Privatizations Of Iraq's Oil Sectors example essay topic

In April of 1920, Allied Nations coming out of World War I met at the San Remo Peace Conference. It was here that a mandate involving France's desire to hold Syria and Lebanon and Great Britain's desire to hold the lands of Palestine, Transjordan, and Mesopotamia was born. Britain's holdings were renamed Iraq, which was created out of the Ottoman provinces of Baghdad, Mosul, and Basra. In October of 1932, Iraq gained formal independence under Fays al I and through the League of Nations becoming its own separate country. In the years to follow, the Iraqi Oil industry flourished providing the country with its main source of income and making the Middle East as a whole the richest source of petroleum on earth. Iraq would continue with its booming oil industry even while under the constant threat of guerrilla attacks against it by neighboring countries and opposing Arab factions within the country.

It would even survive a war with the United States, but with constant accusations of possessing Weapons of Mass Destruction and bombings by the US and Britain through the '90's, Iraq would eventually fall. Not for the possession of WMDs, not for leading Terrorist actions against those who would invade, and not even for the United Nations sanctioning it, because none of those things happened and Iraq was no enemy or threat to anyone. It fell because the grass is always greener on the other side, even when that grass isn't green at all, but black. The real enemy, the real aggressor, the real evil in any war is not a people whose sole goal is to protect their family, country, and freedom, but any person who seeks to steal these things from any human being for the sole purpose of furthering their own ambitions and agendas.

' The relentless demonization of Saddam Hussein over the last decade or so imparted a deeply personal flavor to the conflict with Iraq' (Anderson 34). Since the first Gulf War ended in 1991, which was under the first Bush Administration, the United States and Great Britain began a period of constant pressuring upon the Iraqi government in which the accusations of that government being a terrorist organization was brought before the United Nations. Privatizations of Iraq's oil sectors would have been a huge business deal for anyone who could seize control of them, for Iraq's petroleum reserves were second only to Saudi-Arabia in the world, a fact that the United States and Great Britain have been aware of, they knew that control of Iraq meant total control of the Iraq, Caspian Sea, and Gulf States' oil reserves. The US and Britain constantly pressured Iraq, pressuring that included several air-strikes within Iraqi territory, and the establishment of military-enforced "no-fly" zones hampering Iraqi transportation. During this period of pressuring, UN inspections revealed holes that had been cut through the Iraqi border high-voltage electric fence between Kuwait and Iraq. Everything was professional, and it was largely believed this was executed by US Special Forces.

Amidst pressuring from all sides, even from the Turkish and Kurd forces who sought an opportunity to fight amongst themselves, Iraq sought protection from those who cared little about the people, and their only means of income, and survival. September 11, 2001, two planes crashed into the twin towers of New York's International Trade Center, another crashed into the Pentagon, and one more was taken down by the brave passengers onboard. As the sound of steel mixed with blood descending through the fog of soot and screams were heard in New York, a pin drop could be heard across the nation as a nation was shocked and left in tear-filled awe. Two months later the US invaded Afghanistan on a strike against terrorism two months after most of the terrorist forces of Afghanistan had fled. So naturally, the US and Great Britain in an act of terrorism followed the trail of terror, to Iraq...

Iraq had been the ultimate goal of the Bush Administration's war on terror all along. Six days following September 11th, President George W. Bush signed orders for the preparation of war against Taliban forces, and to prepare for war scenarios, against Iraq. Then in early 2002 the Bush Administration began labeling Iraq as a member of the "Axis of Evil" and threats demanding a "regime change or war" grew ever greater. All of these events conveniently supported and furthered plans that led as far back as 1992 held within plans and papers that stated a US defense plan and Gulf domination plan. "The Bush administration was, from its inception, more interested in pursuing a dubious agenda in Iraq than hunting terrorists like Osama bin Laden. From the mishandling of 9/11 to the still-unproven claims about Iraq's weapons of mass destruction, to recent allegations about the threat Iran poses to the world... the Bush administration has co-opted the intelligence community for its own political ends...

". (Bamford 89). Amidst all of these actions by the US and Britain the UN was urging for further inspections of Iraq and for a peaceful resolution to the situation. During the UN summit the US made it clear it had no intention of waiting any longer before taking action against Iraq. On March 5, 2003 the foreign ministers of France, Germany, and Russia stated that they would not allow passage of a UN resolution to authorize war against Iraq. This statement was a reply to a proposed draft resolution by the US, Spain, and Britain stating Saddam Hussein had missed his disarm deadline.

Other council members stated their desire for the inspectors to be permitted to continue their search. Yet despite the many UN Security Council members that opposed the US actions, their warnings were paid no heed, and the US struck. After months of threats, the United States invaded Iraq on March 20, 2003. Washington and Britain proceeded by cutting off UN inspections despite the protest by the UN Security Council.

The US and Great Britain invaded Iraq with a force of roughly 300,000 ground troops. These assaults began with the night bombings of Baghdad, which resulted in mass destruction of both military and civilian structures. Baghdad slept, and then it burned. From the air it was never realized, but when the soldiers marched into the ruins of Baghdad, the true price of war was realized as thousands of civilians who never knew what a WMD was or why anyone would kill for oil.

Families who only knew the dreams they dreamt that night, dreams that they would never awake from. War was costly, as costly as the price of oil, and so the tens of thousands of US and British forces marched into Iraq. The sky had fallen on Baghdad, and Baghdad fell. Through guerrilla warfare Iraqi forces loyal to Saddam Hussein spread across the country ambushing US and British convoys, and men and women on both sides died, neither wanting to have been there in the first place. The US fought hard, and the Iraqis fought hard, but it was obvious who would win from the very beginning, the Iraqi forces never stood a chance, it was just the process of blood. So Iraq fell.

When the dust settled, many civilians lay dead, strewn across the streets of Baghdad. They were never meant to die like they had, but the sad truth was that they did die, because brothers kill their brother, and men war. All in all the total number of civilian deaths in Iraq by military intervention that were reported ranged from 13,224 to 15,292.3,029 of those civilian casualties that had resulted from the Iraqi War had as of September 12th, 2004, had been named. Of that number, 2,737 of the dead had been fully named, and 292 had partial names recovered.

2,192 of those were males, 630 were female, 618 were under 18, and 64 were not more than infants under the age of 2. There were many reasons for all of the civilian casualties. It was never intentional for civilians to die, but it was known it would happen, and despite that fact "Shock and Awe" was still deemed worthy of action. Despite all the innocents that would die from shrapnel, from the bombings that lit the night sky of Baghdad, or from those shot and killed in the crossfire for being in the wrong place, at the wrong time.

An organization known as the IBC, which stands for Iraq Body Count, has been collaborating with the press, media, and all other available sources so as to compile the records of deaths in Iraq since September 12, 2004. It is from such organizations that the total casualties list has been compiled. 11,000-30,000 Iraqis have died since the war started. Over 1,000 US GIs have died since the US invaded Iraq.

130 Coalition members have died. These numbers do not include the many, many more that have been wounded, injured, or maimed during the war. Among the thousands that have died are several that did not die in the heat of battle, that weren't accidents, that weren't just casualties, there are several that are victims of perverse and heartless hatred. During the combat such atrocities were committed by a small minority of corrupt soldiers who cared little about human life, and took it freely from civilians and prisoners. Such examples include 18 year old Ahmed Te foor Nadeem Alsalehy who was burned and beheaded at Al Debs in August of 2003, or Na jem Sa " don Hatta b who was beaten and then choked to death by US Forces at Camp Whitehorse Detention Centre in Nassiriya.

Yet despite how horrible these actions were, there was an even greater atrocity, one that would have never been known if not taped and photographed by its offenders. On Wednesday, April 28, 60 Minutes II broadcast photos of US soldiers torturing Iraqi prisoners. Prisoners were abused and humiliated at this prison in Baghdad. Investigations ensued which lead to 17 soldiers including a Brigadier General being removed from their stations with charges of mistreating Iraqi prisoners, several of the offenders were faced with court martial's and the end of their careers. The US came to "free" the Iraqi people, but they had only killed them, abused them, and left them with a ruined country. Iraq had fallen, and now it was the United States' job to rebuild, and establish the freedom and capitalist ideals they promised to provide for the grieving and disheveled Iraqi people who had just stepped out of the ruins that had once been their home.

The Bush administration met this promise by establishing several plans bent on completely reforming the Iraqi economy to be closer to the US image. This included a free-market economy, and the privatization of state owned industry, the privatization of the oil industry which had so been coveted years before. The oil sectors would be privatized, a stock market would be formed as well with e-trade and tax reforms. Yet instead of handing this over to the Iraqi people, the economic plans involved handing control of the economy and industry over to the private American contractors along with US officials. All of these plans were contained within a highly-confidential 100-page US contracting document entitled "Moving the Iraqi Economy from Recovery to Sustainable Growth". Yet if this document was meant to recover the economy of Iraq so as to give the Iraqi people Democratic freedom and Economic opportunity and growth, why was it confidential?

Many suspicious government programs have unearthed during this period of reconstruction. One such program entitled AID (Agency for International Development) is an incentives program for corporations involved in the reconstruction of Iraq, it has been under suspicion and has received criticism by some in the United States Congress for the secretive methods in which it awards corporations. President Bush has stated that the new regime in Iraq would, "serve as a dramatic and inspiring example of freedom for other nations in the region". If only this inspiring example of freedom that is Iraq's new government which places the "Iraqi people" in control could be seen by others as it is by Mr. Bush. Such shining examples of the "better" regime include the implementation of the new AID formed currency which is under Pentagon advisory. This "better" form of currency has been created in a swift move that, without the aid of the World Bank or other international currency organizations could lead to disruption and corruption in the Iraqi economy as such had happened before during the controlling of the former Soviet Bloc.

The war has left Iraq in ruins, has shown that the US is above world opinion, has created a crisis in the political process of the UN, has left tens of thousands dead or wounded, and all in the name of freedom. "Do the rhetoric of war, and the actions it already sets in motion, really serve the urgent purpose of stopping terrorism? And is the launching of war really the only way to demonstrate our love for America?" (Carroll 126). Has subjecting the Iraqi people to this war really protected our freedom and proven our love for America? Has it secured their freedom and shown that we care about their country? The Iraqi people are now under the control of the private contractors and corporations who now control the oil sectors that used to belong to the Iraqi people.

One author wrote: "To win the struggle against terrorism means inspiring that same hope in the hearts of all who do not have it. How we respond to this catastrophe will define our patriotism, shape the century, and memorialize our beloved dead". (Carroll 127). We have certainly won this struggle, but have we inspired hope? We have responded to a catastrophe none of us could have foreseen, but how has that response shaped the world and honored the dead? "To respond to a terrorist's grievous violation of the social order with further violations of that order means the terrorist has won".

(Carroll 127). We "won" the struggle, but did we really "win"? We have changed the world and written history, and freedom has definitely been gained, but for whom? WMDs were never found, terrorism was looked for too late and then in the wrong place. All to stop a threat that wasn't there, or was it, just where we didn't check to look, the threat, the enemy, the "axis of evil" was right here, at home. web 10-13-04. web by The Regents of the University of Michigan. All Rights Reserved accessed: 10-13-04.

Fahrenheit 9/11 Directed by Michael Moore Distributed by Lions Gate Films Released: June 25th Carroll, James Crusade: Chronicles of an Unjust War. Metropolitan Books: New York, 2004. Anderson, Liam The Future of Iraq: Dictatorship. Palgrave Macmillan: New York, 2004. Bamford, James A Pretext for War: 9/11, Iraq, and the Abuse of America's Intelligence Agencies. Doubleday: New York, 2004.