Cockburn: Ruling Iraq is to Control Oil, Not Depend on Democratic Support (mp3)

Patrick Cockburn, Iraq correspondent at The Independent, discussed the sectarian conflict in Iraq, the farce of ‘the Surge working’ in the Western media, the political push against the the drawdown of U.S. ‘combat troops’, the post-Saddam political climate and instability that makes it ‘one of the most dangerous places on the planet’ at AntiWar Radio with Scott Horton (20:09):

11 July 2010 | AntiWar Radio

Patrick Cockburn, Middle East correspondent for the London Independent and author of the book Muqtada: Muqtada al-Sadr, the Shia Revival, and the Struggle for Iraq, discusses the recent bombing attacks against Shia pilgrims in Iraq, the continued political impasse over which alliance of parties will be able to form a government, the question of whether whoever comes to power will insist upon the Dec. 2011 deadline for U.S. withdrawal or bow to Pentagon plans to retain bases there and the continuing humanitarian crisis there.

Patrick Cockburn was awarded the 2009 Orwell Prize for political writing in British journalism. He is the Middle East correspondent for The Independent and a frequent contributor to CounterPunch.org. Cockburn is the author of The Occupation: War, Resistance and Daily Life in Iraq and Muqtada Al-Sadr and the Battle for the Future of Iraq.

Scott Horton is the host of AntiWar Radio at the Liberty Radio Network, 95.9 FM in Austin, Texas and 88,3 FM in Riverside, Calif. As an associate editor at AntiWar.com, he also blogs there and at his site, The Stress Blog. Listen to his full interview achive, follow him on Twitter and Facebook, and donate to AntiWar.com here.