While Americans are shelling out record prices for fuel, Iraqis
pay only about 5 cents a gallon for gasoline – a benefit of hundreds of
millions of dollars subsidies bankrolled by American taxpayers.
Before the war, forecasters predicted that by invading Iraq (news – web
sites) and ousting Saddam Hussein (news – web sites), America would benefit
from increased exports of oil from Iraq, which has the world’s second
largest petroleum reserves.
That would mean cheap gas for American motorists and a boost for the
oil-dependent American economy.
More than a year after the invasion, that logic has been flipped on its
head. Now the average price for gasoline in the United States is running
$2.05 a gallon – 50 cents more than the pre-invasion price.
Instead, the only people getting cheap gas as a result of the invasion are
the Iraqis