I spent 5 years in Saudi Arabia between 96 and 2001 as a civilian working as an IT administrator for a major oil company. I know little about the oil industry. But working with an international crowd, I learned quite a few things out there.
The war in Iraq is an obviously hotly disputed topic. But I am going to tell you some things you may not know about to educate you a bit. I think a little knowledge is the key to making good decisions.
1. War is big business
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The US government went into Vietnam because they felt that they learned an important lesson: War is big business. A lot of companies made a lot of money during Vietnam. And they are taking advantage of this in Iraq (ex Halliburton). It is true that our US tax dollars pay for the war. But the benefits to the US may far exceed the money that will be spent on this war. It exceeds more than just getting the oil flowing. But that is only as long as the US wins the war.
2. The loser has to pay reparations
While in Saudi Arabia during the time between Gulf War I and II, my friend got a job on the East Coast of Saudi Arabia to clean up the beaches in the Persian Gulf. Who was paying for this$%: Iraq was. They were paying for this because of a little known fact that the loser of a war has to pay for reparations. If we "win" Iraq, we get to keep control and we get money back for reparations. If we lose, we pay.
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3. Iraq is the second largest oil producer in the world
Saudi Arabia is the largest oil producing country in the world. They only recently shut down the very first oil pumping station that was made (about 80 years of oil came out of that one field). The United States is already in bed with Saudi Arabia. We don't control them, but we have had a great relationship with them since the days of FDR. And I expect we will continue to do so. But you never know what might happen...
Iraq is the number 2 oil producer in the world. So why not get in bed with them as well$%: Makes sense to me not to put all of your eggs in one basket. Even better, let's gain control of their oil, and plop down some bases to ensure that the oil keeps flowing. If we control the oil, we control the profits as well.
4. Privatization of oil
The United States wants to privatize the oil in Iraq. What this means is that the United States will control the oil and give the country a piece of the profits. They have to do this in order to help pay for the huge cost of this war. This used to be the case many years ago in Saudi Arabia under Aramco. The Saudi's had to do this, because they did not know how to manage oil production or refining. Once the Saudis figured out how to manage their own oil flow, they took control and now sell the oil to the US.
The Iraqi's already have this knowledge. The US wants to take the profits from them.
5. They want to keep an eye (and arm) on the rest of the Middle East.
A theory given to me by a taxi driver one day was very interesting. He said that the United States uses Israel and their bases to keep an eye on the Middle East. If this is the case, it would make sense to put bases in Iraq (which they have), and keep an arm in the center of the entire Middle East; right between Iran and Syria.
The US expects that Iran may start creating nuclear warheads in the next few years. So it is important to keep the bases close so they can keep Iran under control. They control the Persian Gulf and they want to be able to flank them by land from Iraq's side if need be. The US is also in alliance with Afghanistan now who borders Iran on their Eastern side.
Syria has been accused of sending arms to Hezbollah who fights the Israelis with them. Israel and allied Jordan are on Syria's South, and allied Turkey in the North. With Iraq now being on their Eastern border, their only ally is the war torn Lebanon. They won't have a chance.
The Iraq war at this point is at the point where they need to send more troops in, or pull out. If they send more troops in, the US may need to instigate the draft again. They want to send in 20,000 troops, but there are only 9,000 available. Where will they come from$%: More people (on both sides) will also surely die.
If the US pulls out, they lose the war and those financial benefits will be lost. They won't have such a stronghold on the Middle East. If Iran should go nuclear, their will not be much we can do. If Syria gives nukes to the Hezbollah, Israel will be doomed.
It is a touch call. Is it really coming to the question of "Are we really just exchanging blood for oil$%:" Or is it more than that$%: