There’s an old saying about investigating crime: “Follow the money.” Do you want to understand what’s happened, and is still happening, in Iraq? Follow the oil. In order to believe that this was not a war about oil, you have to ignore the clear historical record of Bush/Cheney administration energy plans which pre-dated the 9/11 attack, draft legislation prepared before the Iraqi invasion, and repeated initiatives by the US occupation authority aimed at “reforming” the Iraqi oil industry.

This isn’t just about getting the history right or placing blame for policies gone wrong. Iraq isn’t history yet. What happens in Iraq over the next decade is going to have a big affect on the world, and a lot of it’s still going to be about oil.

Here’s a link to a very good short but fact-filled history of Iraqi oil, its effect on our policy, and the effect of our policy on it, by Michael Schwartz, author of War Without End: The Iraq War in Context.

About the Author: The major landmarks in Frank's historical interests range from ancient Persia through the Crimean War, World War II, and the modern U.S. Armed Forces, with a lot of stops in between. Frank is fascinated by the unusual, the overlooked, and the surprising. He is the New York Times number one best-selling author of the Desert Shield Fact Book (1991) and he is currently writing an historical novel on Alexander's conquest of Persia – from the Persian point of view.

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