The U.S, Oil and the Iraq War

Paper Summary:

The paper explains the United States' interest in the sources of its foreign oil and the need to secure those sources. The paper asserts that the Bush administration is peopled by individuals with personal and financial connections to the oil industry. The paper contends that an administration as oil-dependent as Bush's could not help but want control of Iraq's oil, which was being frustratingly under-produced by the Hussein regime. The paper concludes, therefore, that American addiction to oil has undoubtedly motivated the decision to invade and occupy Iraq.

From the Paper:

"In his 2006 State of the Union Address, President Bush stated the obvious: "Keeping America competitive requires affordable energy. And here we have a serious problem: America is addicted to oil, which is often imported from unstable parts of the world." The Bush administration denied that oil had anything to do with the decision to invade Iraq in 2003. Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld defended this official position vehemently, repeatedly telling the press things like, "This has nothing to do with oil in my modest opinion," (Sample 2003). However, three years later no one in the administration could avoid more frankly addressing the oil-related motives in the Iraq war."

Sample of Sources Used:

• Baker, Peter. (2006). "Bush Says U.S. Pullout Would Let Iraq Radicals Use Oil as a Weapon." Washington Post. Nov 5, 2006. Retrieved April 30, 2007 from http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/11/04/AR2006110401025.html
• Bush, GW. (2006). State of the Union Address. July 31, 2006. Retrieved April 30, 2007 from http://www.whitehouse.gov/news/releases/2006/01/20060131-10.html
• Buzzanco, Robert. (2002). "How Did Iraq and the United States Become Enemies?" History News Network. Retrieved April 30, 2007 from http://hnn.us/articles/1066.html
• Cave, Damien (2001). "The United States of Oil." Salon.com Nov 19, 2001. Retrieved April 30, 2007 from http://archive.salon.com/tech/feature/2001/11/19/bush_oil/
• Central Intelligence Agency (CIA). "CIA World Factbook: United States." 17 April 2007. Retrieved April 30, 2007 from https://www.cia.gov/cia/publications/factbook/geos/us.html

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