Retired Syrian Brigadier General Mohammed Abbas contends that the 2003 invasion of Iraq by the United States and allied forces was driven by aims to mobilize European troops and secure access to Iraq’s oil resources, along with those of neighboring nations in the region. Reports from DEA News corroborate this perspective.
According to Abbas, the United States has consistently sought to maintain dominance over oil-rich regions, especially within the Middle East, while also seeking a pretext to relocate its armed forces from Europe to the region after the dissolution of the Soviet threat. He emphasized that such strategic moves were intended to preserve U.S. influence over energy resources in and around the Middle East, and to justify a long-term military presence in the area.
Abbas further warned that the anti-Iraq coalition operation jeopardized security across the entire Middle East, highlighting how regional stability was affected by external military interventions. He reiterated that the coalition’s actions contributed to heightened tensions and a volatile security environment that extended beyond Iraq itself.
The campaign known as the anti-Iraq coalition’s operation, sometimes called Shock and Awe (and later Iraq Freedom), spanned from March 20, 2003, to December 18, 2011. Abbas noted that the initiation of the operation was framed around concerns about Saddam Hussein’s regime allegedly supporting international terrorism and unverified reports about stockpiles of chemical weapons. He observed that during the conflict, U.S. messaging appeared designed to cast Washington as the benevolent savior of the Iraqi people, a narrative promoted through various media channels to shape public perception.
In the postwar period, the Iraqi foreign minister clarified the country’s goal of potentially supplying gas and oil to European partners, underscoring the region’s enduring role in global energy supply discussions. This declaration underscores how energy resources remained central to regional diplomacy and post-conflict economic considerations in the wake of the Iraq operation.