Not just oil: Bush grabs other minerals in Iraq
Published by MAC on 2003-08-09
Not just oil: Bush grabs other minerals in Iraq
We were told it wasn't a war for oil, but for democracy. And some opponents of the Bush-Blair invasion of Iraq might indeed have been naive. For now - just over hundred days after the formal declaration of "peace" - US plans are emerging to take over not just oil, but mining, cement and other Iraqui indusrtries,. Meanwhile Congress has passed legislation placing US oil companies "above the law" in Iraq - including exempting them from responsibility for environmental damage. Ironically, fifty years ago this month, another US-British coalition alleged it too was bringing democracy to Iraq's neighbour, Iran, when it engineered the overthrow of elected president Mossadeq. Then, the middle eastern oil reserves ended up in the hands of British Petroelum (BP). This time it looks like they will go to vice-president Cheney's favourite company Halliburton.