Big Oil’s Exodus From Iraq Is Great News For Russia

Given the mass exodus of major Western oil companies from Iraq in recent months, and no sign of this reversing any time soon, Russia and China are in an even better position to advance their own interests in the oil- and gas-rich country. The opportunity has in no way been diminished by Iraq’s elections in the last couple of weeks that left anti-U.

S. firebrand cleric, Moqtada al-Sadr, in place as de facto leader, alongside his ‘Sairoon’ (‘Marching Forward’) coalition. This has not been lost on Lukoil in its approach…