Crude Awakening -- Foreign Policy
In Iraq's turbulent politics, whoever controls the oil production wields the power. And that might soon be ExxonMobil.
On Dec. 17, two days after the U.S. military cased its colors and formally ended its mission in Iraq, the brain trust of the Iraqi oil sector gathered for a symposium at Baghdad's Alwiyah Club, a fortified concrete complex of meeting rooms and outdoor gardens. They were officially meeting to discuss "Challenges Facing the Development of the Extractive Industry." The issues they grappled with held the prospect to transform the global energy marketplace and determine the course of Iraqi democracy.
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My Comment: A lot of 'big ifs' stand in the way of Iraq achieving it's oil production potential .... but the money is there, and in the end that is what everyone wants in Iraq (maybe).