Someone explain to me why (or how) America is at war?

Question

..supposedly "for the oil"

Is anyone out there actually able to explain it, or have I scared those people off ?
Do people just keep saying it even though they haven't a clue what it means or how it's possible, because it sounds good?

Because when I talk to people they continually throw that phrase out there but can't explain it.

I would like someone who knows what they're talking about to explain this phenomenon to me, please ?

to the first few who answered- you have STILL not explained how the oil plays a part. That's what I want to know. Do you know? Explain if you do, don't just say it played a part. HOW did it play a part exactly?

thankyou to the person who listened, but I personally don't think America is at war for the oil, so i'm trying to understand how people can justify saying that? like i said, looks like no one is going to.
They are all shouting that the war is all about the oil but when you ask them to actually how that is possible, to explain it there is silence or just more shouting the canned phrases

Actually, I did indeed ask about oil, Locutus.
That's what my whole question is about. If you had the ability to read more than the first line you would have figured it out. The question doesn't end at the title, it continues on.

But that would be too hard, when you can just randomy insult me. ;-) Your answer is irrelevant, you lose.

randomly* before someone attacks me for that..

michael - finally we are getting somewhere. Now, how many people using the oil soundbites do you suppose actually know all that detail? Because they sure as hell didn't take 5 minutes to write about it like you have, and they are the ones constantly preaching

Answer 1

Cuz gEORGE bUSH WANT US TOO AND UNTIL HE SAYS STOP IT WILL STILL KEEP ON GOING AND EVERYONE WILL BE DRAFTED TO WAR

Answer 2

Leonard L,

What in the Sam Hill or you talking about? The older generations had it easy??? Is that actually coming out of the mouth of someone who lives in the age of convenience? Give me a break you got it so good you don't know what bad is.

And this Red/Blue thing? Baloney. Just because a state has the red as a majority doesn't mean there are not a lot of blues running around. I don't think we are a nation didvided along political lines, but rather they are easily manipulated. Especially when we have such low voter turnouts like we do. I don't think that the US will get back on it's feet again until we get a viable third party cantidate. The other two parties dominate the political spectrum too much....

Oh, and to answer this guy's question...we are not at war for oil. Oil has always been a strategtic part of our foreign policy, so that's nothing new. What this conflict is about is something more akin to the stopping of the Communists spreading worldwide in the 1950's-60's. Islamic extremeism has been around for awhile now(at least 30 years), and we are just now doing something about it. This is something that started way before 9/11 and the first Gulf War. This has been brewing since the mid-70's/Iranian Hostage satndoff. Oil is just a by-product of the whole situation.

Answer 3

Basically, the Middle East is F'd up. We're in there to break up all the terrorist rings so they don't get together and blow up New York or L.A.. The oil is something on the side, since, while we're there saving our butts, there's some valuable liquid being hoarded by terrorists. About the leaving of the war, we can't now, because things will return to how they were. We have to wait until the country is stable and the terrorists have lost hope, hopefully not too long in the future. Bush, as unqualified as he may appear, is doing what any other sensible President would have done. Does anyone criticize FDR for World War 2? If some planes did that much damage to the Pearl Harbor and the World Trade Center, think of what a small nuclear bomb could do. That's why we're at war.

Answer 4

Introduction to Oil Crapanomics:
The Science of deception
Ch 1 Mooreism
According to Michael Moore the President through various oil companies was going to build a pipeline runnning North to South through Iraq.

Ch 2 All our Oil comes from the Middle East
Contrary to the facts the US gets all it's oil from the desert

Ch 3 Securing Saudi oil
This theory claims that Saudis didn'tj want competition so they got America to kick the crap out of Iraq.

Ch 4 Lack of Attack
Circumstantial evidence says the reason we don't attack Real threats like Syria and North Korea is because they don't have oil

Ch 5 America lays barren
Dispite the fact that we have thousands of miles of untapped oil, this claim says we have no oil at all and have to find countries to overrun to survive

Ch 6 Priorities
In the invasion of Iraq the first thing America seized were the oil fields per "Guiding Principles for Post-Conflict Policy in Iraq"

Answer 5

We did not invade Iraq to market thier oil. We invaded Iraq to knock them out of the market. Contrary to th crap they feed you every day there is plenty of oil. Immediately before we invaded oil was at $22 a barrel. If the UN had lifted the sanctions on Iraq, Sadaam would have flooded the market and driven the price down to about $18 a barrel. At $22 a barrel Chevrons quarterly profit was barely $2 billion compared to recent profits of $28 and $30 billion. If Sadaam had not been taken out Chevron and Exxon might have been operating in the red. No good Texan would put up with that

Answer 6

Here's a hint for you.

Iraq has the world’s second largest proven oil reserves. According to oil industry experts, new exploration will probably raise Iraq’s reserves to 200+ billion barrels of high-grade crude, extraordinarily cheap to produce. The four giant firms located in the US and the UK have been keen to get back into Iraq, from which they were excluded with the nationalization of 1972. During the final years of the Saddam era, they envied companies from France, Russia, China, and elsewhere, who had obtained major contracts. But UN sanctions (kept in place by the US and the UK) kept those contracts inoperable. Since the invasion and occupation of Iraq in 2003, everything has changed. In the new setting, with Washington running the show, "friendly" companies expect to gain most of the lucrative oil deals that will be worth hundreds of billions of dollars in profits in the coming decades. The new Iraqi constitution of 2005, greatly influenced by US advisors, contains language that guarantees a major role for foreign companies. Negotiators hope soon to complete deals on Production Sharing Agreements that will give the companies control over dozens of fields, including the fabled super-giant Majnoon. However, despite pressure from the US government and foreign oil companies, the current Iraqi government has not passed a national oil law. While regional governments angle for influence over the foreign oil contracts, most Iraqis favor continued control by a national company and the powerful oil workers union opposes de-nationalization. Iraq's political future is very much in flux, but oil remains the central feature of the political landscape.

Answer 7

We are at war because Bin Laden and his cronies for many years was little by little picking away at us around the world. During the Clinton years he was not taken all that seriously, then , he hit us big with the world trade center bombings!! We had no choice but to go after him in his training camps in Afghanistan! That whole part of the world is a hot bed of terrorism. For years also Iraq was taking pot shots at us, at our planes etc.etc! John W is right in what he says. I will add though that people seem to think if we just sit back and mind our own business these people will leave us alone! This is not the case! These people hate us and aim to destroy us, whether we leave them alone or not! This is one of those situations where it is kill or be killed! We need to keep doing what we are doing. It is going to take a long time, but no matter how long these people need to be stoped, as if they were to get really strong and take us over, we all would be throw back into the dark ages, as their mental mindset, laws , the way they treat women etc. etc. are the same barbaric mentality they have had for thousands of years! Look how they treat each other! They are a vicious people and need to be stopped!

Answer 8

well, i´m with you.... the war is not for oil... if it was, why the hell are we paying +3.25 a gallon? you´d think gas would be cheaper....

but, the only plausible thoery about the for oil has to do the currency it is sold in.... right now all the oil is sold in US$, Supposedly, Saddam, wanted to start selling it in Euro´s €, which would automatically make it 34% more expensive... I remember reading something that explained it really well, sorry if i ficked it all up...

what i believe: oil was not the main, second or ever thrid reason for going to Iraq. Did it play a role, sure, but regardless if they had any we would have went in there anyways...

It was an evil dictator, who was known for using WMD´s (chemical and biological) known for breaking +15 UN mandates, known for attacking US planes, and known for supporting terrorism.... lauged and was publicly happy about 9-11. we had been trying to get rid of him for over 20 years... and all Intelligence agencies throughout the world believed he was making and or had more WMD´s.... 9-11 was the straw that broke the camels back....

Answer 9

First, my credentials....

Through my occupation, I see the real world every day.

Many talk of a divided America (blue and red states).

It is more divided than that.

The older generation generally has it easy. They have decent places to live in and don't know of any war going on.

The younger generation faces problems of housing, insufficient income from jobs, wasted expense/time for schooling.

There are many nomads who flee their homes because they can't afford the high rents.

The endless war is nothing like a war is supposed to be.

It satisfies rich capitalists whereby the economy runs at break neck speed, pumping out products few either need nor want.

When the next election comes and goes, it will be the same old, same old all over again.

The blue vs. the red.

A nation divided.

Once during a different time in history, Americans marched in the streets and held demonstrations that got the attention of elected officials.

Now it's just a reflex action with no substance.

Answer 10

9-11-2001

Iraq is just a quagmire that has been sucking up US dollars since Aug 1990, No matter what you think we have been fighting there ever since. It is convenient that the world press forgot that little fact.

Ret. USAF SNCO

Answer 11

Why- because we have enemies that seek our destruction.
How- well we send troops to kill people and break things and the other guys do the same.

I hope this was in words small enough for you to comprehend.

You did not ask about oil. It is used as lubricant and refined for fuel.