Deso Dogg gone

[Monty92]

What I’ve never understood is the “it’s all about oil” refrain, the insinuation being that the motive for wanting to control oil is purely financial greed, ignoring how it is massively important in shaping geopolitical power structures and therefore the security of the world.

Fair enough. That's your choice. However, you are essentially admitting that you're prepared to overlook horrific behaviours by all of those parties because you see that as the best way to play Realpolitik.

In other words: no-one gets to play the white hat here. There are no good guys and everyone's dirty as hell. Given which, moral posturing about us, the US or Israel being in bed with Saudi just won't stand up, I'm afraid.

[Burney]

What I’ve never understood is the “it’s all about oil” refrain, as if oil wasn’t massively important in shaping geopolitical power structures.

Yes. In a world that runs on oil, securing an oil supply is a really good reason to make alliances or go to war.

Mind you, I've been pointing this out to anti-war types since the first Gulf War, but they still seem to think 'No Blood For Oil' constitutes a good argument against interventions in the Middle East.