This page compiles a variety of information on the Iraq Oil Law in the following order: 1) broad press coverage,
2) Peace Groups deliver letter to Democratic Leadership in Opposition to the Law,
3) Nobel Peace Prize Recipients Oppose Iraq Oil Law,
4) the text of the most current draft,
5) articles written by Antonia on the Law,
6) interviews with Antonia on the Law,
5) information on what you can do to take action, and
6) websites and additional information.


Updated News Coverage of Oil Law

Gazprom consortium to invest $2 bln. in Iraq
Maktoob.com, December 16, 2009
A consortium led by Russian oil firm Gazprom Neft will invest $2 billion in developing the Iraqi oilfield it won on a weekend auction and expects to pump the first crude from Badrah within three years.

Iraq, Shell ink initial deal on oil field
Muhanad Mohammed, Maktoob.com, December 20, 2009
A group led by Royal Dutch Shell, Europe's largest oil company, signed a deal to develop Iraq's Majnoon supergiant oilfield, pledging to spend tens of billions of dollars on the project over the next two decades.

Surprises aplenty in selloff
Robert M. Cutler, Asia Times Online, December 16, 2009
The distinguishing feature of Iraq's auction of oil rights this weekend is the relative absence of American companies, in contrast to five weeks ago, when US firm ExxonMobil and Anglo-Dutch Shell signed an agreement to develop the West Qurna Phase 1 field.

Details on bidding for Iraqi oilfields
Reuters, December 13, 2009
The fields could triple current production. When the deals that were awarded after the first auction in June are included, capacity could reach 12 million barrels per day (bpd) from a current 2.5 million bpd.

Iraq to auction oil fields in bid to become major oil producer
Prashant Rao, AFP, December 9, 2009
Major oil firms will converge on Baghdad on Friday for an auction of 10 oil fields as Iraq bids to ramp up output dramatically and become one of the world's biggest oil producers.

Pickens says U.S. firms 'entitled' to Iraqi Oil.
Tom Doggett, Reuters, October 22, 2009
Oil tycoon T. Boone Pickens told Congress on Wednesday that U.S. energy companies are "entitled" to some of Iraq's crude because of the large number of American troops that lost their lives fighting in the country and the U.S. taxpayer money spent.

Oil Troubles Won't Last Forever.
Ben Lando, Iraq Oil Report, October 21, 2009
Disputes over how to manage Iraq’s oil sector, and who gets to call the shots, have plateaued at a tense level for the past three years, but the top oil adviser to Iraq’s prime minister is optimistic agreements will be made after January’s national elections.

Washington Plays Host to Iraqis In Search of Investment.
Gina Chon, Wall Street Journal, October 20, 2009
The Iraqi government, backed by the Obama administration, kicks off its biggest post-Saddam investment roadshow in Washington Tuesday, to convince American businesses to join the country's reconstruction efforts.

Big companies getting close to big Iraq oil fields.
Ben Lando, Iraq Oil Report, October 20, 2009
A half dozen major international oil companies are close to deals with Iraq, on the heels of BP and the Chinese National Petroleum Corp., which are one step away from receiving the first new oil contract issued by Baghdad – for the largest oil field in the country.

Meetings move Iraq closer to next oil field auction.
Ben Lando, Iraq Oil Report, October 20, 2009
Representatives from 44 of the world’s largest oil companies have concluded two-day meetings here with the Iraqi Oil Ministry, hashing out a rough draft of the contract on which the companies will base their bids for 10 oil projects in December.

Iraq to Hold Second Oil Bid Round by Mid-December.
Firat Kayakiran and Ayesha Daya, Bloomberg News, August 25, 2009
Iraq, which pre-qualified about 45 companies to bid on oil projects, plans to award contracts for the six partly developed and four undeveloped fields offered in its second licensing round by mid-December.

Iraq Proposes Better Terms For Second Oil Bid Round.
Hassan Hafidh, Dow Jones Newswires, August 25, 2009
Iraq has proposed better terms for contracts in its second oil bidding round than the previous one, Iraqi oil officials and executives from companies involved in talks on the deals said Tuesday.

Iraq is gearing up for a second auction of oil fields in November.
Ben Lando, Iraq Oil Report, August 19, 2009
Iraq is gearing up for a second auction of oil fields in November, and it’s tying up loose ends on projects aimed at increasing production and exports from the world’s third largest oil reserves.

Iraq's Weakened Unions Fight Foreign Oil Firms.
Aref Mohammed, Reuters, July 14, 2009

Statement by Federation of Oil Unions in Iraq Against Latest Bidding Round.
June 26, 2009
Statement from the Federation of Oil Unions in Iraq (IFOU) in opposition to the new bidding round with foreign corporations to award 20 year contracts for development of Iraqi oil fields.

Big Oil Poised for Return to Iraq.
Sinan Salaheddin, The Associated Press, June 25, 2009
More than three decades after they were booted from the country by Saddam Hussein, international oil companies are poised for a return to Iraq where next week they will bid for a slice of the country's vast crude reserves.

Big Oil Ready for big Gamble in Iraq.
Gina Chon, The Wall Street Journal, June 24, 2009
Next week, Iraqi officials plan a welcome-back party for Big Oil.

Iraqi oil workers demand bid round cancellation.
Hassan Hafidh, Dow Jones Newswire, June 22, 2009
The oil workers' union in the oil hub province of Basra in southern Iraq Monday demanded the government cancel the country's upcoming auction of contracts to develop oil fields.

Iraq's Basra ready for "best year in decades": aid boss.
Arthur MacMillan, Agence France Press, March 1, 2009
This year should be oil-rich Basra's best in decades, with foreign companies queuing up to invest there as long as Iraq's government lets them, the province's reconstruction boss told AFP.

New Urgency to Get to Iraq's Oil.
The Associated Press, February 27, 2009
International companies have waited years to tap into Iraq's vast oil wealth and now Iraqi officials are working feverishly to make that happen.

Iraq Eases Terms for Oil Projects.
Carola Hoyos, The Financial Times, February 26, 2009
Iraq has sweetened the terms it is offering international oil companies vying to develop the country’s reserves in the first concrete example of a global shift in power beginning to sweep through the oil industry.

Iraq Opens Nearly 90% of its Oil Reserves to Foreign Bidders.
Sinan Salaheddin, The Associated Press, January 2, 2009
Iraq, the holder of the world's third-largest oil reserves, has opened nearly 90 percent of its reserves to international oil companies for development in two major bidding rounds this year as the war-plagued country tries to raise money amid falling oil prices.

Iraq Opens Oil Fields to Global Bidding
Sudarsan Raghavan and Steven Mufson, The Washington Post, July 1, 2008
Iraq's government invited foreign firms Monday to help boost the production of the country's major oil fields, beginning a global competition for access to the world's third-largest reserves.

U.S. Advised Iraqi Ministry on Oil Deals
Andrew Kramer, The New York Times, June 30, 2008
A group of American advisers led by a small State Department team played an integral part in drawing up contracts between the Iraqi government and five major Western oil companies to develop some of the largest fields in Iraq, American officials say.

Iraq Should Invest in Exiled Oil Workers
Benoit Faucon, Dow Jones Newswires, June 26, 2008
Iraq should invest in the return of exiled oil workers instead of signing deals with foreign companies, a long-term campaigner said Thursday. Critics of Iraq's decision to bring majors in the Arab country are stepping up their campaign as it plans next week to announce the first oil contracts since Saddam Hussein was toppled in 2003.

May 28th Action: Iraqi Oil Workers Tell Chevron "Hands Off Iraq"
In a letter to Chevron executives and shareholders (and to ExxonMobil, who meet the same day), Iraqi Oil Workers Unions call on Chevron to end the occupation and stop pushing for the Iraq Oil Theft Law. This message will be delivered by antiwar and labor organizers as part of an alliance of environmental justice, human rights and international solidarity groups converge on Chevrons annual shareholder meeting, Wednesday May 28, at 7am at Chevrons Corporate headquarters in San Ramon. Click here to see their letter.

Chevron Reportedly In Talk to Tap Iraq's Oil
David Baker, San Francisco Chronicle, March 25, 2008
Chevron Corp. and other international oil companies are negotiating with the Iraq Ministry of Oil to begin tapping into some of the country's largest oil fields, according to published reports. Specifically, the companies are negotiating for two-year contracts that would help Iraq boost production at existing oil fields.

Oil Giants Poised to Move Into Basra
David Smith, Guardian UK, February 24, 2008
Western oil giants are poised to enter southern Iraq to tap the country's vast reserves, despite the ongoing threat of violence, according to British Prime Minister Gordon Brown's business emissary to the country.

U.S. Envoy, After Tour of Iraq, Seeks End to Political Impasse
Karen DeYoung, The Washington Post, December 2, 2007
The Bush administration, concerned that recent security gains in Iraq may be undermined by continuing political gridlock, is pushing the Iraqi government to complete long-delayed reform legislation within six months.

Commerce Seeks Adviser for Iraq Oil Interests
Walter Pincus, The Washington Post, September 10, 2007
The United States is getting ready now for the Iraqi government to get its house in order and pass a detailed law that will govern the future handling of its vast oil fields, which contain the world's third-largest proven petroleum reserves.

Iraq to Issue Licensing Round Soon After Oil Law Passed
Kate Dourian, Platts, September 3, 2007
Iraq will issue an international licensing round immediately after parliament passes a hydrocarbon law with plans to offer 10 to 15 oilfields for development and open up between three and five blocks for exploration, Iraqi oil officials said Monday.

Iraq Leftists Protest Key Oil Bill
Agence France-Presse, September 1, 2007
Dozens of Iraqis protested in central Baghdad on Saturday against the expected debate in parliament later this month of a draft oil law Washington deems a cornerstone of reconciliation efforts. The demonstration was called by left-wing groups opposed to moves to open up Iraq's oil and gas sector to Western firms in the same bill that aims to reassure Sunnis that earnings will be fairly shared among the country's divided communities.

What Is Holding Up the Delivery of the Long-Awaited Iraqi Oil Law?
Munir Chalabi, ZNet, August 22, 2007
As deadline after deadline and benchmark after benchmark passes and with all the pressure imposed by the IMF, the US Administration, the US oil lobby and International Oil Companies (IOCs) on the Iraqi government, the oil law, against all the odds, refuses to be born.

Iraq says LUKoil will get a fair shake
Anna Smolchenko, Moscow Times, August 9, 2007
Iraq's oil minister arrived in Moscow late Wednesday for talks with Industry and Energy Minister Viktor Khristenko and senior oil executives and said he would offer new terms for Russian companies seeking to work in the war-torn country.

Good news from Baghdad at last: the oil law has stalled
Jonathan Steele, Guardian Unlimited, August 3, 2007
Glad tidings from Baghdad at last. The Iraqi parliament has gone into summer recess without passing the oil law that Washington was pressing it to adopt. For the Bush administration this is irritating, since passage of the law was billed as a "benchmark" in its battle to get Congress not to set a timetable for US troop withdrawals. The political hoops through which the government of Nouri al-Maliki has been asked to jump were meant to be a companion piece to the US "surge". Just as General David Petraeus, the current US commander, is due to give his report on military progress next month, George Bush is supposed to tell Congress in mid-September how the Maliki government is moving forward on reform.

U.S. Steel Workers Union appeals to House & Senate on Iraq War
Leo W. Gerard, President of U.S. Steel Workers Union, July 31, 2007
I am writing to alert you to two important issues connected with the ongoing occupation and war in Iraq. Though not widely discussed in the U.S., these issues are central to the challenges faced by the Iraqi people. They concern the viability of the Iraqi labor movement and the fate of Iraq’s oil.

108 Iraq Experts Call For Oil Law Change
Ben Lando, UPI, July 17, 2007
More than 100 Iraqi oil, economic and legal experts sent a letter to Iraq's Parliament urging it to consider their critique of the draft oil law. A senior Iraqi government official was also given a copy and agreed with the technocrats' assessment.

Open Letter to Iraqi Parliament on Hydrocarbon Law
108 Iraqi oil professionals, legal and financial experts, Middle East Economic Survey, July 16, 2007
During the last six months, public opinion, including us (oil experts and men of law and economics), have been occupied with the procedures and developments accompanying the oil and gas law. Many symposiums were held, the most important of which was that by oil experts in ?Amman on 17 February 2007 which produced a number of comments and recommendations that were presented at the time to your council.

Translation of the Statement issued by the General Federation of Iraqi Workers (GFIW) on the draft Oil and Gas Law
GFIW, Tareeq al-Shaab, July 10, 2007
Iraq is rich with a variety of natural resources, in the forefront of which is the enormous oil wealth, that is the real nerve centre of the political and economic life of both Iraq and the world.

Iraqi Lawmaker Quits Energy Panel Over Oil Law
Reuters, July 7, 2007
A member of Iraq's parliamentary energy committee quit on Saturday in protest over a draft oil law, which Washington hopes will help ease violence between Iraq's warring Shi'ite and Sunni Arabs.

Democracy Now! covers Iraqi commentary on the proposed Oil Law
Amy Goodman and Juan Gonzales, Democracy Now!, July 6, 2007
As the Iraqi cabinet approves part of a controversial oil law, we speak with Faleh Abood Umara, the general secretary of the Federation of Oil Unions and a founding member of the oil workers union in Iraq. He calls on Iraqi lawmakers to reject the legislation. We also speak with Hashmeya Muhsin Hussein, president of the Electrical Utility Workers Union and the first woman to head a national union in Iraq.

Australia in political brawl over Iraq oil interest
Nick Squires, UK Telegraph, July 5, 2007
Australia was embroiled in an intense political brawl today after its defence minister said that access to Iraq’s oil was a key reason for keeping troops there. The admission embarrassed John Howard, the prime minister, and was at sharp odds with the government’s insistence that oil was not a reason for invading Iraq in 2003 or for stationing soldiers there since.

Analysis: U.S. Ignorant On Iraq Oil Law
Ben Lando, UPI, June 14, 2007
A military leader fresh from Iraq is the latest U.S. government official to push a common but false claim that the controversial draft oil law will lead to a just division of the proceeds from oil sales and pave the way for reconciliation in the war-torn nation.

San Francisco Labor Council Resolution Denounces the Proposed Iraqi Oil Law
Tim Paulson, San Francisco Labor Council, May 14, 2007
WHEREAS, in the opening days of the 2003 Iraq invasion, US soldiers were ordered to protect the Oil Ministry, oil fields and refineries while wholesale looting of Iraq's antiquities unfolded. The message to Iraqis was clear: "We've come for the oil." There were no weapons of mass destruction. Rather than democracy, the US brought massive destruction and civil war to Iraq...

Iraqis Resist U.S. Pressure to Enact Oil Law
Tina Susman, Los Angeles Times, May 13, 2007
It has not even reached parliament, but the oil law that U.S. officials call vital to ending Iraq's civil war is in serious trouble among Iraqi lawmakers, many of whom see it as a sloppy document rushed forward to satisfy Washington's clock. Opposition ranges from vehement to measured, but two things are clear: The May deadline that the White House had been banking on is in doubt. And even if the law is passed, it fails to resolve key issues, including how to divide Iraq's oil revenue among its Shiite, Kurdish and Sunni regions, and how much foreign investment to allow. Those questions would be put off for future debates.

Kucinich on Supplemental: It's About Oil
Dennis Kucinich's Office, May 11, 2007
Congressman Dennis Kucinich (D-OH) released the following statement after the passage of the U.S. Troop Readiness, Veterans' Care, Katrina Recovery, and Iraq Accountability Appropriations Act of 2007: "There has been a broad deception about the content of the hydrocarbon law, a deception which has taken in members of Congress and the media. Misdescribed tactically as a revenue sharing plan, it is in fact a radical plan to privatize Iraq's oil.

Analysis: Iraq Funding Bill too Oily
Ben Lando, United Press International, May 11, 2007
A new measure to fund the Iraq war has run into opposition from congressional Democrats who say it does not offer enough provisions to keep the United States away from Iraq's oil. "We have to be concerned that the oil in Iraq belongs to the Iraqi people," said Rep. Lynn Woolsey, D-Calif. "It's absolutely that simple."

Pelosi's New Iraq Supplemental Is Outright Colonial Robbery
Matt Taibbi, AlterNet, May 9, 2007
There is a growing number of people out there who believe the Reid-Pelosi Iraq war supplemental is a gigantic crock of shit, and who think the Democratic Party leadership should now officially be labeled conspirators in the war effort. I've even seen it suggested that Reid and Pelosi should now be sent official "certificates of war ownership," to formally put them in a club with Bush, Cheney, Richard Perle and the rest of the actual war authors.

Fight Rages Over Iraq Oil Law
Ben Lando, United Press International, April 28, 2007
Discussions turned contentious among the more than 60 Iraqi oil officials reviewing Iraq's draft hydrocarbons bill last week in the United Arab Emirates. But the dispute highlighted the need for further negotiations on the proposed law that was stalled in talks for nearly eight months, then pushed through Iraq's Cabinet without most key provisions.

Our Man in Iraq
Daphne Eviatar, American Lawyer, April 25, 2007
This month, the Iraqi parliament is expected to vote on a new oil law. Assuming that the government doesn't dissolve amid the chaos, the new law will determine how the country's highly coveted natural resource will be exploited for decades to come—and who's likely to reap the profits. It will also influence when U.S. troops leave Iraq, since it's one of the key benchmarks set by the Bush administration.

Some Iraqi Politicians Urge Rejection of Draft Oil Law
Hassan Hafidh, Dow Jones Newswires, March 10, 2007
Prominent Iraqi parliamentarians, politicians, ex-ministers and oil technocrats urged the Baghdad parliament to reject Iraq's controversial hydrocarbon law, fearing that the new legislation would further divide the country already witnessing civil strife.

New Oil Law Seen as Cover for Privatisation
Emad Mekay, Inter Press Service, February 27, 2007
The U.S.-backed Iraqi cabinet approved a new oil law Monday that is set to give foreign companies the long-term contracts and safe legal framework they have been waiting for, but which has rattled labour unions and international campaigners who say oil production should remain in the hands of Iraqis.

Iraq Maps Strategy to Revive Oil Fields
Christian Berthelson and Tina Susman, Los Angeles Times, February 26, 2007
After months of contentious negotiations over the postwar spoils of Iraq's most valuable natural resource, the government announced Monday night that it had approved a draft plan to ramp up oil production and share the proceeds.

Oily Truth Emerges in Iraq
Juan Gonzalez, New York Daily News, February 20, 2007
Throughout nearly four years of the daily mayhem and carnage in Iraq, President Bush and his aides in the White House have scoffed at even the slightest suggestion that the U.S. military occupation has anything to do with oil.

Draft Law Keeps Central Control Over Oil in Iraq
James Glanz, New York Times, January 19, 2007
After months of tense bargaining, a cabinet-level committee has produced a draft law governing Iraq's vast oil fields that would distribute all revenues through the federal government and grant Baghdad wide powers in exploration, development and awarding major international contracts.

Iraqi Leaders Agree Draft Oil Law
Reuters, January 17, 2007
Iraqi officials have agreed a final draft of a law that sets rules for sharing Iraq's oil wealth and aims to bring in billions of dollars of foreign investment to rebuild the mainstay of the economy.

Iraqis Will Never Accept This Sellout to the Oil Corporations
Kamil Mahdi, The Guardian UK, January 16, 2007
Today Iraq remains under occupation, and the gulf between those who profess to rule and those who are ruled is filled with blood. The government is beholden to the occupation forces that are responsible for a humanitarian catastrophe and a political impasse.

Leading Article: The Oil Rush
UK Independent, January 7, 2007
"The oil can is mightier than the sword," said the 19th-century US Senator Everett Dirksen. Nowhere does this seem more true than in contemporary Iraq where, despite widespread despair about the war's costs in terms of blood and treasure, US corporations look set to be some of the conflict's few winners. The announcement that the Iraqi government is planning to change its constitution to allow foreign extraction of oil will give Western companies access to the world's third largest oil reserves.

Blood and Oil: How the West Will Profit From Iraq's Most Precious Commodity UK Independent, January 7, 2007 The 'IoS' today reveals a draft for a new law that would give Western oil companies a massive share in the third largest reserves in the world. To the victors, the oil? That is how some experts view this unprecedented arrangement with a major Middle East oil producer that guarantees investors huge profits for the next 30 years.

Future of Iraq: The Spoils of War Danny Fortson,
Andrew Murray-Watson, and Tim Webb, UK Independent, January 7, 2007 Iraq's massive oil reserves, the third-largest in the world, are about to be thrown open for large-scale exploitation by Western oil companies under a controversial law which is expected to come before the Iraqi parliament within days.

Iraqi Trade Union Statement on the Oil Law
Iraqi Labor Union Leadership, CarbonWeb, December 14, 2006
Iraq is rich in natural wealth, foremost among which is its oil wealth, the essence of the economic life for Iraq and the world, which has been the focus of attention of the large industrialized countries in particular. The British and American oil companies were the first to obtain the concession to extract and invest Iraqi oil, nearly 80 years ago. After Iraq got rid of this octopus network, these foreign oil companies have again attempted to dominate this important oil wealth, under numerous pretexts and invalid excuses. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Peace Groups deliver letter to Democratic Leadership in Opposition to the Iraq Oil Law Click HERE to read the letter. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- NOBEL PEACE PRIZE RECIPIENTS AND CONCERNED PEOPLE OF THE WORLD SIGN ON STATEMENT IN OPPOSITION TO THE IRAQ OIL LAW In support of the people of Iraq, we the undersigned Nobel Peace Prize Laureates, state our opposition to the Iraq Oil Law. We also oppose the decision of the United States government to require that the Iraq government pass the Oil Law as a condition of continued reconstruction aid in legislation passed on May 24, 2007. A law with the potential to so radically transform the basic economic security of the people of Iraq should not be forced on Iraq while it is under occupation and in such a weak negotiating position vis-à-vis both the U.S. government and foreign oil corporations. The Iraq Oil Law could benefit foreign oil companies at the expense of the Iraqi people, deny the Iraqi people economic security, create greater instability, and move the country further away from peace. The U.S. government should leave the matter of how Iraq will address the future of its oil system to the Iraqi people to be dealt with at a time when they are free from occupation and more able to engage in truly democratic decision-making. It is immoral and illegal to use war and invasion as mechanisms for robbing a people of their vital natural resources.

Signed by
Betty Williams - Ireland Nobel Peace Prize Recipient 1976
Mairead Corrigan Maguire - Ireland Nobel Peace Prize Recipient 1976
Rigoberta Menchu Tum - Guatemala Nobel Peace Prize Recipient 1992
Prof. Jody Williams - USA Nobel Peace Prize Recipient 1997
Dr. Shirin Ebadi - Iran Nobel Peace Prize Recipient 2003
Prof. Wangari Maathai - Kenya Nobel Peace Prize Recipient 2004

Also signed by:
Yanar Mohammed – Iraq Organization of Women's Freedom in Iraq
Antonia Juhasz - USA Oil Change International ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Nobel Peace Prize Recipients Oppose Iraq Oil Law A statement in opposition to the Iraq Oil Law signed by six recipients of the Nobel Peace Prize.

Click HERE to read a translated copy of the signed statement in Arabic.
Click HERE to go to the Nobel Women's Initiative action page.
Click HERE to read a letter from Representative Jim McDermott of Washington State to his House colleagues concerning the Nobel Statement. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Iraqi Oil and Gas Law February 2007 Draft Kurdistan Regional Government, March 2, 2007 Read the entire text of the Iraqi Oil and Gas Law, as submitted to the Iraqi parliament. This version was prepared by the Council of Ministers on the Iraqi Oil and Energy Committee. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Articles by Antonia

Did Big Oil Win the Iraq War?
Alternet.org, November 14, 2009

Big Oil's Last Stand
Foreign Policy in Focus, October 22, 2008

Benchmark Boogie: A Guide to the Struggle Over Iraq's Oil.
Alternet.org, July 14, 2007

Whose Oil Is It, Anyway?
New York Times, March 13, 2007
Until about 35 years ago, the world’s oil was largely in the hands of seven corporations based in the United States and Europe. Those seven have since merged into four: ExxonMobil, Chevron, Shell and BP. They are among the world’s largest and most powerful financial empires. But ever since they lost their exclusive control of the oil to the governments, the companies have been trying to get it back.

Are U.S. Oil Companies Going to "Win" the War in Iraq?
The Huffington Post, March 1, 2007
Remember oil? That resource we didn't go to war for in Iraq? Well, you'll have a tough time convincing anyone in Iraq of this particular claim if a new oil law set to go before the Iraqi Parliament within weeks (or even days) becomes the law of the land.

Oil Grab in Iraq
Foreign Policy in Focus, February 22, 2007
While debate rages in the United States about the military in Iraq, an equally important decision is being made inside of Iraq--the future of Iraq’s oil. A new Iraqi law proposes to open the country’s currently nationalized oil system to foreign corporate control. But emblematic of the flawed promotion of “democracy” by the Bush administration, this new law is news to most Iraqi politicians.

U.S. Oil About to "Win" Iraq War
Minutemanmedia.org, February 14, 2007
As Members of Congress struggle to even begin to debate the war in Iraq, U.S. oil corporations move steadily closer to victory. The Iraqi government is considering a new national oil law which, if passed, would grant U.S. oil companies that which they have always wanted but have thus far been denied: access to and control of Iraq’s oil under the ground.

New Oil Law to go Before Iraqi Cabinet
TomPaine.com, January 19, 2007
For more than four years, the Bush administration and its oil company cohorts have worked toward the passage of a new oil law for Iraq that would turn its nationalized oil system over to private foreign corporate control.

Spoils of War: Oil, The U.S.-Middle East Free Trade Area, and The Bush Agenda
In These Times, December 19, 2006
Cover article by Antonia provides the latest information on the status of the The Bush Agenda in Iraq and the Middle East.

It's Still About Oil In Iraq
Los Angeles Times, December 18, 2006
A centerpiece of the Iraq Study Group's report is its advocacy for securing foreign companies' long-term access to Iraqi oil fields.

Oil for Sale: Iraq Study Group Recommends Privatization
AlterNet, December 12, 2006
The Iraq Study Group may not have a solution for how to end the war, but it does have a way for its corporate friends to make money.

Are U.S. Corporations Going to "Win" the War in Iraq?
GregPalast.com, October 26, 2006

Bush's Ace in the Hole in Iraq?
The Huffington Post, May 23, 2006
Antonia discusses the importance of Iraqi vice president Adel Abdul Mahdi to the economic goals of the Bush Administration.

Iraq's Oil Timeline
Left Turn Magazine, May 1, 2006
Amid all the talk of training Iraqi soldiers, heading off a civil war, and protecting Iraq's fledging democracy, one overriding agenda has been ignored in the debate over the time-table for bringing US troops home: President Bush will not withdraw US forces until US oil companies have secure access to Iraq's oil.

In Iraq, 'it's the oil, stupid'
Topeka Capital Journal, January 21, 2006
Op-Ed written by Antonia for MinutemanMedia.org, picked up by the Topeka Capital-Journal, in which Antonia discusses the Bush administration's oil agenda in Iraq.

Bush's Economic Invasion of Iraq
Los Angeles Times, August 14, 2005
Constitutional drafting process appears unlikely to slow the march of U.S. corporations into Baghdad, at the expense of Iraqi self-determination.

Of Oil and Elections
AlterNet, January 27, 2005
Remember when we used to talk about how the war in Iraq was about oil? Remember the banners that read "No blood for oil?" Oil has fallen out of the discussion lately, but it's time to bring it back in light of the Iraqi elections scheduled for this Sunday. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Interviews with Antonia

Interview about Iraq Oil Contracts
KPFK, November 20, 2009
Antonia speaks with KPFK in Los Angeles about Iraq Oil Contracts. Oil companies are making negotiations under the radar in Iraq. Terms are being discussed in a non-transparent manner. They could wind up locking our military presence in Iraq for a much longer time. Antonia speaks about the resistance movement within Iraqi parliament and social movements.

Iraq Opens Oil Fields to Global Bidding
The Washington Post, July 1, 2008
Iraq's government invited foreign firms Monday to help boost the production of the country's major oil fields, beginning a global competition for access to the world's third-largest reserves.

Mission: Iraqi Oil
The Multinational Monitor, Jan/Feb 2007, December 21, 2007
"So, oil is about a lot of things. And all of those things, I believe, were in the forefront of the minds of the Bush administration officials as they entered office and made plans for war against Iraq, and for how they were going to replace Saddam Hussein’s government."

Iraqi Oil
The Diane Rehm Show, WAMU 88.5 FM, April 26, 2007
Iraqi politicians are struggling to spell out new rules for managing and sharing their country's massive oil reserves - an agreement deemed crucial to Iraq's economic survival. Different views on what this oil legislation may mean for regional, national, and international interests.

Iraq Cabinet Approves Draft Oil Law
Mark Matthews, ABC 7 News, February 28, 2007
Antonia Juhasz: "It seems highly unlikely that it's to the long-term benefit of the Iraqis to turn over production and control to foreign oil companies."

Radio Interview on KCRW's "To The Point"
Warren Olney, KCRW Radio, February 27, 2007
Kurds, Sunnis and Shiites agreed yesterday on a new law that would divide Iraq's oil revenues based on population. Since the proven reserves are in the Kurdish North and the Shiite South, the deal is seen as a concession to Sunnis, who are concentrated in the central part of the county. The Bush White House calls it the "key linchpin" to the nation's recovery and it's hoped the Iraqi Parliament will pass it in the next month.

Radio4All Interview on "The Stand"
The Stand Independent News Service, February 22, 2007
Antonia discusses the leaked document on a proposed law for Iraqi Oil control.

Democracy Now! Interview
Amy Goodman, February 20, 2007
Antonia discusses the implications of Iraq's pending oil law.

Radio Interview on KCRW's "To The Point"
Warren Olney, KCRW Radio, January 23, 2007
Antonia and T. Christian Miller of the Los Angeles Times discuss Iraq's Oil on this nationally syndicated NPR program, hosted by Warren Olney.

CounterSpin Interview
Fairness and Accuracy in Reporting (FAIR), December 22, 2006
If you wanted to be dismissed by elite pundits and reporters before the Iraq War began, all you had to do was mention oil. Suggesting that Iraq's massive petroleum reserves had anything at all to do with US interest in regime change was a good way to get branded a kook or conspiracy theorist, at best. But years later, Iraq's oil is still coming up convesations about the Iraq War. Are the media finally catching up with this story, or not?

Marketplace Interview on National Public Radio
Lisa Napoli, Marketplace, December 21, 2006
Antonia Juhasz: The problem with the law is how it has come about. The intense external pressure that the Iraqi government is under to pass it and the potential and most likely beneficiaries of the law, which are foreign — namely U.S. and some British oil companies — and the losers: the Iraqi public. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- What You Can Do
* Send a postcard to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi urging her to do everything in her power to ensure that Iraqis will decide how best to use their oil. The campaign is sponsored by Just Foreign Policy.
* Go to the Oil Change International website to find an automatic letter you can send to your Congressional Representative and Senators demanding Hands Off Iraq's Oil!
* Use this letter and any and all of the background material provided on the site to write your own Op Ed, Letter to the Editor, language to use to call-in to a radio show, and a flyer to hand out to your friends and colleagues.
* Learn about an international network of organizations organizing protests under the heading "Hands Off Iraq's Oil!" Visit their website.
* Share this information with your friends, neighbors, community and colleagues. * Hold your own rally, protest, press conference, direct action, or festival and spread the word! ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Websites with Additional Information

United Press International's Iraq Oil Report.
"News, analysis and insight into developments of Iraq’s oil, natural gas, electricity and fuels, as well as the security and politics of Iraq, which are inherently tied to it. Iraq Oil Report is written, edited and produced by Ben Lando. Ben Lando is the editor of United Press International’s Energy Resources desk and writes daily about Iraq energy as well as weekly updates on the world of oil and gas pipelines."

Stop the Iraqi Oil Law Oil Change International
Oil Change International campaigns to expose the true costs of oil and facilitate the coming transition towards clean energy.

Hands Off Iraqi Oil
Hands Off Iraqi Oil is a UK coalition opposing any foreign exploitation of Iraq's oil reserves that rips off the Iraqi people. Members include Corporate Watch, Iraq Occupation Focus, Jubilee Iraq, Naftana, PLATFORM, Voices UK, and War on Want.