In a recent (January 10th) article in Counterpunch, "The Profits of Escalation: Why the US is Not Leaving Iraq," Ismael Hossein-Zadeh exposes the economic interests, beyond oil, that are driving escalation in Iraq. Some highlights:
Read the full article in Counterpunch.
Meanwhile, the New York Times has recently covered the other side of this profiteering: the shuttering of state-owned industries. Referring to Iraq as "a country that looters have ravaged since 2003"—a phrase that takes on a different meaning in light of Hossein-Zadeh's article—James Glanz of the Times recounts the "insistence by the initial American occupation authority that once [state-owned factories were] closed, vibrant free markets would spring into existence to fill the void," and Iraqis' recent efforts to re-open the factories. Click here (or see below) for the full text of the article. See also early coverage by Dollars & Sense on profiteering in Iraq and the role of oil.