Le-Christoph's avatar
"Who are you kidding? Only yourself. You must have forgotten that in the first round of contracts all the contracts were given out to US firms (only, even the Brits got only sub-contracts) and the payment on those contracts was secured against the future sales of Iraqi oil on international market - i.e. to US albeit indirectly. So yes, you have already taken oil, the first bite and the hugest."

I need proof of this. Now if we took oil, how did we? Theres no reports of the US stealing oil, and don't say we weren't caught because taking oil all the way to America ain't easy. Also, how come our gas prices are so damn high if we took oil?

"In a professional army soldiers are paid to die. You got noone to blame but your leader. Surely not those Iraqies who are defending their homeland from occupyer."

The majority of the insurgency is non-Iraqis.

"Cuz you could not handle a shia rebellion unless you nuke the place."

Oh yes we can. And we did. Remember Al-Sadr's uprising with his 2,000 man militia? First day he went up against the Americans, he lost 700 of his guys.

"And cuz your country cannot take the cost in dollars and blood such a decision would require. Not because of your noble motives."

Well why don't we just sell the oil you say we took to pay for it?

"Let me remind you that US has set 3 pre-conditions for any candidate to stand in elections.
1 - No candidate to call for withdrawal of US troops after elections
2 - No candidate to be alligned with Iran
3 - No candidate to call for an Islamic State
"

Wrong. Wrong. Wrong. The United Iraqi Alliance, which has VERY close ties to Iran, won the election. Their canidate for Prime Minister is Dr. Al-Jaafari, head of the Dawa Party, a Shi'ite religious Iraqi party which has strong ties in Iran. He is calling that Islam be the official religion of Iraq, and that it play a part in Iraq's goverment. Many belive, he might turn Iraq into an Islamic state. The only thing that can stop that is the Kurds, Sunnis, and Allawi.

"As you can see US does not "risk" anything."

Yes we have, cause now we might have let the Shi'ites create an Iran Jr.

"Thank God for that. The more of it left for Iraqis the better."

You don't understand. There barely any oil comming out because insurgents keep hitting the piplines, we can't watch over the oil cause we're busy watching over the people.

"We know the US attitide to democracy. Let me give you some examples: Chile (in fact most of South America), Iran (before Shah), Algeria, Israel. Learn you own history - ignorance is not bliss, it's a crime! "

I don't get what your trying to prove here. Iran was never a democracy.
"I need proof of this. Now if we took oil, how did we? Theres no reports of the US stealing oil, and don't say we weren't caught because taking oil all the way to America ain't easy. Also, how come our gas prices are so damn high if we took oil?"

BBC Reports: The panel, which also includes representatives from the IMF and the World Bank, expressed particular concern about how large contracts paid out of Iraqi funds were given to US firms, such as the oil services group Halliburton.

And where do you think Iraqis got their "funds"? If you read my comment carefully you will see that I say "secured against the future sales of Iraqi oil on international market". No need to "take" anything anywhere.

Oil prices are high because the market buys ahead based on current information. Current information states that:
1. Current production is at its peak
2. Demand is growing faster than predicted
3. Iraq is not selling oil in the quantities expected
4. US was buying up oil to stock up national reserve
5. etc....
This is not a place for me to explain the international markets theory to you in greater detail.


"The majority of the insurgency is non-Iraqis."

This is simply not true. Yes, Bush may say it and the so-called experts in American (US) media may say this but its just bull. Here is some info for you: "insurgency itself is made up of 60 different, mostly autonomous, groups, and that Mr. Zarqawi - with just 200 loyalists, who have claimed some of the worst atrocities in Iraq in the past year - is a "fringe player." ( link). Also have a look here<a/>. And here regarding the insurgency numbers. Foreign mujaheedin are a minority.

"Remember Al-Sadr's uprising with his 2,000 man militia?"

If Mr Sistani (the head Shia Cleric) calls for a defensive jihad all over Iraq - 60% of the population (ie Shia) will rise up and wipe the floor with American troops. Al-Sadr is a fly - 2000 man militia is nothing. A few million people, on the other hand.... You do the math.

"Wrong. Wrong. Wrong. The United Iraqi Alliance, which has VERY close ties to Iran, won the election. Their canidate for Prime Minister is Dr. Al-Jaafari, head of the Dawa Party, a Shi'ite religious Iraqi party which has strong ties in Iran. He is calling that Islam be the official religion of Iraq, and that it play a part in Iraq's goverment. Many belive, he might turn Iraq into an Islamic state. The only thing that can stop that is the Kurds, Sunnis, and Allawi."

Well that is actually not correct. Dr. Al-Jafaari is an exile who owes his position to the US and has done so for a very long time. While his party have links with Iran, they are veruntly nationalistic and are the supporters of "iraq for iraqi's" policy in this respect. You just have to see a couple of interviews with the imams and other elected officials - so they are not alligned with Iran. Islam being an official religion of Iraq is not the same as having an Islamic state - which Sistani already rejected. Many countries, like Italy, UK, Spain and others, have Christianity as official religion while not being religious Christian States. And no, Kurds, Sunnis or Allawi could not stop civil war if Shia wanted it. Of course they dont want it since the debaucle of elections (less than 1/5th of the population voting is now apparently called success) places them at the heart of power.

"Yes we have, cause now we might have let the Shi'ites create an Iran Jr"

Fat chance in hell of this happening. Just listen to Al-Sistani and his aides. They don't want a clerical state.

"You don't understand. There barely any oil comming out because insurgents keep hitting the piplines, we can't watch over the oil cause we're busy watching over the people."

I do understand. The more oil remains in Iraq now the more can be dealt with later when a trully representative Iraqi governent is elected and takes control. The less of it sold to International market at knock-down price the worse off the Iraqi people in the long run.
I have obviously messed up my tags and the links do not work.... such a pitty there is not way to edit the posts....
I ahve obviously messed up my tags and the links do not work.... such a pitty there is not way to edit the posts....
johnbrown's avatar
"I don't get what your trying to prove here. Iran was never a democracy."

Wrong, Iran was very much a parliamentary democracy.

In 1953, Iran's prime minister Mohammed Mossadeq, who had been elected to parliament in 1923 and again in 1944, and who had been prime minister since 1951, was removed from power in a complex plot orchestrated by British and US intelligence agencies ("Operation Ajax"). Many scholars suspect that this ouster was motivated by British-US opposition to Mossadeq's attempt to nationalize Iran's oil. Following Mossadeq's fall, Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi (Iran's monarch) grew increasingly dictatorial. With strong support from the USA and the UK, the Shah further modernised Iranian industry but crushed civil liberties. His autocratic rule, including systematic torture and other human rights violations, led to the Iranian revolution and overthrow of his regime in 1979. After over a year of political struggle between a variety of different groups, an Islamic republic was established under the Ayatollah Khomeini by popular vote.

from:
[link]

also see:

[link]

Operation Ajax (1953) (officially TP-AJAX) was an Anglo-American covert operation to overthrow the then-government of Iran and Prime Minister Mohammed Mossadegh and restore the exiled Shah Mohammed Reza Pahlavi to the throne.

Rationale for the intervention included Mossadegh's socialist rhetoric and his nationalization, without compensation, of the oil industry which was previously operated by the Anglo-Iranian Oil Company.
Le-Christoph's avatar
Okay. I didn't know that. But I'd like you to prove me wrong on the other statements I made.