Re: Iraqi oil insufficient for rebuilding (AP) (fwd)

A key point I see in the article, which relates to the false arguments about 
oil not being a key element of this war, including Wallerstein's argument in a 
recent commentary, is this:

>In wealthy Saudi Arabia, for example,
>earnings from oil haven't kept pace with the nation's
>birth rate, and real incomes have fallen for the past
>20 years, said Colin Rowat, an Iraq sanctions
>specialist at England's University of Birmingham.

The wealth of oil isn't simply oil corporations access to the crude; it is more 
in the multitude of corporations that will feed like leeches off of its steady 
export (at a price not to high and not too low).  Among the beneficiaries of 
the oil racket, including that in Saudi Arabia, are the defense contractors, 
the trade and financial corporations, the IMF and WB, agribusiness exporters, 
etc.  We can expect that the IMF and WB will impose strict Structural 
Adjustment Policies on Iraq after the war, imposing an export-oriented "free" 
trade regime that will allow the multinationals to swoop in on the markets, 
putting many petty locals out of business and SAP much of the wealth out of the 
state, except for the ruling classes and certain local bourgeoisie, as with 
Saudi Arabia, which will get their cut.  This is principally why there won't be 
enough oil to rebuild Iraq. 

>>> Boris Stremlin <bstremli@binghamton.edu> 03/08/03 17:05 PM >>>
Last night on the Charlie Rose program, Richard Haas reiterated that no
Marshall Plan will be necessary for Iraq, which is a rich enough country
to pay for its own reconstruction.  This is the strategic vision which is
taking us to war.  It is the base upon which this administration proposes
to structure the US imperium.

-- 
Boris Stremlin
bstremli@binghamton.edu

---------- Forwarded message ----------
Date: Fri, 7 Mar 2003 18:30:26 -0800 (PST)
From: Boris Stremlin <bstremlin@yahoo.com>
To: bstremli@binghamton.edu
Subject: Iraqi oil insufficient for rebuilding (AP)

 AP World - General NewsIraq's oil revenues won't pay
for rebuilding after a war, experts say Thu Mar 6,
7:04 PM ETBy BRUCE STANLEY, Associated Press Writer
LONDON - Despite Iraq (news - web sites)'s enormous
oil reserves, experts say money from the sale of Iraqi
crude wouldn't cover the costs of rebuilding the
country's power plants, bridges and other vital
infrastructure after a war with the United States.

[snip]