Iraq oil deal fuels a fight over spoils
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Re “Kurdish Oil Deal Shocks Iraq’s
Political Leaders,” Dec. 1
I do not understand modern American conservatism. At home, it promotes an “ownership society.” In Iraq, it endorses the Marxist notion that the means of oil production must remain in the hands of the Iraqi government, leaving unresolved whether control is left with the central or the regional governments.
The result is predictable: an ugly fight over Iraq’s vast oil wealth. There’s a better way. Put the means of oil production -- i.e., one share of stock in the Iraqi oil industry -- into the hands of individual Iraqi citizens. Fully privatize the Iraqi oil industry. Deflate this dangerous political football.
While many war critics are still obsessing on weapons of mass destruction (demonstrating a profound connection with reality -- as it was three years ago), we are witnessing Iraq tragically spiraling into a civil war. Unlike the Bush administration’s WMD blunder, we can still fix this one.
MIKE BINKLEY
Vice Chairman, L.A. County
Libertarian Party, Torrance
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