I don't think
Oh yes you do, so less analyze this paragraph together. To begin with it sounds like a neo-con dream scenario. Given their record so far, that's not an auspicious beginning.
billions of dollars down there waiting to be pumped up that could possibly cause energy prices to drop as soon as the spicket is turned on.
And when might that be? I'm nowhere near an authority here, but I've seen a lot of articles that claim it will be many years, and only after billions of dollars of investment, that Iraq's vast reserves can be "tapped". And that assumes the best possible case - that the oil fields are not set afire or poisoned by chemical/biological agents during the war, or sabotaged by terrorists activity subsequent to the war. So if you're extremely optimistic with the very best possible case, it'll be awhile.
If that helps drop the price of energy it benefits our economy. It benefits everyone's economy.
Sorry Rosy (Scenario), it doesn't work that way. Given that you get large amounts of cheap oil from Iraq (and that's quite a given) so that the world oil price plummets, then oil producers economies are severely injured. Without going into what sort of problems economic instability would produce in Mexico, Venezuela and Russia, just consider the Islamic countries with enhanced terrorism conditions. 'Course the environmental impact of plentiful cheap oil is a whole different argument.
And what ever Iraq sells goes toward building a new democracy instead of going into Saddam's pocket. Before long Western influences my open up many opportunities for their people. (But that is another argument.)
It certainly is (another argument). With the staggering expenses incurred by first the war and then the occupation (minimum of 200,000 troops for five years), plus the oilfield development expenses discussed above, good luck Iraqis. As for the cultural change from western influence, unless a subtlety of technique, thus far unrevealed by the neo-cons, is exhibited, what is more likely is a cultural backlash. But that's
JMO
lurqer |
