“Is Oil More Valid than the Blood of Soldiers?”

‘The war against Iraq is an oil war that hypothecates blood of soldiers and people.’

An American progressive weekly magazine ‘the Nation’ analyzed in its recent issue (October 7) that there was a calculation of profit and loss around securing oil by America at the other side of the attack of Iraq by America, which is near, and raised a question whether ‘the second Gulf War’ was right.

It said that the reason why America tried to attack Iraq was to secure a stable supply line of oil, which is relied on foreign countries more and more, and to rule the international energy market of the 21st century.

The ‘National Energy Policy Report’ made by a lead of the Vice President Dick Cheney last June warned that the half of oil that consumed in America in 2000 was import and the import ratio of oil would be more than two thirds by 2020. The conclusion of the Report was to make multilateral supply lines of oil first to fulfill the demand of oil in America. The environment around the oil supply line of America has been changed drastically that even Saudi Arabia, which has been a major oil supplier so far, could not be trusted.

Since the Land Institute in Washington defined Saudi as the ‘core of evil’ after the 9.11, the relationship of America and Saudi froze rapidly. While the voice in Saudi saying to disconnect the relationship with America got raised, there started to show up extraordinary current in relationship between both countries such that the Saudi Arabian government finally decided to prohibit the Western oil companies led by America to participate on developing the oil fields in Saudi Arabia.

The alternate oil supplier that America thinks other than Saudi Arabia is Iraq. In this situation, the Iraqi President Sadam Hussein alienates America and started to distribute the right to develop oil fields in Iraq, which is up to 44 billion barrels to oil companies of Europe, Russia, and China to make allies. This is the same amount as the total oil reserves of America, Canada, and Norway, which is the biggest oil producing country in Europe, combined.

The Nation analyzed that this was the main reason why the Bush Administration was cling to attacking Iraq. It is on the same line with the warning of the Iraqi rebel forces that if the new government is established, the oil supply contract with the Hussein Administration might be invalid.

So, attacking Iraq is for the major US oil companies to hold the oil field developing plans under the new government.

Jung-Ahn Kim credo@donga.com