Value of Oil in the Arab Revolt

WITH the current Arab revolution, the Western attitude in supporting the aims of the revolution was often assumed control of oil. Allegations that specifically filed against NATO military action in Libya today. Similar accusations had addressed to the U.S. and Britain when it invaded Iraq in 2003.

Indeed the allegations are questionable validity, although not entirely wrong.

Most of the Arab world's oil exports to the West, but still within the context of normal commercial transactions are mutually beneficial. Examples of cases, the Libyan oil. As many as 83 percent of Libyan oil exports in the era of Moammar Qaddafi exported to the Western world, with details of the 77 percent export to European countries and 6 percent to the U.S.. The rest were sent to China, Brazil and other countries.

The volume of Libyan oil exports to the Western world post-collapse Qaddafi certainly will not change. That is, the West has mastered the Libyan oil market, both on and if Qaddafi Qaddafi era collapsed.

If this logic, why should the West-in this case NATO struggled to beat the cost of the military machine Qaddafi only to oil. After all, the West has mastered the Libyan oil market on Qaddafi during this era.

In fact, Qaddafi offered for re-sale transactions are more profitable Western oil as long as he remains in power in Libya was given the opportunity. However, the West rejected the offer Qaddafi, and instead support the opposition (the National Council of Transition / TNCs) based in Benghazi.

Still another example is Iraq's oil. When the Iraqi Government tenders opened 11 investment projects in the oil sector in early 2009, most companies that won tenders in fact not from the West, but from China, Turkey, Russia, Japan, Korea, and Malaysia.

The Iraqi government also gain a greater advantage in the transaction than the benefits achieved the Government of Iraq in the Saddam Hussein era.

In addition, the transaction Iraqi government and oil companies was conducted in an open and transparent, with direct broadcast by electronic media. Unlike oil investment deal in the era of Saddam Hussein which is always held in private because it is considered part of national security.

If the U.S. and UK action to overthrow Saddam Hussein simply for the purpose of oil control completely, then failed to achieve that goal.

In fact, the U.S. failed to suppress political forces in Iraq to approve a deal of foreign exchange from oil-sharing mechanism between central and provincial governments. Some political forces in Iraq are still suspicious of any foreign parties who will take advantage of those opportunities if the deal is approved foreign exchange division.

In the era of President George W Bush, in fact there is an extreme of the Republican senator who asked President Bush for the direct control of oil wells in Iraq after the U.S. toppled Saddam Hussein's regime in 2003. However, President Bush rejected the request.

Classic Policy

However, it does not mean the U.S. and the West completely ignores the strategic value of oil. In classic U.S. and Western policy in the Middle East is known to rely on two things sacred that should be protected no matter how expensive the price to be paid, namely the security of Israel and oil.

In the context of the oil issue, the U.S. and the West chose not to directly control the oil wells as the colonial era first, but it rests on the realization of two things. First, security of supply current oil export without any problems with the rational pricing of Middle Eastern to Western markets. Second, the safe wells from the control or direct influence of international forces or regional anti-Western.

Two things the West has enjoyed in full on during this era of dictatorship, but not necessarily in the era of democracy later.

This is part of the West support the goals of their struggle desperately Arab revolution could no longer dammed, which remains the realization of these two things in the era of democracy later. From here, we can understand why President Barack Obama in a speech on Thursday last week emphasized strongly supports the Arab revolution.