War is raging against President Saddam Hussein's Iraq. And there is another reason besides ridding Iraq of its alleged weapons of mass destruction for the Bush administration's push. Some say it's a desire to seize control of Middle East oil and achieve domination of the Gulf region.
War is flaring up like flames in Persian Gulf oil fields.
By occupying Iraq, the US may achieve increased oil stability in the Gulf, which produces about 30 percent of the world's crude oil and holds nearly two-thirds of all proven oil reserves.
Saddam's security threat to the Gulf is still debatable. But a drive by the US and others to secure a stabile oil supply is not.
The world relies heavily on oil. The United States imports nearly 60 percent of its daily oil consumption, and a quarter of its net oil imports come from the Persian Gulf. In 2001, Iraq supplied a quarter of all US imports.
The US regards the Gulf region, with its huge oil reserves, as a vital interest. It also believes it must have free access to the region's resources.
"Free access," it seems, means both military and economic control of the resources. It has been a major goal of the US since the end of World War II, with ever-larger military forces being deployed to assure access.
Always on uneasy terms with Arab countries, many of them its major oil suppliers, the last thing the US wants is its lifeline strangled by enemies like Iraq.
Iraq possesses the world's second largest proven oil reserve, about 11 percent of the world's total. Additional undiscovered reserves may put it close to Saudi Arabia. Iraq's oil is of high quality and is very inexpensive to produce, making it one of the world's most profitable oil sources.
Production rights over Iraq's rich field, worth hundreds of billions of dollars, is vital.
US and UK companies hope Saddam's regime will eventually collapse, giving them a strong edge over competitors in a post-Saddam government. As Saddam holds onto power, the stakes increase for the companies, worried they may miss out.
Direct military intervention is a tempting but dangerous gamble -- it may put Exxon, Shell, BP and Chevron in immediate control of the Iraqi oil.
For all the talk of terrorism, weapons of mass destruction and human rights violations by Saddam, the oil issue is at the core. It seems "free access" to Iraqi oil and ultimate control over the resource raised the stakes high enough to set US forces in motion.
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