It’s possible to disagree with the Bush team, but it’s not possible to accuse them of being stupid. One of the levers they are using to gain support for an invasion of Iraq is the control of oil resources after Saddam becomes a former dictator. As The Washington Post helpfully explains, countries that support the invasion will find their oil companies rewarded with reconstruction and exploration contracts. Governments that drag their heels or oppose the U.S. will be shut out of a country that holds the world’s largest oil reserves after Saudi Arabia. James Woolsey, the former CIA director, is blunt about the situation: “France and Russia have oil companies and interests in Iraq. They should be told that if they are of assistance in moving Iraq toward decent government, we’ll do the best we can to ensure that the new government and American companies work closely with them…If they throw in their lot with Saddam, it will be difficult to the point of impossible to persuade the new Iraqi government to work with them.”
