Opinion - Letters to the Editor   

War for oil

Sir, — The view expressed in the article `Iraq war and history' (June 3) that the perception that the control of Iraq's rich oil resources would eliminate any dependence the U.S. has on the Organisation of Petroleum Exporting Countries, and provide the only super power in the world near total energy security — "admittedly a conjecture"— has a flipside. Jimmy Carter, when U.S. President, said "energy crisis should be treated as the moral equivalent of war" and the decision was taken by the U.S. Government in 1980 during the Carter Administration to use military force, if necessary, to keep the West Asian oil supplies in friendly hands. A U.S. Rapid Deployment Military Force was then designed to enable the U.S. to fight in West Asia at short notice. U.S. arms sales to West Asian countries like Saudi Arabia, as also related diplomatic activities were designed to help pro-Western governments maintain control in key oil-producing countries.

K. John Mammen,
Thiruvananthapuram

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