get a discount or something? Or was Saddam Hussein going to stop selling it or something?
    I think students got a 15% discount.
  11. Whitechapel's Avatar
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    Re: 'The Iraq war was about oil' - what is this based on?
    (Original post by Snagprophet)
    I just want to see what the whole 'we did it for oil' was about. Do we get a discount or something? Or was Saddam Hussein going to stop selling it or something?

    The US want to keep a presence in the middle east in order to access this oil. UK do just seem to band along sometimes but they'll no doubt benefit too. Their is a significant cost to fund the war for so long and to keep soldiers there (though they are soon to be all but gone) so these costs surely were going to be covered through something? Oh... oil!
  12. Snagprophet's Avatar
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    Re: 'The Iraq war was about oil' - what is this based on?
    (Original post by Whitechapel)
    The US want to keep a presence in the middle east in order to access this oil. UK do just seem to band along sometimes but they'll no doubt benefit too. Their is a significant cost to fund the war for so long and to keep soldiers there (though they are soon to be all but gone) so these costs surely were going to be covered through something? Oh... oil!
    So the US is getting free oil from it?
  13. JamalAhmed's Avatar
    • Overlord in Training
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    Re: 'The Iraq war was about oil' - what is this based on?
    Of course it is about oil. America wants to control the world's oil. My teacher gave me a lecture about how many countries America invaded for oil. He said something about the cold war and the countries underneath Russia (which were once part of USSR). Hopefully someone very clever can say what he may have talked about.
  14. Whitechapel's Avatar
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    Re: 'The Iraq war was about oil' - what is this based on?
    (Original post by Snagprophet)
    So the US is getting free oil from it?
    Its not about free oil its about access to oil. OPEC know the US demand vast amounts of oil and so bump the prices up to inane levels. For the US industry to continue its competitiveness (especially now with the growth of China) oil has to be maintained.
  15. anillatoo's Avatar
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    Re: 'The Iraq war was about oil' - what is this based on?
    I don't mind the US taking all the oil from Arab countries. The oil money only goes to a few of the Arabs and I hate how these billionaires are wasting their money...
  16. Mrkingpenguin's Avatar
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    Re: 'The Iraq war was about oil' - what is this based on?
    It's also because it is cheaper for America as the dollar is the global currency for oil and so they will feel full benefit of price rises/falls, whereas our sterling dilutes the affects.
  17. DorianGrayism's Avatar
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    Re: 'The Iraq war was about oil' - what is this based on?
    (Original post by cloclo93)
    Can somebody please explain to me what people specifically mean when they say that the reason why Iraq was invaded in 2003 was oil? Did removing Saddam Hussein from power help the US/UK get more oil or something?
    Well, it depends on who you talk to.

    People that don't know what they are talking about will say that the West invaded Iraq because Oil Companies wanted access to the Iraqi reserves or that Saddam wanted to sell his Oil in Euros.

    People that have common sense will acknowledge that the large Oil reserves were important factor because without it then Iraq wouldn't be important. So, when the West invaded in 2003, the huge Oil reserves are the basis of the plans to create a new strong democratic Iraqi State which would be a useful American ally.
  18. PGtips's Avatar
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    • Location: London
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    Re: 'The Iraq war was about oil' - what is this based on?
    The US wanted even more power in the world economy, and so had to take over Iraq to have influence in the oil industry there.

    There was not a good reason to go to war. We didn't need to go and "liberate" Iraq. Or to save the world from it's inevitable destruction by nuclear weapons, which Saddam Hussein didn't even have.

    I think most of the short term benefits of the oil are outweighed by the massive amounts of resources, and capital put towards fighting the war. Simply a waste.
  19. Jack93o's Avatar
    • Overlord in Training
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    Re: 'The Iraq war was about oil' - what is this based on?
    The Iraq was was about one man's ego, and that man was Tony Blair.

  20. Banishingboredom's Avatar
    • Benevolent Member
    • Location: London
    • Posts: 729
    Re: 'The Iraq war was about oil' - what is this based on?
    The Iraq war cost 3 trillion so even if they'd acquired all the Iraqi oil (which they didn't) they'd still be in the red. Stupid argument.
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