Iraq - Reuters
The Iraqi Cabinet has approved preliminary agreements with a coalition including the American companies "Chevron" and "Capital TI", alongside Qatar's "UCC", to study oil export pipeline projects. Additionally, "KBR" has been tasked with providing advisory services for the Basra-Haditha pipeline project.
Core Notes:
The Historical Link to "Halliburton": "KBR" is the former engineering arm of "Halliburton"—the company whose name was associated with controversial billion-dollar deals during the 2003 invasion of Iraq, when Dick Cheney (the company's former CEO) served as US Vice President. Today, it returns to repeat the same strategic role in Iraq.
The "Resource Securitization" Strategy (The Venezuela and Iraq Model): The entry of these companies into Iraq cannot be isolated from the broader regional context. Just as the Trump administration executed the direct "abduction" of President Nicolás Maduro in early 2026 to achieve regime change in Caracas and secure control over Venezuelan oil, the Chevron and KBR** contracts in Iraq come as part of the same strategy aimed at imposing direct hegemony over global energy sources. These corporations are utilized as executive tools to entrench Washington's influence and ensure energy flows align with its political and security agenda.