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I think that the polls taken in Baghdad explain it very well, they seem to understand. The United States invaded Iraq to gain control of one of the major sources of the world's energy, right in the heart of the world's energy producing regions. To create, if they can, a dependent client state. To have permanent military bases. And to gain what's called 'critical leverage' - I'm quoting Zbigniew Brzezinski - to gain critical leverage over rivals, the European and Asian economies. It's been understood since the Second World War, that if you have your hand on that spigot, the main source of the world's energy, you have what early planners called 'veto power' over others. Iraq is also the last part of the world where there are vast, untapped, easily accessible energy resources. And you can be sure that they want the profits from that to go primarily to U.S.-based multinationals and back to the U.S. Treasury, not to rivals. There are plenty of reasons for invading Iraq.

Noam Chomsky#113

GeopoliticsMilitaryIraqStrategyEnergy

About this quote

What does it mean?
Chomsky argues the Iraq invasion aimed to control energy resources and gain leverage over rivals through permanent bases.
In plain terms
Iraq was invaded to secure oil and military leverage over Europe and Asia.
What can you take from it?
Energy access often drives foreign intervention.

Where it applies

  • resource management
  • geopolitical strategy

Putting it to work

  • tracking resource motives
  • challenging military bases

Questions to consider

  • Does oil drive foreign policy?
  • What are true invasion motives?

Another view

It assumes energy control was the sole motive.

More from Noam Chomsky

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  2. It's certainly true that the world is better off without Saddam Hussein, and also without the people who supported him through his worst atrocities, and are no…

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  3. Somebody's paying the corporations that destroyed Iraq and the corporations that are rebuilding it. They're getting paid by the American taxpayer in both cases…

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