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Trump’s illegal, impossible, and ‘beyond goofy’ idea of seizing Iraq’s oil
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| Contributor | RP |
| Last Edited | RP Sep 13, 2016 05:40pm |
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| Category | Analysis |
| Author | Steven Mufson |
| News Date | Friday, September 9, 2016 11:00:00 PM UTC0:0 |
| Description | The United States can’t just walk off with Iraq’s oil when it decides to get out. In 2015, Iraq produced about 4 million barrels a day, enough crude oil to fill more than 700 Trump Towers. Billions of barrels more sit underground in conventional reservoirs. The International Energy Agency has estimated that Iraq could produce twice as much as it does currently — by 2035.
That means taking the oil would take decades. That might explain Trump’s suggestion that “a certain group” should be left behind to hold down parts of the country so that the United States could siphon off oil. What he didn’t say is that that group – undoubtedly U.S. soldiers — could be there quite a while.
But securing the oil fields across the country to make sure ISIS couldn’t get its hands on any of it would require a force bigger than the one the Bush administration sent to take over the country.
Presumably, Trump would have them stay until the oil runs out, which would entail an occupation running into decades. The total cost? Probably more than the value of the oil itself. The whole idea is beyond goofy. |
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