Surviving Capitalism (Not) : Secret Pentagon papers reveal pre-war plans to get Big Oil into Iraq

We’ve lived so long under the spell of hierarchy—from god-kings to feudal lords to party bosses—that only recently have we awakened to see not only that “regular” citizens have the capacity for self-governance, but that without their engagement our huge global crises cannot be addressed. The changes needed for human society simply to survive, let alone thrive, are so profound that the only way we will move toward them is if we ourselves, regular citizens, feel meaningful ownership of solutions through direct engagement. Our problems are too big, interrelated, and pervasive to yield to directives from on high.
—Frances Moore Lappé, excerpt from Time for Progressives to Grow Up

Sunday, July 29, 2012

Secret Pentagon papers reveal pre-war plans to get Big Oil into Iraq

Click here to access article by Greg Mutitt from European Energy Review . (Note: free registration required; but if you don't want to register at this site, you can go to this posting on which this article is based.

The release of documents under the Freedom of Information Act obtained by Mutitt shows that the Energy Infrastructure Planning Group (EIPG), which was established in 2002 by Undersecretary of Defense for Policy Douglas Feith in the Bush Jr administration, was planning before the invasion in 2003 to transform the nationalized Iraqi oil industry to serve private oil corporations. Shocking, isn't it?! (sarcasm)

Fuel on the Fire author Muttitt commented: “These documents provide conclusive proof that control of Iraq oil was a critical consideration at the highest levels of the U.S. government while it was planning the Iraq War. There was little regard for the welfare of Iraqis, but the welfare of companies like ExxonMobil was central to the administration’s thinking. It is particularly troubling that the EIPG recommended the government mislead the public on its oil plans.”