Iraq Oil Rush

This editorial brings up important points, but fails to acknowledge that the "understandable suspicions in the Arab world about oil being America's real reason for invading Iraq" do not have to be "rekindled" - they are deeply ingrained in society. The fact of the matter is that the oil giants may help get Iraq's oil infrastructure up and running because profit depends on it.

Ideally Iraqis could do this themselves, but alas, the government is not functioning and, as the editorial states, there is "evidence of continued deep divisions in Iraq over whether oil should be controlled by central or regional government, whether international oil companies should be involved in development and how the profits should be distributed." The Kurd-Sunni-Shia tripartite Iraq is not functioning, so perhaps the oil giants could help make some money for the failing central government...