Monthly Archives: August 2013

The Real Reason for the Iraq War

"Like most lefty journalists, I assumed that George Bush and Tony Blair invaded Iraq to buy up its oil fields, cheap and at gun-point, and cart off the oil. We thought we knew the neo-cons true casus belli: Blood for oil. But the invasion was not about 'blood for oil', but something far more sinister: blood for no oil. War to keep supply tight and send prices skyward. Oil men, whether James Baker or George Bush or Dick Cheney, are not in the business of producing oil. They are in the business of producing profits. And they've succeeded. Iraq, capable of producing six to 12 million barrels of oil a day, still exports well under its old OPEC quota of three million barrels." Continue reading →

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Iraq’s people yet to feel benefit of oil boom

"Their frustration is tied to the fact that oil, responsible for the lion’s share of economic output, does not employ many people — just one percent of the working-age population, according to the United Nations. And so many residents are forced to look for jobs either in the public sector, which is riven with nepotism, or the private sector, which remains tiny. Thus far, Iraq’s government has looked to spend the vast income from energy revenues on landmark projects — a huge housing community near Baghdad, a football stadium in Basra and an airport near Najaf. New restaurants, malls and shops selling flatscreen TVs and brand new expensive cars are all opening across Baghdad." Continue reading →

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Worldwide loss of oil supply heightens Syria attack risk

"Libya's oil output has crashed to a near standstill over the past year as warlords and strikes paralyse the country, tightening the screws on global crude supply as the crisis in Syria comes to a head. There are still pockets of rising oil output, notably in the US where shale oil is rapidly reducing US dependence on energy imports. The geo-strategic effect of shale is double-edged for the US: it lowers the incentive for Washington to commit forces to the Middle East, but it also means the US is better able to handle the consequences of any oil spike. The biggest losers would be those emerging economies such as India and China that rely on fuel imports and operate inefficient industries." Continue reading →

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Joe Biden’s Case That Waging War Without Congress Is an Impeachable Offense

"He reflected deeply on the law for almost two decades, through numerous presidencies, as chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee; consulted a whole group of constitutional scholars; taught constitutional law classes on the separation of powers; and went on national TV while running for president to declare unilateral executive-branch war-making a high crime! But now that he's part of an administration openly pondering strikes on Syria without Congressional approval -- even as dozens of legislators demand to be consulted -- Biden doesn't have any public objections, and the position he and his constitutional experts once asserted is treated as a naive curiosity in the press." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingJoe Biden’s Case That Waging War Without Congress Is an Impeachable Offense

Rand Paul: ‘I can’t see sending my son to fight on the same side as al Qaeda’

"Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., sharply opposed American military action in Syria on Fox News Thursday night, demanding that President Obama get congressional approval should he choose to act. Paul said that Obama would probably decide against a Congressional vote to avoid a similar defeat as David Cameron did in British Parliamant. Paul also explained that he had difficulty seeing any American interests in the Syrian conflict. Under Sharia law, Paul noted, Christians would be persecuted for blasphemy, citing a woman in Pakistan who was jailed for blasphemy after she drank from a cup shared by Muslim workers. 'That is not something I want to send our boys and girls to die for,' Paul added." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingRand Paul: ‘I can’t see sending my son to fight on the same side as al Qaeda’

President Obama: ‘I Have Not Made a Decision’ on Syria

"And if, in fact, we can take limited, tailored approaches, not getting drawn into a long conflict, not a repetition of, you know, Iraq, which I know a lot of people are worried about – but if we are saying in a clear and decisive but very limited way, we send a shot across the bow saying, stop doing this, that can have a positive impact on our national security over the long term, and may have a positive impact on our national security over the long term and may have a positive impact in the sense that chemical weapons are not used again on innocent civilians." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingPresident Obama: ‘I Have Not Made a Decision’ on Syria