if the War in Iraq is all about oil, why are petrol prices so high in Britain and the US?
436434
Actually, gas prices in the US are artificially low.  We pay about 1/2 to 1/3 of Europe's prices.  Prices here fluctuate almost arbirarily, but also in accordance with supply and demand, and, of course, the price of oil.  It's precisely because we're in this war over oil that prices has gone up. War makes production and distribution a pain, to say the least.  Other oil producing nations, like Venzuela and Nigeria have also had political distruptions.
841269
I suggest reading 'armed madhouse' by greg palast. In this book he makes the arguement (with footnotes) that the reason we went into Iraq is for the oil. But not to take the oil. No ... we want to keep the oil in Iraq. You see economic supply and demand would dictate that if the second largest oil producing nation was bogged down by an occupation then prices would soar. Hmmmm and how have the oil companies been fairing since the invasion???? Who's side do you think this honest patriot is on?? http://blogs.it/0100206/stories/2004/03/15/houseOfBushHouseOfSaud.html
473958
you're probably refering to the middle east.  I am not a subscriber to most theories on why american troops are there.  I don't think bush did it for the money; he did it as an economic attack on china.  China's growing economy and mass of people makes it  a huge threat to the american way of life, both economically and physically.  Their mass growth is highly dependant on oil, more so than our economy is.  Doubling, or tripling the cost of oil is a very effective assault on a massive country's growth while only lightly affecting america's economy.  That is, how many people do you know who have stopped driving?  An extremely low number of people have even reduced the amount they drive...  Prices of construction, shipping, and other things we take for granted have risen only very slightly.  Using oil is very basic in the technological chain, but to a county still essentially developing it's value is 10 times what it is to a fully developed country.  It has so much to do with politics and so little to do with oil...\n\nWhy we don't switch.  While it is a good point that the oild companies profit from not switching, it's so much more complicated than being a conspiracy of big oil companies against the country.  The cost of converting to an alternative fuel source would be large, incredibly large.  Keeping away from everything else that uses oil, big parts of idustry, and sticking only to transportation.  Every single car, truck, bus, bulldozer, some planes, in america would have to be replaced.  Ok, not too bad, could be done in 15-25 years.  But every person would have to accept the change and people in general don't like change.  Also, every single fueling station would have to change over, which is in the range of trillions of dollars in cost.  The technology must be established, accepted, and actually implemented.  On top of that, the entire country would have to agree as to which particular energy source we switch to; that's very difficult in it's own right.  This is a subject which can barely have the surface scratched on yahoo'o format.  It deserves, and has received, thousands of articles much longer than I care to write and much more technical than I can even pretend to understand without studying them in detail.  It's not a simple thing for a country which is entirely dependant on oil to just up and switch to something else.
328984
Because Tony Blair has spent all the money invading countries with oil.  There is none left for genuine causes.
664209
There is an oil dimension but not the simplistic one that most people trott out.\n\n1) The U.S has no need of Iraqi oil. It actually has no dependance on any middle eastern oil supply for its own domestic needs.\n\n2) The main recipients of Iraqi oil have been and continue to be France, Germany, and Russia.\n\n3) The stability of global oil supply is vital for the continuance of our society. Everything you eat, wear, work at, use or enjoy depends on oil, and the price of oil. If you listen to some people they would tell you that its about putting gas in your SUV and 50 cents less per gallon, but its not. A minor raise in the global oil price, caused by some kind of mad fundamentalism could melt our society down faster than a horror novel.\n\nThe U.S has enough strategic reserve and alternative supply to ride it out, but oddly its the anti american countries like Germany and France who would suffer the most if the U.S didnt act as the worlds policeman.
555876
Control of oil is the primary motivation for this war. It’s why Iraq was a target for war. It’s why the U.S. supported Saddam Hussein in the 1970s and ’80s when he was an ally and a friend--when Donald Rumsfeld met with him in Baghdad. It’s why the U.S. is going to occupy Iraq until it can impose a government that’s suitable to U.S. interests. And it’s why Iran and Syria are now in the crosshairs.
772005
It's not for the U.S.  \n\nIt's for U.S. oil companies.\n\nBig difference.\n\n\nAnyone who thinks that the decision to attack Hussein and the fact that Iraq sits on the second largest proven reserve of oil in the world had nothing to do with one another is naive.
961201
Well, the true reason is kind of multi-pronged.\n\nFirstly, it was for oil. However, not in the way that the "those evil war mongering republicans are all poopy heads" crowd seem to believe. Like it or not the US economy is highly dependant on foreign oil. The previous regime in Iraq first tried to take over Kuwait, a major producer that sits directly on the gulf. Additionally, that regime made it quite clear that they intended to use their influence on global oil markets in any way they could to harm western economies. Can you imagine a world where a single very anti-American dictator controls 70% of the worlds oil supply and chooses not to sell to us at any price but rather give China, a major rival, access to virtually unlimited supplies at cut rate prices?\n\nSecondly, it was about breaking up the web of state funded terrorism. Like it or not there are a large number of middle eastern fundamentalists who are actively working to wipe America off of the map. This is not some new phenomena that has taken place since we took action in Iraq. This has been brewing for decades. I know that it is an unpleasant realization to some, but America is at war and we did not start it nor did it begin with the invasion of Iraq nor with 9/11. Middle eastern fundamentalists declared war on the US more than a decade ago. Unfortunately, most Americans are too busy carrying on with their normal lives to realize this as a clear and present danger. One of the insidious attributes about international terrorism is that there is no single nation-state that the US can point to as the "enemy". This gives state sponsors of terrorism the luxury of calling the US an aggressive bully when we take action against them. Iraq was one of many enablers in the international terrorism network. There are others. It is my hope that America will not have to learn the hard way that it is better to deal with such threats early even though such actions may not appear politically correct rather than wait until a mushroom cloud erupts over Israel, the UK, or the Eastern coast of the US.
52107
First off, The entire iraqi war on terror was in part to protect the oils assets. Which means the Bush family fortune.\nYes it is a scam. Why else would oil commpany executives and CEOs be questioned and put ontrial and even scolded by our congress. They are making "Not billions" but Trillions of dollars off of common people while our government fabricates things to protect the oil assets. Are they truly in danger? Who knows.\nIts one huge cover up. Europe is used to paying 6 dollars per gallon. So we don't get any sympothy from them at all. They say quite your snivveling. but the truth is we are the ones getting scammed big time! is there anything we common folks can do about it, probably not or at least I am not sure.
486093
What are you talking about?\n\nGas prices are high because the world (specificly the USA) haven't been researching or building an alternative fuel source infrastructure. Our politicians, both Rep & Dems are bought and paid for by the oil companies, the wealthiest lobby there is.\n\nWhat has that got to do with partisan politics? Have you been asleep?
1075770
I think its neither. Its a "War for oil" or War for wealth.
84496
I think it's because if you look at the size of the United States compared to European countries, it is just larger.  \n\nAlso, people in the United States travel farther to go to work then people on other countries do.    \n\nAdd SUV's and other gas guzzling cars into the mix and you've got high oil consumption.\n\nThe solution for the United States is to use something completely different then oil to fuel our cars.
286256
As some rapper once said (sorry, not a rap fan), and it applies to everything the government has done forever...\n\n"If it don't make dollars then it don't make sense."\n\nThe article should clear up exactly how oil is involved in our situation...to say we are going to war to get the oil is putting it too simply, that's not the end reason.  The reason we need the oil is to cover for our weak dollar and our manufacturing going over-seas.
857077
Securing a long term stable supply of Oil is the ultimate motive for the US's involvement in Iraq.\n\nOne of the biggest challenges facing the developed world in the next three decades is supply of energy. Oil is the blood of the economy - when the price per barrel of oil moves - so too does inflation, government policy, and ultimately the growth of nations.\n\nthink about this.. The US removing Iraq's dictator and being involved in the rebuilding both politically and physically of the new Iraq puts the Bush administration in a position where they can ensure they have links to the Iraqi government at a high level. This in turn takes much of the political risk out of the oil supply from this oil rich nation.\n\nIt also doesnt hurt that American contractors were guaranteed 95% of the rebuilding that is underway and will be underway in the next decade in Iraq.\n\nIraq, Afghanistan and East Timor are all cash cows for oil - much to the detriment of the local populations.\n\nWhat about Tibet, Burma (Myanmar), some of the war torn African nations... no one cares - they dont have any oil...\n\nIf you enjoy the Western lifestyle offered in the US, England and Australia your best bet is to support the securing of oil or who knows what the next 30 years will bring.
977049
That war is all about OIL, and I don't think God is sitting up there worried about the price of gasoline and home heating oil. We should have been out of there years ago.
302739
Poltical instability in the middle East is a cause for higher gas prices. It's ironic that Iraq is one of the least expensive places to buy gas in the world. The oil companies can't just jack up prices whenever they want, regardless of what you may have heard.
1037979
Because America's enemies are not Bush's enemies. Bush is oil, always has been, and always will be.  The oil industry transcends politics, because the money to be made in oil can literally make or break any countries economy.  Dont think for one second that Bush and Cheney have not gotten richer 10 fold because of this war.