The Guardian reports today (front page of the paper edition, and here) on the plans to “secure” the Iraqi oilfields in the event of an invasion. The ostensible reason for this is to prevent the wells being torched as the Kuwaiti fields were the last time round.

There will be plenty of people who approach this with a more cynical attitude, despite the claims of the US/UK governments that oil is not a motivating factor in the planned invasion. This cynicism won’t be reduced by Colin Powell’s evasion when asked whether US oil companies would operate the fields in the interim. He did state that the oilfields would be held in trust for the Iraqi people, but others in the US administration, such as Dick Cheney, have argued that revenue generated from the oilfields should be used to finance the costs of the invasion and subsequent occupation.

George Paine argues (at warblogging.com) that not only would this behaviour appear to be the colonialism expected by many in the world, but that it also fits the textbook definition. He also points out that colonialism is one of the charges laid against the US by bin Laden.

What worries me is that the US/UK are playing into the hands of people like bin Laden by using the war on terror as an excuse to invade Iraq. Whether you believe that the primary motivation is fear on WMD proliferation, colonialism, oil or a genuine concern for the plight of the Iraqi population, it’s going to look a lot like colonialism and exploitation to a great many people unless the war is conducted very carefully.

Any appropriation of the oilfields is going to lead to a strengthening of the positions of those who suggest that oil is an important reason for this war, whether they be opponents of the current policy in the west or people like bin Laden. As soon as Halliburton move in, all credibility will be lost and I’m afraid that this will only serve to increase the numbers of people willing to join the ranks of al-Qaeda. They may not have nukes or gas, but 9/11 showed us they don’t need them to cause large numbers of deaths.

Right now, despite the protestations of almost every other major world government, the war looks increasingly inevitable. I just hope that if – when – it happens, it’s at least conducted in a way that won’t lay us open to such accusations. But I don’t really hold out a lot of hope.