Is This The Real Reason For The US Military In The Middle East
Is it true that the real reason the US Military is involved in so many wars is oil and profit?
This is what a lot of the Conspiracy theorist believe was the real reason for the invasion of Iraq - oil. You have to admit though the Middle East, more than anywhere else, seems to be always a center of attention, if they had no oil would there be much interest?
International Level: International Guru / Political Participation: 3231 100%
Considering there has been conflict in the middle east since before the "Dark Ages" I would say that there is a lot to fight for over there. The country is rich in religious history, and many of these religions do not like each other,as evident by the Crusades.
The fight for freedom has been marred by greed and dishonest leadings, but regardless of the disturbing reasons the US military shows up one thing is important to remember, the soldiers are not fighting for those things, they are fighting for freedom. As a disabled veteran I am proud to have served in the Middle East, and I cherish every hug, kiss, meal, and gift I received because of the freedom that we brought, regardless of the other reasons we were there, the end result is freedom.
International Level: Politics 101 / Political Participation: 0 0%
Name: Hannah
Comments: Regardless of the reason what about the people that are there and have to live through it. Everyone focuses on the military and how difficult they have it. Well heck how difficult is it for a father that lost his son to a bomb or watching your whole house get shot up to the point you have to leave with just the clothes on your back. You think those people stop to think about the reason?
Peter Maass on "Crude World: The Violent Twilight of Oil"
Author Peter Maass writes about how oil has resulted in devastation around the world in his new book, Crude World: The Violent Twilight of Oil. Maass spent eight years traveling the globe to discover the costs of oil production to the planet. Peter Maass is an award-winning investigative journalist and author and a contributing writer to the New York Times Magazine. He joins us now from Boston. Ref. Source 9
"With money we will get men, said Caesar, and with men we will get money. Nor should our assembly [the Virginia Legislature] be deluded by the integrity of their own purposes, and conclude that these unlimited powers will never be abused, because themselves are not disposed to abuse them. They should look forward to a time, and that not a distant one, when a corruption in this, as in the country from which we derive our origin [Great Britain], will have seized the heads o! government, and be spread by them through the body of the people; when they will purchase the voices of the people, and make them pay the price.
Human nature is the same on every side of the Atlantic, and will be alike influenced by the same causes. The time to guard against corruption and tyranny, is before they shall have gotten hold on us. It is better to keep the wolf out of the fold, than to trust to drawing his teeth and talons after he shall have entered."
-- Thomas Jefferson (1743-1826), US Founding Father, drafted the Declaration of Independence, 3rd US President - Source: "Notes on the State of Virginia," 1782
You were right. That is kind of offensive.
However, yes the war is about oil, but it is not about oil profits. If anything happens in the Middle East, oil is involved in some manner or form.
If it were not for oil, you wouldn't have that computer you posted this on. Oil is in a lot more then gasoline. Anything made of plasitic involves oil. The development of medical implants, tools, scanners and procedures would come to a standstill since plastic is essential to it.
Who controls the oil does not matter a lot. Oil is fungible, so it doesn't matter if Canada or Iran puts the oil in the market, the price is largely based on how much oil is out there total. However if the Middle East falls into instability, a big chunk of the supply gets disrupted. If the war was about oil profits, restricting the supply could do a lot more then putting more oil on the market.
We are there to try and improve the Middle East. The reason why we care about improving the Middle East is because of oil.