Accountability for Oil Wealth
Many people in the world have stated that the presence of the United States military in the Middle East is motivated by America’s need for oil. I have yet to hear one confirmed report that America, or any coalition country, has stolen such wealth from the Middle Eastern countries. Instead, America competes for its oil needs on the world market, often selling crude oil from its domestic wells to foreign companies in one part of the world while importing crude oil from foreign companies in others. That’s the way the global economy works.
Oil is a source of great wealth in the Middle East and much of the technology that enabled its production came from the United States. The peoples of the Middle East should be the greatest beneficiaries of their natural resources. In some cases, their standard of living has improved. In others, only the rich become richer leaving a vast lower class clueless as to why they are not receiving the benefit of their countries’ natural resources.
The United States cannot fix the way leaders of oil-rich countries distribute their wealth. In many documented cases, the vast fortunes of Middle Eastern leaders were reportedly gained via corruption and sleazy insider dealings. For example, it is reported that Iranian Ayatollah Ali Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani amassed a fortune that is the equivalent of $1.1 billion US dollars. Others in the Iranian government have reportedly amassed personal fortunes well in excess of $100 million. In addition, it has been documented that Saddam Hussein amassed the equivalent of $10-20 billion, Yasser Arafat amassed $4-6 billion, etc. In every documented case, this represents wealth that was stolen from their peoples.
Some of the good people of these lands are getting by on the equivalent of a few hundred dollars per year. Those fortunate enough to have high positions in government have been disproportionately rewarded for their contributions. The wealth of some has been lawfully gained through means not associated with their positions in government. However, the wealth of others was gained as a result of their positions in government. In democratic governments, this is known as conflict of interest, misconduct in office, or simply theft. Even if their government-related wealth was lawfully earned, annual incomes on the order of millions of dollars are excessive, and certainly ensure lifestyles far above those of the common people. Therefore, it is difficult to imagine why a government leader would want or need hundreds of millions or even billions of dollars.
Remember the multiple lavish palaces of Saddam Hussein? This was a personal lifestyle afforded Saddam at the expense of the good people of Iraq. They were built in addition to the billions of cash he had already siphoned from his country’s wealth. To put it into perspective, the cash alone came at a cost of about $500 US dollars for every man, woman, and child in Iraq. The palaces, infrastructure to support the palaces, and the incredible amount of war materials that went into protecting them cost the people of Iraq many times this figure.
So, although there are people who would like make oil the central issue of Middle Eastern problems, this is simply not the case. The better questions for them to ask are how wealthy are their government leaders and where did their wealth come from? If their wealth was wrongfully taken from their peoples, then start there. Stealing is forbidden by the Prophet in the Koran, so a more appropriate course of action is to hold their leaders accountable under the Sharia (Islamic law).
Oil is a source of great wealth in the Middle East and much of the technology that enabled its production came from the United States. The peoples of the Middle East should be the greatest beneficiaries of their natural resources. In some cases, their standard of living has improved. In others, only the rich become richer leaving a vast lower class clueless as to why they are not receiving the benefit of their countries’ natural resources.
The United States cannot fix the way leaders of oil-rich countries distribute their wealth. In many documented cases, the vast fortunes of Middle Eastern leaders were reportedly gained via corruption and sleazy insider dealings. For example, it is reported that Iranian Ayatollah Ali Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani amassed a fortune that is the equivalent of $1.1 billion US dollars. Others in the Iranian government have reportedly amassed personal fortunes well in excess of $100 million. In addition, it has been documented that Saddam Hussein amassed the equivalent of $10-20 billion, Yasser Arafat amassed $4-6 billion, etc. In every documented case, this represents wealth that was stolen from their peoples.
Some of the good people of these lands are getting by on the equivalent of a few hundred dollars per year. Those fortunate enough to have high positions in government have been disproportionately rewarded for their contributions. The wealth of some has been lawfully gained through means not associated with their positions in government. However, the wealth of others was gained as a result of their positions in government. In democratic governments, this is known as conflict of interest, misconduct in office, or simply theft. Even if their government-related wealth was lawfully earned, annual incomes on the order of millions of dollars are excessive, and certainly ensure lifestyles far above those of the common people. Therefore, it is difficult to imagine why a government leader would want or need hundreds of millions or even billions of dollars.
Remember the multiple lavish palaces of Saddam Hussein? This was a personal lifestyle afforded Saddam at the expense of the good people of Iraq. They were built in addition to the billions of cash he had already siphoned from his country’s wealth. To put it into perspective, the cash alone came at a cost of about $500 US dollars for every man, woman, and child in Iraq. The palaces, infrastructure to support the palaces, and the incredible amount of war materials that went into protecting them cost the people of Iraq many times this figure.
So, although there are people who would like make oil the central issue of Middle Eastern problems, this is simply not the case. The better questions for them to ask are how wealthy are their government leaders and where did their wealth come from? If their wealth was wrongfully taken from their peoples, then start there. Stealing is forbidden by the Prophet in the Koran, so a more appropriate course of action is to hold their leaders accountable under the Sharia (Islamic law).
