The history of the modern state of Iraq can be traced back to end the of World War I, when the British completed their conquest of the territory formerly under control of the Ottoman Empire. British occupation forces established a civil administration to govern the tribes of the region and began to construct a central government in Baghdad which would form the political foundation of Iraq as it is known today.
Iraqi acceptance of British rule was short-lived. By 1920 a major uprising spurred British authorities to devise a way to rule the country in a more discreet, cost-effective manner. World War I had exhausted the British public’s tolerance for war as well as the nation’s finances and the Iraqi uprising had generated significant domestic opposition to a continued military occupation. The government’s solution was to withdraw the vast majority of military forces from Iraq and establish an Iraqi monarchy with a British shadow government pulling the strings from behind the scenes.
Throughout this time, up until the monarchy was overthrown by a group of Iraqi officers in 1958, the British effectively controlled Iraq’s military and dictated its foreign and economic policies. Though the system seemed to work reasonably well for the imperial power for several decades, Iraqi resentment of foreign control over their internal affairs led to the 1958 revolution and a series of subsequent coups until the rise of the Ba’th party in 1968.
One of the major causes of Iraqi resentment toward the British was their control of the country’s oil resources. Under the Iraqi monarchy, British and other foreign oil companies extracted exploitive concessions which enabled them to determine how much of Iraq’s oil would be produced and exported, which countries it would be sold to, and how much it would be sold for. The oil companies made these decisions with little regard for the needs or aspirations of the people whose resources they were profiting from. As oil began to comprise a more substantial percentage of Iraq’s GDP and national budget, frustration over this situation intensified due to the nation’s inability to break free of their economic dependence.
In 1972 the Iraqi government made the bold decision to nationalize the country’s oil, provoking the ire of foreign investors and their respective governments. The move was universally popular among Iraqis and the successful development of an oil industry independent of foreign control has been a deep source of national pride ever since.
The Iraqi oil industry has remained under national control and almost entirely barred from foreign investment until today. Economic difficulties, combined with pressure from the U.S. government, have compelled Iraqi officials to revisit their predecessors’ historic move toward national self-determination. Ongoing debates over a national oil law and related negotiations with international oil companies have drawn in members of the Iraqi parliament, oil company managers and union leaders, and militants, all of whom share an interest in preserving Iraq’s hard-won national sovereignty.
American citizens ought to keep a watchful eye on the negotiations for several reasons. Both our troops and the Iraqi people have sacrificed a great deal to bring stability to the country and plant the seeds of representative government and human rights there. After decades of foreign intrigue, violent coups, brutal dictatorships, war and occupation, the psychological damage to the nation will take time to heal. A devolution back to foreign economic control will only derail that process, very likely leading to a repeat of the country’s history of political instability and brutal governance.
Iraq’s sovereignty is key to its stability. This, in turn, is critical to America’s security. A proactive citizen approach to relations between American oil companies and Iraq- and in particular the role of our government in this area-is essential to ensuring that the sacrifices of our troops and the Iraqi people are honored.
T.J. Buonomo
Michael Eisenscher