Politics vs Market

Resource Wars?
Posted by: robgregory on Tue, 03 Jun 08 02:25:57 +0000

"Politics Versus Market" is a scholarly look at the complex nature of conflicts and negotiations over resources. The resource needs of a growing power, China, is an excellent point of study, vis-a-vis other powers like Japan and the US. Some of the questions raised by this article are important concerns, including, "Are resource issues likely to end in war". The logic is excellent, mostly, however there are a number of highly questionable assertions by the author. For one, we are told that the war in Iraq is purely ideological because Bush truly despised Saddam as a tyrant. This is used as evidence that resource wars are not likely, and the Iraq war is not a resource war. Yet, there is also conflicting evidence that shows that Bush is more than willing to bend for tyrants (Saudi Arabia, Uzbekistan, etc.), but we are still to believe that Bush simply took us to war on this ideological basis alone, and not for the purpose of Iraqi oil. This is hardly the place for this debate, but I think assuming that this is not at all a resource war is highly questionable, considering all of the support to the contrary.