Where's the proof that we are or are not in Iraq for oil?

Question

On either side of the debate, where can I find statistics, laws, resolutions or other facts that support one side or the other?

Answer 1

Oil in Iraq
http://www.globalpolicy.org/security/oil/irqindx.htm
"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, much has changed."

There are numerous links within this article that I think will provide the information you seek.

Answer 2

There is no proof that that is why we are in Iraq. Before the "war for oil" chants started, the claim was that we were there so that Bush JR. could get revenge on Saddam for his father.

My guess is that we went into Iraq to use it as a Middle Eastern staging area. Perhaps for entry into Iran. Ultimately though, none of us does know as we are not Bush or part of his inner circle.

Answer 3

You cannot easily prove negatives. It is obvious that oil makes them far more dangerous to have as an enemy. If they were poor, we might have let them suffer under that dictator. Since they had potential wealth, the powers that be, decided it was in our interest to not allow them to travel down the path they were on. It is their luck that they aren't as weak and poor as Sudan where they are just left to suffer. They were fortunate enough to get our support, at least the powers that be.

Answer 4

My father would say that it is just like a magicians act... While your eye is on the magician's right hand... you miss what he is doing with the left! There is alot more to this than the war in Iraq for whatever reason or reasons we are there... You are missing what the other hand is doing!

Answer 5

Where is it? Why, if it was for oil, are the habors in New Orleans not full of tankers from Iraq lined up waiting to be unloaded? There is nothing to stop the U.S from taking that oil if indeed thats why we are there. We don't buy Iraqi oil and we sure as hell didn't go there to take it.

Answer 6

You can't disprove what is true.

There are plenty of pointers lying around that say that was one of the reasons for invasion, but personally I don't believe the only reason.

One compelling piece of evidence is Australia's admission that they went to Iraq because of oil.
http://news.independent.co.uk/world/australasia/article2739741.ece

Oil cannot be the only reason we are there though. Look at the astronomical profits Haliburton is making from this war, and then look at the ties Cheney had (or has) to Haliburton. That is just way too big to overlook.

Answer 7

If it was for the oil, we would have taken it when we first toppled Bagdad and paid for the war and given ourselves cheap oil prices, but since I have not seen either, going to war for the oil does not make sense.

Answer 8

We are in Iraq because oil from the ME region need securing; that means ensuring that governments of oil-producing countries are friendly to US ("REPLACE THEM IF THEY TRY ANYTHING FUNNY"... shut up cheney!!... sorry... where was i... and to ensure these loony tunes out there don't use the oil-weapon to grease our botties."

OK, meeting adjourned everybody out!

Answer 9

http://eia.doe.gov/pub/oil_gas/petroleum/data_publications/ company_levels_imports/current/import.html
Most of the US imports come from Canada, Mexico, and Venuezuala. only about 7-8% of imports come from Iran.
My link was to long but they are from dept. of energy publication gas petroleum imports publication.

Answer 10

Asking a question like that is like me asking you to prove the Loch Ness monster doesn't exist.