I think this article is just flat-out wrong. There's a trend on the left where once any left theory seems to become too commonplace, in steps some other leftist to show how it's "really much more complex than that," and more and more I think it's a symptom of the writer/theorist/academic in question simply trying to stand out from the crowd rather than trying to engage in any serious analysis of what's going on.
Doubtless the Iraq situation is more complex than oil. But to say "it's not about oil" is wrong.
OF COURSE it would be extremely expensive to occupy and/or administrate Iraq. But elites shift the costs of their elitism onto their subordinates. They try not to bear these costs themselves. Sometimes it is way more expensive to bust a union than to simply recognize one; but elites bust unions anyway, all the time. "Sooner than lose the things he owns/ he will destroy the world," the epigraph at the beginning of _Workers Control_ (eds. Gerry Hunius, G. David Garson & John Case) reads. Who said elites are always rational?
In any event, there's every indication the US has an interest in controlling the world's energy supplies.
OF COURSE Iraq's oil infrastructure is not as attractive to foreign corporations as it could be. Estimates are, however, that much of Iraq's oil reserves remain untapped (and this article even admits this). I'm no expert on this, but I'm guessing disrepair of the existing infrastructure could be offset by this in the future.
"All of Iraq's oil revenue can't pay the cost of war," the article announces. Who said it would? Workers back home can pay the cost of war.
Brian
On Thu, 16 Jan 2003, joanna bujes wrote:
> FYI/Joanna
>
> >TheDay.com
> >http://www.theday.com/eng/web/mktplace/re.aspx?reIDx=0351ae00-6fa4-48d4-a333
> >-6c539fce14a4&prntV=1
> >
> >All Of Iraq's Oil Can't Pay The Cost Of A War
> >Iraq's Annual Oil Revenues At Present Are Only Around $10 Billion A Year.
> >
> >
> >By TRUDY RUBIN
> >Published on 1/14/2003
--
"At times one remains faithful to a cause only because its opponents do not cease to be insipid." - Friedrich Nietzsche
"Il etait enfin venu, le jour ou je fus un pourceau!" - Comte de Lautreamont, Les Chants de Maldoror, 4th Hymn, Strophe 6