Reason for War in Iraq and Afghanistan

[Lyev]

I know it's connected with Imperialism plus the 'war on terror' is just a front, isn't it? I know it's probably quite a complex issue, but is it just western influence and NATO forces are in it for oil? Sorry if I seem naive. Also could people not just post a link instead of an answer, other than that, any replies are appreciated, thanks.

[Durruti's Ghost]

I've always seen it as mostly a bid to control the oil in the region and thus the worldwide supply of oil. Noam Chomsky lays it out really well in "Hegemony or Survival", if you're interested.

[Kassad]

There is absolutely no justification for the occupation of sovereign nations and the destruction of their infrastructure, homes, resources and land. There is absolutely no justification for the murder of over two million in just Iraq, not counting those wounded and those who lost their limbs, along with those who watched their homes be raided and destroyed, along with those who had their homes bombed and their relatives buried inside. Power to the fucking resistance; Iraq, Afghanistan and Palestine. That is all.

[Cymru]

I was going to suggest Chomsky. Also John Pilgers 'New rulers of the world' . In it he suggests that the 'war on terror' is just a state of perpetual war, similar to that that exists in Orwells 1984 and he also explores the relationship between the control of oil and globalisation, especially in Iraq.

[Misanthrope]

Who do you think is going to rebuild a war torn country? American capitalists. Also, installing a puppet regime in Iraq ensures America will have access to the area's natural resources and it will be a great position geographically from a military stand point.

short answer: imperialism

[Lyev]

Oh cool, thanks, so it's that simple? America and NATO are there for oil because there's none at home? it's just the whole 'blood for oil' thing seemed like a bit of a lefty cliche, you know? I actually saw that Chomsky book in Waterstones the other day, but I thought 10 quid was a little too much :). Also, is there anywhere else where there's American/western influence for the sake of resources?

[Durruti's Ghost]

Not because there's no oil at home. Because the ruling class wants to have control of the supply of oil so it can fix prices and starve other countries of oil.

[Cymru]

Oh cool, thanks, so it's that simple? America and NATO are there for oil because there's none at home? it's just the whole 'blood for oil' thing seemed like a bit of a lefty cliche, you know? I actually saw that Chomsky book in Waterstones the other day, but I thought 10 quid was a little too much :). Also, is there anywhere else where there's American/western influence for the sake of resources?

Worth a tenner mate I promise.

Too many countries to list here mate. Research America's actions in most of Latin America, Indonesia, the middle east to name just a few. A book like Chomskys would give you a good overview of the US and NATOs actions across the wordl

[Lyev]

Not because there's no oil at home. Because the ruling class wants to have control of the supply of oil so it can fix prices and starve other countries of oil.

I see, I didn't think it was because 'there's no oil at home'. Who specifically do you mean by the ruling classes? Is is that the ruling classes own the rich oil companies and therefore have a say in how the government's run, so they can then invade countries and control media? If so, how do they have a say in how the government is run?


Worth a tenner mate I promise.

Too many countries to list here mate. Research America's actions in most of Latin America, Indonesia, the middle east to name just a few. A book like Chomskys would give you a good overview of the US and NATOs actions across the wordl

Oh right, so this is the whole thing with CIA involvement in places like Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico, those kind of places?

[Cymru]

Oh right, so this is the whole thing with CIA involvement in places like Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico, those kind of places?

Yeah , toppling an existing regime is usually the pretext for the exploitation of resources. But its not only the CIA, its the big businesses (Oil companies, food companies) that move in after the US has secured co-operation and rape the land.

[RadioRaheem84]

I agree with Seymour Hersh in that the Iraq War was just a botched ideological war based on the idea that liberal democracy in the Middle East would spread if the US were to knock down the Hussein regime.

I guess the neo-cons believed that oil would later finance the mission but that wasn't the big strategy in the end. I don't believe all of these conspiracies that the Iraq War was about the oil at all.

I believe that it was simply about regime change under the pre-text of ridding the world of WMDs. The Bush administration employed a bunch of strange former socialist-revolutionary wannabes that thought they could build liberal democratic nations using the the US military and free market reforms.

[Durruti's Ghost]

I see, I didn't think it was because 'there's no oil at home'. Who specifically do you mean by the ruling classes? Is is that the ruling classes own the rich oil companies and therefore have a say in how the government's run, so they can then invade countries and control media? If so, how do they have a say in how the government is run?

When I use the term "ruling class", I'm typically referring to what C. Wright Mills termed the power elite--the upper crust of the bourgeoisie that controls the major parties, the major lobbying groups, and all the other mechanisms by which the capitalist State is run. This would include the individuals and families that own the largest shares in the major oil companies, as well as key figures in the military-industrial complex and basically the entire Fortune 500. This group doesn't always agree on things, of course, as evidenced by the differences between lobbying groups and political parties; however, one thing the members all DO agree on is the importance of maintaining American hegemony over the world. This is why control of oil is so important--because it would eliminate the potential threat to American hegemony that the oil-producing nations pose. American hegemony, in turn, benefits the entire ruling class--not just the oil companies.