I would like to recommend Greg Palast's new book "Armed Madhouse". He lays out the US governments infighting over how to divide Iraqi's oil wealth.
While it may seem that it would benefit Big Oil to own and operate the oil fields that is not he case. The corporate goal is to "enhance the relationship between the Iraqi Government and OPEC" How would that make oil companies happy? By keeping the OPEC quotas it increases the oil companies wealth without doing anything! The reserves at the major oil companies have gone up trillions of dollars since Iraq was taken over. If the oil fields were privatized the production would increase and prices would fall. The Saudis and other OPEC countries have a great intrest in keeping Iraqi oil from flowing over quota. If the US thinks it can crush OPEC they will be in for a suprise. Saudi Arabia would up it's output, reducing the price of oil, and destroy Iraq's economy.
This is all such a confusing mess but we have some power in this. We must reduce our needs on their products. And that is not just gasoline. It is everything made from oil. If this all seems to big for you just control what you can, your desire for needless toys and needless waste.
Peace through action.
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