The longest-serving American in Iraq’s oil sector gives an insider’s account of tactical victories, strategic blunders, and hidden agendas in post-2003 reconstruction.
By BEN LANDO of Iraq Oil Report
Published Tuesday, May 22nd, 2018
Gary Vogler was a veteran of the U.S. Army, Mobil Oil, and ExxonMobil when he joined the Pentagon’s pre-invasion Energy Infrastructure Planning Group (EIPG) in 2002.
He stayed on for two more years as a senior oil advisor to the Office for Reconstruction and Humanitarian Assistance (ORHA) and the Coalition Provisional Authority (CPA). He returned to Iraq in 2006, serving as a consultant and advisor to the U.S. government until 2011.
During that time, Vogler helped lay the groundwork for Iraq’s record-setting production today, starting the rehabilitation of fields and initiating key infrastructure projects. He also worked closely with the top leaders of Iraq’s oil sector, including the current oil minister, Jabbar al-Luiebi.
In his recently published book, “Iraq and the Politics of Oil: An Insider’s Perspective,” Vogler chronicles the efforts of many Iraqis and Americans working together to rebuild the country and its oil sector. But often times, he writes, policymakers in Washington were more interested in pursuing their own ulterior agendas, at the expense of Iraq’s reconstruction and stability.
In a series of wide-ranging interviews, he told Iraq Oil Report about his experiences and some surprising revelations he discovered in researching his book. The interviews have been edited together and condensed for length.
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