H07637
Headlines : IraqWho Will Possess Iraq’s Oilfields?
Naturally, the Iraqi people dream on nationalization of their oil and gas. Are the ‘coalition’ government, and the corporations whose interests they represent and protect, going to allow that to happen. It would be nice, but somehow I doubt it…
[Posted By ShiftShapers]Republished from UrukNet.info
I thought perhaps they were referring to the stamp of legitimacy elections would give Iraq’s American-approved government, but they were actually talking about the final pieces falling in to place for those who’ve long coveted Iraq’s oilfields.
The “how” begins with Iraq’s new constitution; written largely behind closed doors and with tremendous US influence, it was voted into place during October’s referendum. Cleverly, it gives the impression that Iraq’s oil will remain in the hands of its people by guaranteeing “oil and gas is the property of all the Iraqi people” and that revenues from “current fields” will be fairly distributed across the provinces. The key phrase is “current fields;” in the following section the document then requires all future exploration use “the most modern techniques of market principles and encouraging investment.” The modern investment model being promoted in Iraq during these secret meetings is production sharing agreements, or PSAs.
Mostly political in nature, PSAs maintain the technicality—and just as importantly, the appearance—of keeping oil ownership in government hands, yet the majority of profits goes to private companies. These agreements are generally used in countries where oil is either hard to extract and therefore expensive, or where reserves are small enough that…
Posted by ShiftShapers
Warning: Anyone who takes this blog seriously will be shot. Anyone who does not take it seriously will be buried alive by a Mitsubishi bulldozer. Welcome to (A)utonomous Resistance, GNN’s exclusive one-stop infoshop for radical resources and information....
RELATED ITEMS
- The Corporate Plunder Of Iraq
Posted by ShiftShapers on Friday, February 10th 2006 - Top Ten War Profiteers of 2004
Posted by anthony on Friday, December 31st 2004 - Bringing Halliburton To Heel
Posted by anthony on Tuesday, September 28th 2004 - WarProfiteers
Posted by gaanjah_mama on Thursday, December 9th 2004
Drivel, food for the far left. Gulp!
Yeah! Why would anyone want to count the money being embezzled, I mean, benevolently disbursed by the no-bid contractors. Corporate rule is way better and healthier for democracy. Why should corporations be “transparent”?? So that we can look through them and see the other side???? Why should we care if Iraqis lose billions of dollars and pay for the reconstruction of their country that was destroyed by a foreign aggressor in an aggession that broke international law? Obviously since they’re not Isrealis they don’t deserve dignity, autonomy, human rights or life, let alone money. The IMF should’t be allowed to set policy in any country it wants? AS IF!!! I want the bank to tell me what kind of business I can run and if I’m allowed to send my kids to uni! And why should anyone have to explain why this article is “drivel”. They word “drivel” should be explanation enough, facts diminish the effectiveness of slogans to obscure meaning and they inhibit the fruitful use of slander to make uninformed opinions look like legitimate, intelligent and even valid contributions to a discussion. All told, people would be better off putting sacks over their heads and pledging allegiance to a fascist/corporate oligarchy who know better than the people what the people need. Sheesh, some people just don’t get it! IF2 You and I can put our heads up our asses and show the world our superior arguments without the use of a single word, you in?
Seriously IsratForever, how much do you get paid? You’ve been here for a good year at least. Unless you’re a sadist who enjoys getting his ass handed to him on a regular basis and enjoys showing his blatant bigotted racism all the time, how much do you get paid?
Don’t see how a nation unable to control its future and working at the behest of foreign invaders is going to be prosperous. With the price of oil these days, they could make a fortune and rebuild their shattered country. Too bad they’ll be IMF slaves—something bloated white assholes like IF2 can never understand.
IF2 is here to fan the flames, for us to get out of line. To radicalize us.
Why does anyone pay attention to IF2 anyhow? Nothing he says makes any sense to begin with.
This important item would have been lost if not for Iffy. Yea, Iffy!