7/28/2019 The Secret History of the War Over Oil in Iraq

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Conspiracy nuts think George Bush, from themomenthe tookoffice,had asecretplan tocontrolIraq’s

oil.They’rewrong.BushhadTWOplans.Herethey are.One crafted by neo-conservatives at the Penta-gon, another by the State Department and BigOil. This is the history of the secret cold war be-tween these two power elites that drove the hotwar on the Tigris.

July 25, 1990James Baker III, Secretary of Stateto George Bush Sr., sends Sad-dam a diplomatic message the USwould wink at his invasion of Ku-wait: “We have no opinion on your... dispute with Kuwait. ...The Ku-wait issue is not associated withAmerica.”

Dec 2000 - Mar 2001James Baker III Institute andCouncil on Foreign Relationsgroup, sponsored by SaudiArabia, map global energyplan. The bug in the soup:Saddam Hussein, who’s jerk-

ing the oil markets, “posing adifficult situation for the U.S. ...requiring an immediate policyreview - military, energy, eco-nomic, diplomatic.” In March,Baker-CFR group memberKen Lay and other industrychiefs meet secretly with Vice-President Dick Cheney. They review this map ofIraq’s oil fields.

Feb 2001 -- Plan ABBC discovers that within a month of Bush Jr.’s firstinaugural, National Security Council and State De-partment convene a confab in Walnut Creek, Califor-nia, to plan the invasion of Iraq. Group auditionsreplacements for Saddam. Host Falah Aljibury, thetop US oil industry advisor on Iraq, reveals the planwas for “an invasion that acted like a coup ... shutdown for two or three days ... then everything is ... as

is - especially the oil ministry which would retainthe government oil monopoly."

Oct 2001 - Feb 2003 -- Plan B 

Emboldened by theSeptember 11th at-tacks, neo-conservatives drafta counter-plan: Ayear-long occupa-tion to re-make Iraqinto a free marketmiracle. The 101-page secret pro-gram becomes aChristmas tree forinsider lobbyists,including Grover

Norquist, who helpload it with corpo-rate goodies: copy-right protection for Microsoft and Sony, and the CFP(”Comprehensive Privatization Program”) to sell off“all” state assets, “espe cially the oil.” 

January 2003 State Department deniesits “Future of Iraq” groupdiscusses oil. But Bushteam sends Robert Ebel,former CIA and industryoil specialist, to Londonto meet secretly with “Fu-ture of Iraq” leader FadhilChalabi to plan post in-vasion oil set-up. Fadhil,like his fellow tribesmenAhmad Chalabi, wan-nabe potentate of Iraq,

 joins forces with neo-cons in plan to sell offIraq’s oil fields, break upand sell its state oil company, increase production,quit OPEC. CIA Industry man Ebel, fearing Saudiresponse, tells Chalabi his numbers are “ridiculous.”

March 17, 2003

PresidentBush broad-casts thismessage tothe Iraqi peo-ple: “Do notdestroy oilwells.” So be-

gins whatWhite Housespokesman AriFleischerterms, “Opera-tion Iraqi Lib-eration” -- OIL.-- swiftlychanged to OIF- Operation Iraqi Freedom. 

March 27, 2003

Deputy Secretary of De-fense Wolfowitz testifies

Iraq will be free - not“free” as in 'democratic,'but “free” as in this-won’t -cost-us-a-penny.“There’s a lot of moneyto pay for this thatdoesn’t have to be U.S. taxpayer money,” he tellsCongress -- opposite the secret analysis he receivesfrom the CIA and Department of Energy. Was itperjury?

April 21, 2003

Three-star General JayGarner, named occupa-tion viceroy by Presi-dent Bush, fired by De-fense Secretary DonaldRumsfeld after settingquick elections in Iraq.Garner tells BBC herefused to sell off Iraq’soil fields and resisted

long US occupation under the neo-cons' Plan B.General is replaced by Henry Kissinger businesspartner Paul Bremer--who cancels elections and ap-points a new government under the control of neo-con favorite, convicted bank swindler AhmadChalabi.

May 2003 - Jan 2004Dick Cheney sides with Big Oil over the neo-coSnuffs neo-con plan to privatize Iraq's oil and routput to cut oil prices and weaken OPEC and

Arabia.  Phil Carroll, ex-CEO of Shell Oil USpatched to take charge of Iraq’s oil ministry. qugives Bremer this order: There will be “no privation of Iraqi oil ... end of statement.”  

In Seber, passcontHouscronyMcKChaof Hburtoformof CoOil.

McKee orders a "contents confidential" write-uPlan A re-establishinga state oil monopoly,keeping Iraq in

OPEC and oil priceshigh. James BakerInstitute in Houstondrafts secret 323-page Options for Iraqi Oil  with onlyone option: a stateoil company whichwould “enhance{Iraq’s} relation-ship with OPEC.”

In a sting operation,Palast team obtainsa copy.

May 2004 - and beyond

Neo-cons hunted & eliminated. May 20th: AhmChalabi sought for arrest. Neo-con fave Bremebooted from Baghdad, Wolfowitz removed fromtagon. Council on Foreign Relations rejoices, “realists have defeated the fantasists!” US oil crestore state oil monopoly. OPEC saved. Oil pbust over $50 a barrel on way to $100--and resof top five oil companies increase in value by otrillion.

THE SECRET HISTORY OF THE WAR OVER OIL IN IRAQ

from "Armed Madhouse" by Greg Palast (Penguin USA). Cartoon images by Robert Grossman. Collage by Winston Smith. View the BBC documentary at www.GregPalast.