US afraid of Shias taking control of oil

With the announcement of in excess of 20,000 more US troops being deployed in Iraq, it is now more pertinent than ever to accept the real reason for the war in Iraq: control of Iraqi oil reserves. Without accepting this, talk of a withdrawal of troops from Iraq or an end to the use of Shannon Airport is pointless. The reason for this is that the United States government will not allow a Shia-led government to rule in Iraq without their (US) interference. What would a Shia-led government in control of its own resources in Iraq do? It would more than likely develop strong links with its Shia neighbours, notably Iran, thereby creating quite a formidable force in the region, in terms of energy and military resources.Further to this, Saudi Arabia, a very close friend of the United States, has thus far been able to subdue its significant Shia minority, but this could quite easily change upon the advent of a powerful Shia alliance between Iran and Iraq. And this, of course, could change the path that the Middle East should be taking – according to the US – that is, a path which places the United States as the main player in terms of controling energy reserves.

Mark Conroy
Portumna, Co Galway