Reader response:

"This issue of Mr. George W. Bush and Israel connection with Iraq I have heard, but not quite sure of the relationship. My question [is] aren't we [the U.S.] in Iraq solely to control the region because of the OIL? [Isn't] the rest of the explanation of the U.S. being there just a smoke screen?"

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Did the U.S. fight the Iraq War for Israel?
Manuel Garcia, Jr.
9 December 2005

I agree the U.S. wants to control the sources of oil in Iraq and the Middle East. I believe that US support for Israel is based on the desire to have Israel as a strong "watchdog" close to the oil-fields, and with such a strong military (in particular the air force) that it can threaten any Middle East country, and thus make the oil-producing countries more likely to go along with US directions.

Because Israel is a favorite "pet" of the U.S. (some call it the U.S.'s largest aircraft carrier), I think the U.S. allows it to do much of what it wants, specifically steal Palestine. The theory by some, that the U.S. fought the Iraq War "for" Israel, is the idea that a weakened or "neutralized" Iraq would no longer be a source of funding and supply for groups wishing to attack Israel (and weaken the US watchdog).

If Israel were to invade Iraq directly, then it might draw other Muslim nations to join the fight against Israel, complicating the work of the Israeli air force quite a bit. Also, such an attack would be condemned by all other nations, probably forcing the U.S. to go along with the general condemnation. After all, everyone recalls that the U.S. made a big deal about Iraq invading Kuwait in 1991, so it would be hard to allow Israel to pull the same stunt.

But, if the U.S. could come up with a justification to invade Iraq then the result would be to eliminate a large source of the opposition to Israel (Iraq oil profits funding anti-Israel groups), which in turn would make Israel even stronger relative to its other enemies, Iran and Syria. Since this would make it less likely for many Middle East nations to fight a joint war against Israel (and certainly against a US invasion of Iraq), it would serve the initial purpose of keeping Israel as the strongest power in the region, and the constant threat to neighboring countries to do what the master of the watchdog wants.

This is the theory of "the U.S. fighting the Iraq War for Israel", so far as I can tell. If one believed that a US invasion of Iraq would be a "cakewalk," over quickly with little cost or casualties, then it would seem a very appealing idea to those who want to control the oil-fields. The problem is that though the invasion was easy, hanging onto Iraq has proved to be very hard and very costly, and so the U.S. is stuck in a disaster.

I tried to understand what the connection between Israel, Middle East oil and US policy were, and wrote my best guesses in an article

The Palestinians Versus The SUV,
10 May 2004
http://www.swans.com/library/art10/mgarci13.html

Maybe you will find this useful.

I believe that oil is the basic US interest, and most other "explanations" are smoke-screens. I happen to think that "Israel" is part of the method that the U.S. uses to exert control over that Middle East oil. And, I think Israel takes advantage of its "big boss" by using all the weapons it has been given, to also muscle the Palestinians. This is the same idea as a little hood using his power as an agent of a bigger mafioso, to shake down people in his neighborhood for his own profit; as long as the big boss gets what he wants, he winks at the "personal business" of his local "soldier".

As I learn more facts about the Middle East and US foreign policy, I may change some of these views, but given the facts I have read, my articles are my best "explanations" and guesses.