God, guns and oil.

Facts of life in the Middle East regarding Iraq is as follows;
Iraq’s oil reserves are an estimated 112 billion barrels, the world’s second largest after Saudi Arabia. Canada ranks third. Iraq also has vast natural gas reserves, an increasingly important fuel and raw material. Oil-hungry nations are eying Iraq and they are desperate. America’s once mighty oil firms, the "seven sisters," have been elbowed out of most of the world’s oil fields by nationalist governments and replaced by state petroleum companies in the past. Iraq’s ruler, Saddam Hussein, kicked US, British and French oil firms out of Iraq, and so sealed his fate as is known in the region though not even acknowledged in the west as a possibility. However, big Oil moved back into Iraq behind invading US troops in 2003, and is taking over Iraq’s oil production and exporting.

The US does not yet need Iraq’s oil, but controlling it gives the US potent influence over its importers, such as China, India, Japan and Europe. Control of Mideast oil remains a pillar of US geopolitical world power, making it seem unlikely for the US to cut Iraq loose in the near future. Washington seems to be following the same control model set up in the 1920’s by the then British Empire to secure Mesopotamia’s oil. Namely: install a puppet ruler, create a native army to protect him, leave some British/US troops and strong RAF/ SEALS units in desert bases ready to bomb any miscreants who disturbed the Pax Britannica /Americana– and keep cheap oil flowing. At the same time,Washington is building a US $740 million new embassy in Baghdad for 800 personnel, as well as giant new fortified embassies in Kabul and Islamabad, Pakistan (cost $1 billion) that may hold 1,000 "diplomats." What the war in Iraq is concerned, the US isn't withdrawing from Iraq at all – it's renaming the occupation. Just as George Bush's war on terror was retitled "overseas contingency operations" when Obama became president, US "combat operations" will be re-badged as of next month as "stability operations".

The Iraq war has been a political failure for the US all the way, as the US was unable to impose a military solution, let alone turn the country into a regional policeman. But by playing the sectarian and ethnic cards (Divide & Rule), it also prevented the emergence of a national resistance . This tactic prevented a humiliating Vietnam-style pullout. The signs are, however it wants to create a new form of semi-colonial regime to maintain its grip on the country and therefore influence the region. Important “move” here is the US policymakers re-ignition of an old Middle Eastern foreign policy business method/blackmail. The scaled down F15 Fighter planes at twice the price, being sold to the Saudi Arabians…. This ought to help secure the never ending Israeli demands for further help ,this time it is investments for the new Israeli fighter jets. A business method developed for rich ARAB nations and practiced until 2002 to finance Israel, is now again being reactivated, implying finance problems and again indicating a conflict with Iran is far far off the table. A war with Iran would not serve any western nation, because as long as Iran is being pictured as the bogyman , the rich and lazy Persian Gulf Arab countries, pay all their oil money for over expensive weapons and it would be naive to think that western “Think-Tanks” have not realized this fact.