News US and Oil: Examining the War Claims in Afghanistan, Iraq, and Libya

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The discussion centers on the motivations behind U.S. military interventions in Afghanistan, Iraq, and Libya, particularly the claim that these wars were fought over oil. The argument presented suggests that while the U.S. may engage in conflicts to protect oil supply, it has not directly seized oil for profit. The economic implications of oil supply interruptions are emphasized as being significantly more impactful than the direct cost of oil itself. The conversation also touches on the U.S. preference for free markets, criticizing the portrayal of leaders who nationalize oil resources as villains. Additionally, there is a mention of President Obama's lack of efforts to promote renewable energy solutions in Iran, highlighting a perceived disconnect in energy policy discussions.
KingNothing
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I often hear people charge that the US went to war in Afghanistan, Iraq, and Libya over oil. What reason do I have to believe that this is the case? I haven't heard a single report of the US extracting any oil at all from these countries.
 
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I would say it isn't true except in an abstract sense.
 
Would 'Wars for profit' be abstract?
 
Alfi said:
Would 'Wars for profit' be abstract?
No, maybe "abstract" wasn't the right word. What I meant was that sometimes we go to war to protect the supply of oil. But we've never seized the oil for our own profit, despite conspiracy theories that we would.
 
Alfi said:
Would 'Wars for profit' be abstract?
If the US's wars were profitable then why aren't we discussing expanding our military operations as a method of reducing our deficit?
 
it's a mistake to think about the actual dollar price of the petroleum (you really need to include natural gas here), you need to think about the cost to the economy of having supply interrupted. that cost is many times greater than how much the actual sticker price is.

as far as controlling that supply, the US seems to have a thing for "free markets". our biggest villains in mainstream press seem to be those who nationalize or speak of nationalizing their petroleum. like Chavez. also, the Lockerbie bomber was released not long after Ghaddafi made some noise about nationalization.

there's also something in my blog if you're interested.
 
I still want to know why President Obama isn't trying to educate Iran about the long term benefits of Wind and Solar energy?
 

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