200+ Killed in One Week in Iraq
As the dramatic events in Iran have taken the world focus off Iraq, (and the death of the King of Pop* which has taken over cable news) the news that some 200 250 people, mostly civilians, were killed in bombings and other political violence during the past week has been overlooked by many in the West.
“The wave of attacks is undermining Prime Minister Nouri Maliki’s declaration of a “great victory” in the US pullout from urban areas by next Tuesday’s deadline.
He has declared June 30 a national holiday to be marked with celebrations.
Maliki, a Shiite, has pinned his re-election hopes largely on security gains that have driven violence to wartime lows – an issue that has become his stump speech in an undeclared campaign for a second term.”
On Friday, a bus station in Baghdad was bombed, killing 7 persons and wounding 31.
Still, Big Oil is nevertheless getting back into Iraq — my guess is that they are positioning themselves, even though the terms and the security now are bad. In the future they will have built a good working relationship this way.
“[a big risk] risk, [for international oil companies] however, might be failing to seize whatever opportunity presents itself in a country with the third-largest petroleum reserves in the world. Iraq desperately needs oil revenue for reconstruction, and it wants to double its daily crude output within four to five years.
On Monday, the country’s Oil Ministry is set to auction off service contracts that in total may pay up to $16 billion over 20 years to the dozens of oil companies that have qualified to bid. To put the potential payout into context, Irving, Texas-based Exxon Mobil on its own posted a $45.2 billion profit last year, earnings generated largely by extracting oil and gas, not taking fees to help others produce it.”
HEY WAIT A MINUTE, DIDN’T OUR WAR DESTROY THEIR COUNTRY? SHOULDN’T THE UNITED STATES PAY FOR RECONSTRUCTION? WHY DO THE IRAQIS HAVE TO GIVE AWAY THEIR OIL MONEY TO FIX WHAT WE AND OUR ‘WAR OF CHOICE’ DESTROYED? WE SHOULD BE PAYING FOR THAT.
AND HOW MUCH WILL EXXON PROFIT FROM THE FACT THAT A MILLION DEAD IRAQIS NOW LAY BURIED UNDER THE SAND?
A lot of Iraqis vaguely wish the reformers well in Iran, but mostly they want the Tehran regime to stay out of their hair.
I imagine at this point they mostly want the U.S. out of their hair too. Meanwhile, al-Maliki wants unity.
“Iraq’s prime minister said Saturday that the full withdrawal of U.S. combat troops from cities and towns was a message that his country was ready to take over its own security, even as he appealed for national unity. . . . .”
Info from Juan Cole, the middle eastern expert and author.
*Shouldn’t he be considered the “King of 1980s Dance Music”, instead of “Pop” music? And why is he the “King” of anything? And why is cable news covering him 24/7? No wonder Americans don’t know much.
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