Tony Blair was motivated by financial greed

It seems as though the main motivation for the Iraq war in 2003 was not to prevent the use of the alleged weapons of mass destruction by Saddam Hussein but to grant the UK and the United States privileged access to Iraqi oil resources. This argument is supported by many statements coming from officials closely involved with the operation, like the former US- Defence Secretary Chuck Hagel who said “People say we’re not fighting for oil. Of course, we are.” This interest in Iraq was particularly high as the country holds some of the biggest oil and gas reserves worldwide. However, the UK and the US were afraid of the unpredictable turns that Saddam Hussein’s policies could take and feared that he might “remove Iraqi oil from the market for an extended period of time” as it is noted in the infamous Energy Security report of 2001. Prior to the Iraq war of 2003, the oil industry of the country was fully nationalised. However, ten years later foreign companies dominate the market and the entire industry is mainly privatised. Big British oil companies like BP and Shell massively profited from this new policy that was forced upon the Iraqi authorities in the context of armed conflict. If the quest for oil access is deemed to be the main reason for the invasion of Iraq under the command of Tony Blair, it can be concluded that his efforts were financially motivated and aimed at enhancing the influence of British companies in the Iraqi oil industry.

[P1] Liberalized markets are the best way to ensure wealth and prosperity. [P2] It is legitimate to force economic liberalisation through war.