Pipe Dreams: The Plundering of Iraq’s Oil Wealth Audiobook (Free)

“A remarkable and revealing dive in to the murky globe of oil contracts that shape power and politics in Iraq.” -Loveday Morris, The Washington Post Jerusalem bureau main

Iraq sits on top of a lot more than 140 billion barrels of oil, making it the owner of possibly the world’s fifth largest proven reserves. When the United States invaded in 2003, the Bush Administration promised that essential oil revenue will be used to repair and democratize the united states. But fifteen years afterwards, those dreams have already been about Tube Dreams: The Plundering of Iraq’s Oil Wealth shattered. The Iraqi economy has flatlined, thousands of people are internally displaced, and worldwide institutions experienced to provide billions of dollars in assist with the country every year. Where do all the essential oil revenue go?

Reporter Erin Banco traveled to oil-rich Iraqi Kurdistan-an autonomous zone which the regional government statements keeps some 45 billion barrels of crude-to uncover how widespread problem, tribal cronyism, kickbacks to political celebrations, and the battle with ISIS have contributed to the plundering of Iraq’s essential oil wealth. The region’s overall economy and political stability have been in the brink of collapse, and residents are suffering. Predicated on court papers and on exceptional interviews with sources who have investigated energy companies and their dealings with authorities officials, Tube Dreams is normally a cautionary tale that reveals the way the dream of an oil-financed, American-style democracy in Iraqi Kurdistan today looks like a totally unrealistic fantasy.