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Iraq and the Politics of Oil: An Insider's Perspective Hardcover – December 1, 2017

by Gary Vogler (Author)
4.6 4.6 out of 5 stars 21 ratings
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Was the Iraq war really about oil? As a senior oil advisor for the Office for Reconstruction and Humanitarian Assistance (ORHA) and briefly as minister of oil, Gary Vogler thought he knew. But while doing research for a book about his experience in Iraq, Vogler discovered that what he knew was not the whole story—or even the true story. The Iraq war did have an oil agenda underlying it, one that Vogler had previously denied. This book is his attempt to set the record straight.

Iraq and the Politics of Oil is a fascinating behind-the-scenes account of the role of the US government in the Iraqi oil sector since 2003. Vogler describes the prewar oil planning and the important decisions made during hostilities to get Iraqi oil flowing several months ahead of schedule. He reveals how, amid the instability of 2006 (largely fueled by the arrogance of early US decisions), the fixing of the Bayji Refinery contributed significantly to the success of the oil sector in the Sunni part of northern Iraq during and after the surge. Vogler gives us an expert insider’s view of the largest oilfield auctions in the history of the international oil industry, and his account shows how US Forces’ focus on a single Iraqi point of failure in 2007 was a primary factor in the record productions and exports of 2012 through 2017.

But under the successes so deftly chronicled here, a darker political narrative finally emerges, one that reaches back to the decision to go to war with Iraq. Uncovering it, Vogler revises our understanding of what we were doing in Iraq, even as he gives us a critical, close-up view of that fraught enterprise.
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  1. Print length
    318 pages
  2. Language
    English
  3. Publisher
    University Press of Kansas
  4. Publication date
    December 1, 2017
  5. Dimensions
    6.25 x 1.25 x 9.25 inches
  6. ISBN-10
    0700625062
  7. ISBN-13
    978-0700625062
  8. See all details
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Editorial Reviews

Review

“In this book, Vogler tells a powerful story that should be read by an audience beyond the military and oil industry. He tells a compelling story of how a few people in political power at the time led the US into a war under false assumptions and the terrible consequences of such deception and dishonesty at the highest levels.”—Social Science Journal

"This is a great read for all military leaders currently working or about to work with interagency or intergovernmental organizations."—Military Review

"Vogler’s book is more than a re-examination of the reasons for the invasion . . . for watchers of Iraq’s energy sector, it’s a goldmine."—Petroleum Economist

"This is the most thorough study of the challenges, successes, and failures of the oil industry in Iraq after the 2003 invasion. A highly thought-provoking book. Highly recommended."—Choice

“After five months of Pentagon planning and six years of implementation in Iraq, Gary Vogler discovered the secret oil agenda that sent the United States to war in the Middle East. His revealing and compelling narrative will both surprise and anger many Americans about neoconservative greed, dishonesty, and treachery. Iraq and the Politics of Oil tells the truth—and the truth about this grave historical blunder is long overdue.”—Donald T. Phillips, author of Lincoln on Leadership for Today

“Mr. Vogler’s first hand account of his years working to rebuild the Iraqi oil sector is a must-read for students of post-conflict reconstruction. It demonstrates how even with advanced planning by top industry experts, this crucial sector still faced unanticipated bureaucratic infighting, political interference, Congressional budget constraints, and deteriorating security. Mr. Vogler describes in intimate detail how a remarkable group of dedicated Iraqis and Americans came together to try to overcome these challenges, providing valuable lessons for the future.”—Ambassador Robin Raphel, former Deputy Inspector General for Iraq Reconstruction.

“Gary Vogler spent 72 months in Iraq after the invasion in 2003 working on oil infrastructure. I know no other person better qualified to write this story. And the management of oil in Iraq over this period is an important story.”—Gordon Rudd, author of Reconstructing Iraq: Regime Change, Jay Garner, and the ORHA Story

“This important book provides the reader with a mosaic of the Iraq oil story from 2002 to 2011; it is written by the one American who experienced and contributed to all of it. Gary Vogler describes the details of our country’s prewar oil planning, followed by the challenges of executing those plans once inside of Iraq. As a former army officer and oil industry executive, Vogler was uniquely qualified to be the senior oil advisor to both the US coalition and the newly formed Iraqi government. His advice, experience, and leadership was instrumental in restarting the Iraqi oil sector. This is a must-read for all senior military and foreign service officers.”—Jay Garner, retired Lieutenant General, US Army

About the Author

Gary Vogler is president of Howitzer Consulting, LLC. From December 2006 to September 2011 he was a senior oil consultant for US Forces in Iraq, and before that he served as deputy senior oil advisor, CPA, for Baghdad, and as senior oil advisor, ORHA, for the Pentagon, Kuwait, and Baghdad. Vogler, a former US Army officer, has also worked in management positions at ExxonMobil and Mobil Oil Corporations for over two decades.

Product details

  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ University Press of Kansas (December 1, 2017)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Hardcover ‏ : ‎ 318 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0700625062
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0700625062
  • Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 1.45 pounds
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 6.25 x 1.25 x 9.25 inches
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.6 4.6 out of 5 stars 21 ratings

Customer reviews

4.6 out of 5 stars
4.6 out of 5
21 global ratings

Top reviews from the United States

Amazon Customer
5.0 out of 5 stars It wasn’t to enrich major oil companies and fortunately, the author and others in key roles on ...
Reviewed in the United States on January 1, 2018
Verified Purchase
The book is a first hand account of efforts to restore the Iraqi oil industry after the war. It also details the many sacrifices made by uniformed Americans and civilians as well as the Iraqi people in those efforts.

This book was written by a West Point grad, retired Army Lieutenant Colonel and former Mobil Oil executive who helped lead the efforts to restore the Iraq’s oil industry after the second Gulf War. It captures the details of the restoration activities over the many years of his involvement on the ground in Iraq. It also shows how the processes evolved (and sometimes devolved) as powers behind the scenes placed their preferred players into key positions. It also lays out numerous facts, that over time led the author to a conclusion about the real agenda which has never been voiced by our government leaders and had nothing to do with a threat posed by Saddam or the interests of the United States.

Why did we go to war ? It’s been obvious for a long time that there were no WMD’s. That was all a smokescreen. It wasn’t to enrich major oil companies and fortunately, the author and others in key roles on the ground would have walked away if they sensed anything along those lines.

Did we sacrifice thousands (4000+) of lives and even more casualties (30000+) for some ulterior motives (secret agenda) ? That would seem to be the case. If the reader truly understands the forces that drive our foreign policy with regard to the Middle East then you’ll be seeing confirmatory evidence step by step along the way. For those who haven’t researched the subject (similar to the author early on), then you will come to realize over time what the true objective was as the pieces come together.

The book will provide insight into the following and many other questions:
Why did key civilian Pentagon leaders cheer about going to war when Colin Powell stated the (erroneous) case to the UN? What were their true allegiances?

Why was there so much interest by these same leaders about a secret crude oil pipeline to Israel ?

Why did the Coalition Provisional Authority (CPA) policy of only selling Iraqi crude oil directly to consumers (refiners) later change to involve Glencore - a middle man (founded by Marc Rich who had been previously indicted by the US on dozens of counts only to receive a controversial pardon by Bill Clinton as he left office) ? Marc Rich had been a key supplier of oil to Israel over many years including oil from Iran even though sanctions were in place.

I have spent over 40 years working in the US oil industry and this activity and relationship to important players in the Bush Administration were eye opening.

As you connect the dots while reading the book, you’ll realize that the war was waged to benefit another country (not the US) at a huge cost in both US lives and dollars and most of those in the know don’t have the courage to stand up and tell the truth.
Prepare to learn the truth
8 people found this helpful
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Barb Vogler
5.0 out of 5 stars An Enlightening Read
Reviewed in the United States on December 17, 2017
Verified Purchase
I am an avid reader and have read many books in my lifetime. I found this book thoroughly riveting and informative. Granted, I am not objective…..The book is written by my husband.

Gary started writing this book to help explain to our children and me why he volunteered to help our military in Iraq for more than six years. He did not have to go. He was a civilian. How could a husband/father leave his family for all those years to go to a war zone? I never understood it. Now I do.

Gary is a 1973 graduate of West Point Military Academy. After serving in the army, he joined Mobil Oil Corporation and later ExxonMobil.

He left ExxonMobil in early 2002 and found himself working at the Pentagon seven months later. When the opportunity for one last adventure presented itself, he took it. He went into Iraq with the initial US military elements as a civilian oil advisor. We did not know if those initial Americans would see weapons of mass destruction from Saddam or not. Our farewell at the Pentagon parking lot on Sunday morning, March 17, 2003 was a very difficult good-bye. Unfortunately, that was only the first of more than twenty similar good-byes over the following ten years. None of them were easy.

I was the first person to read each chapter of his book as he finished it. I made some edits, but more than that – we talked about parts in each chapter that he had never shared with me, especially the dangerous parts. I slowly learned why he was so attracted to helping both Iraq and our country.

He enjoyed working with our military and civilians in Iraq. Wonderful friendships were developed with his Iraqi oil friends. All of this comes out in the many short stories he shares. He has pride in what he helped the Iraqis accomplish in their oil sector.

Gary did a lot of research for this book. He became obsessed with the oil agenda he discovered during his research. Much of it began to bother him. His health suffered. He had a difficult time accepting what he was reading, but he felt obligated to share what he learned. He was warned that some people from the former Administration would be irritated with his book, but he felt that America needed to know the facts. I agreed.
17 people found this helpful
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DickD
5.0 out of 5 stars The Conspiracy to Go to War
Reviewed in the United States on December 15, 2017
Verified Purchase
Vogler has written an important first-person account of the post-war effort to rebuild the Iraqi oil industry. This is original source material that will soon be turning up in the credits of many term papers and theses. But it is more than simply a litany of facts. Vogler connects the dots to ferret out the underlying motivation for starting the war in the first place. Stable-minded West Pointers like Vogler are not prone to conspiracy theories, but he names names and posits questions that will make him a marked man among the neocons and AIPAC lobbyists in Washington DC. Read this book. It will make you think and it will make you angry.
8 people found this helpful
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Barbara M. Brogan
5.0 out of 5 stars Gary Vogler has done us all a great service by ferreting out an oil agenda that got ...
Reviewed in the United States on March 14, 2018
Verified Purchase
Gary Vogler has done us all a great service by ferreting out an oil agenda that got lost in all the shouting about WMD and the decision to invade Iraq. He has produced a book of prodigious research--filled with his own personal experiences--and thoughtful analysis. Understanding events sometimes requires removal and thoughtful contemplation to come up with truths that seemed unthinkable at the time. That is the strength of this book. Highly recommended!
3 people found this helpful
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John E. Miller
5.0 out of 5 stars sad to say
Reviewed in the United States on January 23, 2018
Verified Purchase
The equivalent of the Pentagon Papers on the Iraq war in regards to American and Israeli interest in Iraqi oil. Very enlightening, especially about our defense senior civilian leadership....sad to say, very self serving.
7 people found this helpful
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Bob
5.0 out of 5 stars Incredible detail. Mr Vogler crystallizes those vague notions many ...
Reviewed in the United States on February 22, 2018
Verified Purchase
Incredible detail. Mr Vogler crystallizes those vague notions many have about the reasons for war in Iraq.
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M. Downes
5.0 out of 5 stars Great information
Reviewed in the United States on July 3, 2018
Verified Purchase
Very well written! Must read for those who want facts and not supposition.
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