Invading Iraq sure wasn't about oil

National Post ^ | March 19 2002 | George Jonas, National Post

[knighthawk]

Ping

[dighton]

Hmmm, an interesting and unusual point of view. Good post.

[Free the USA]

Check the Bump List folders for articles related to and descriptions of the above topic(s) or for other topics of interest.

[Edward Watson]

Dang, that's a pretty good article. I see it makes sense and would be to the US' best interest to ally itself with Iraq against the islamist regimes in the region. Let Saddam have the entire Gulf region - in exchange for steady oil and peace with Israel.

Dang! Why didn't I think of it before?

[Cicero]

Well, classic balance-of-power politics says that it's dangerous to do business with the strongest nations and to help build them up further. Rather, you undermine the strong nations and build up the weaker ones. Kissinger and Machiavelli would agree on that, and so would the ancient Romans.

As it is, Saddam is hard enough to deal with. If he controlled all the oil in the Middle East he would, to say the least, be insufferable.

[Mat_Helm]

Interesting perspective........

[aculeus]

Hmmm, an interesting and unusual point of view. Good post.

Hmmm is right. Personally I think Saddam is too unstable to be trusted. Not to mention his psychotic son.

Or is the author just making the point that the 'it's all about oil' argument is all wet?

[dighton]

IMHO, his main point is: If Americans were really as the Guardianistas and Raimondistas libel us -- ruthless imperialists, etc. -- we'd back Saddam.

[chaosagent]

I detect a little touch of Jonathan Swift in this.

[chaosagent]

I detect a little touch of Jonathan Swift in this.

[DentsRun]

I give up. If it weren't for the oil, why did Bush Sr. attack Iraq?

[mafree]

Appreciate the ping.

[pkpjamestown]

ping!

[A. Pole]

Interesting

[pkpjamestown]

http://idex.janes.com/landforces_data/aapcdetails.shtml

[weikel]

We should be entirely guided by( enlightened of course) self interest if we were we would have made a deal with Hussein we get cheap oil and he wipes out the Wahabbi sect in return he gets to keep the Arabian peninsula. Saddam ain't the enemy its the Saudis.

[weikel]

In fact if it is still possible to make that same deal now we shouldn't hesitate to make it.

[weikel]

He'd still be too weak to fight us if he doublecrossed us( and I maintain that he would be less likely to then the Saudis realpolitik guys are more predictable then religious fanatics like the Sauds) we could destroy him easily.