>A recent post inspired this...
>
>According to author Lynne Franks, SEED stands for
>"Sustainable Enterprise and Empowerment Dynamics".
>
>When the Iraqi leadership booby-trapped and set fire to
>their oil fields it was about SEED or keeping the US from
>taking advantage of the Iraq economy. Oil has been Iraq's
>sole or main enterprise and has allowed the country, as well
>as other "Arab" countries to become empowered in the global
>economic and external power dynamic.

In the extreme -- as if I just heard you say 2 + 2 = 5.

The Iraqi Leadership could care less about the overall Iraqi economy, (or more importantly the people) I suggest you speak to some Iraqi's to get a better picture.......in any event, during the last 12 or so years of the UN Embargo -- Iraq has been selling Oil to the US (and other countries) the whole time -- instead of using that money to feed its people, they pocketed the Money (Saddaam is one of the world's richest people) and let the people starve in order to gain political leverage, as if to say: "Look at our economy, its ruined because of the Embargo).

Fact remains, they had the money to feed those people the whole time, so its not like they give a damn about the economy or the people.

The reason that Oil prices went up in advance of the war, is because of the concern that the supply would be reduced due to the fact that we wouldn't buying Iraqi Oil during the war, also that it would be harder to get oil from the middle east, etc, etc. You should read the Wall St. Journal and similar business publications --- those are the concerns that have been voiced.

Ousting Saddaam isn't going to get us Cheaper Oil, because Oil prices are set by OPEC and we're not taking over the country and wouldn't be taking ownership of the oil.

Furthermore, it hurts the Iraqi people to set fire to the oil wells, because the next leader may be more generous than Saddaam and his cronies and Oil will be the basis of Iraq's Post War Economy, which will undoubtedly benefit more people than the current one does.

Furthermore, the US would be a customer to Iraq's oil industry and would pump billions more into it than we currently do (The Embargo limits how much oil Iraq can currently sell).

So how is that an instance of the US "taking advantage"?

They're setting fire to the Oil Wells, because THEY won't be able to take advantage of them anymore, they're not trying to save the Iraqi people or the Iraqi economy, they're just hurting it.

In pure economic/financial/business terms - setting fire to the Oil Wells isn't helping the Iraqi people or its economy -- its the Political/Economic equivalent of taking one's toys and going home.

Look at other Arab countries like Kuwait or the UAE or a country like Brunei -- these are rich Oil countries where the money generated by Oil is invested into the people, they have free health care, education and no one goes hungry.

I would agree with you if Iraq was one of those countries, but it isn't -- after the first war, Saddaam spent Millions commissioning statues to celebrate his Victory - while people starved.

But don't believe me, talk to some Iraqis.

M2


P.S. I'm not in the camp of the Blind Patriots who sees Saddaam as a threat to us,\ that we need to take out, nor do I believe he was involved in 9/11. I also think the loss of life in this conflict is unacceptable, and I question some of the motives leading up to this war, (IF you can even call it that) - I think there are better options available to get rid of Saddaam -- BUT I'm not going to pretend that the Iraqi people wouldn't be better off without him.

I'm Ex-Military Guy and I understand the mindset very well -- if the Iraqi people actually believed in their leader or better yet, wanted to fight for him, they wouldn't be surrenndering so easily -- hell some of them tried to surrender before the world started -- and the way the British Soldiers described them, (and based on the footage I've seen) they didn't look like well cared for Soldiers whose leader is one of the richest men on earth.

The Blog: http://www.analyticalwealth.com/

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