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"...Oil fields contracted include the "super-giant" Majnoon Field, Halfaya Field, West Qurna Field and Rumaila Field." [1] If you look up each of those fields,

by Volpe 13y ago

"...Oil fields contracted include the "super-giant" Majnoon Field, Halfaya Field, West Qurna Field and Rumaila Field." [1] If you look up each of those fields, you'll see they are licensed to Shell, BP, and Exxon [2] [3] [4] [5] Given all of those companies have a strong presence in the US and definitely have lobbying power. I'd say the US got effective control over one of the largest oil reserves in the world. [1] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oil_reserves_in_Iraq http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oil_reserves_in_Iraq [2] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Halfaya_Field http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Halfaya_Field [3] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/West_Qurna_Field http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/West_Qurna_Field [4] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rumaila_Field http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rumaila_Field [5] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Majnoon_oil_field http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Majnoon_oil_field

turar 13y ago
Directly from the links you posted: - Halfaya: CNPC, Total SA, Petronas - West Qurna: ExxonMobil, Shell, Lukoil, Statoil, Eni SpA, CNPC, Petronas - Rumalia: BP, CNPC - Majnoon: Shell, Petronas Of all these, only ExxonMobil is an American company. Shell and BP are not American, regardless of the presence, unless you want to call Exxon a British or a Dutch company as well. But more importantly, all these contracts were awarded on a competitive basis, with a bidding process. Especially telling is an entry for Rumalia field: "ExxonMobil which also bid on servicing this field at a price $4.80 walked away due to price cutting terms by the Iraqi Government leaving BP and CNPC as winners of the contract.".
- Volpe 13y ago
  You don't have to be an American company to benefit from American policy. And I'm sure congressmen benefit from the "non-american" oil companies. The question I would like to know the answer to, is who was drilling the oil before the war... it seems unclear, but if it was Iraq (national companies) then the war was defiantly an oil grab.
  - turar 13y ago
    I doubt CNPC, Lukoil, Petronas, Statoil, and others were in collusion with the Bush administration to invade Iraq and gain control over its oil by competitively outbidding each other in the end.

by Volpe 13y ago

turar 13y ago

Directly from the links you posted: - Halfaya: CNPC, Total SA, Petronas - West Qurna: ExxonMobil, Shell, Lukoil, Statoil, Eni SpA, CNPC, Petronas - Rumalia: BP, CNPC - Majnoon: Shell, Petronas Of all these, only ExxonMobil is an American company. Shell and BP are not American, regardless of the presence, unless you want to call Exxon a British or a Dutch company as well. But more importantly, all these contracts were awarded on a competitive basis, with a bidding process. Especially telling is an entry for Rumalia field: "ExxonMobil which also bid on servicing this field at a price $4.80 walked away due to price cutting terms by the Iraqi Government leaving BP and CNPC as winners of the contract.".

Volpe 13y ago
You don't have to be an American company to benefit from American policy. And I'm sure congressmen benefit from the "non-american" oil companies. The question I would like to know the answer to, is who was drilling the oil before the war... it seems unclear, but if it was Iraq (national companies) then the war was defiantly an oil grab.
- turar 13y ago
  I doubt CNPC, Lukoil, Petronas, Statoil, and others were in collusion with the Bush administration to invade Iraq and gain control over its oil by competitively outbidding each other in the end.