Guide Note

The Oil for Food program was initiated to help provide relief to Iraqi citizens that were impacted by the Sanctions on Iraq. Proposed by the administration of Bill Clinton and established by the United Nations in 1995, the Oil for Food program allowed Iraq to sell some of its oil on the world market in exchange for food and medical supplies. The program was mired in controversy of corruption and abuse and ultimately ended in a formal investigation by the Office of the Iraq Programme Oil-for-Food. It ended in late 2003 with the invasion of Iraq.

Fast Facts

Established in 1995
A United Nations program
Proposed by the Bill Clinton administration
Iraq initially refused to sign
Program officially started in December, 1996
First food shipments arrived in Iraq in March, 1997
Terminated on November 21, 2003

Criticisms and Investigation

Almost from the beginning, the program faced criticism. Many argued that the Oil for Food program was simply a stopgap solution that would, in the end, support the government of Saddam Hussein. The program was also criticized for widespread abuse. Many, including the United States and Norway, believed that profits from the program were being absorbed by Iraq and United Nations officials. It was also claimed that several reporters were bribed with oil coupons. Several investigations have been carried out since the end of the program, though only two indictments have been made.

Categories

News | Groups and Organizations | Political Issues and Controversies | Politicians | Social Issues | Iraq War | Oil

View Note History

Oil for Food

Also try: Iraq Reconstruction

The Mahalo Top 7

Official Site: Office of the Iraq Program - Oil-for-Food
Wikipedia: Oil-for-Food Program
OilForFoodFacts.org: Oil-for-Food: Facts
Independent Inquiry Committee: The United Nations Oil-for-Food Program
The Guardian: "What was the Oil-for-Food Programme?" (2005)
CNN.com: "U.S. Condoned Iraq Oil Smuggling" (2005)
YouTube: Oil for Food - Iraq (Time 22:20)

Oil for Food Recent News Stories

Google News: Oil for Food
UN News Centre: Oil-For-Food Inquiry News
Wall Street Journal: "Oil for Food Convictions" (November 30, 2007)
Telegraph: "Oscar Wyatt Jailed Over Oil-for-Food Bribes" (November 29, 2007)
Agence France-Presse: "Texas Oilman Gets One Year in Jail..." (November 27, 2007)
International Herald Tribune: "Vitol SA Pleads Guilty in Oil-for-Food Case" (November 20, 2007)

Oil for Food Background

Design

Official Site: The United Nations Oil-for-Food Program
Wikipedia: Oil-for-Food Program Background and Design
BBC News: "UN Poised for Iraq Food Scheme" (2003)
Federation of American Scientists: "Start-up Problems Hamper 'Oil-for-Food' Program" (1997)

Oil for Food Abuses and Scandal

BBC News: "Oil-For-Food Scandal: Key Reports" (2005)
FOXNews: "Oil-for-Food Scandal Draws Scrutiny to U.N." (2004)
CommonDreams: " The Oil-For-Food 'Scandal' is a Cynical Smokescreen" (2004)
The Heritage Foundation: "Investigate the United Nations Oil-for-Food Fraud" (2004)
The Nation: "UN Oil for Food 'Scandal'" (2004)
Slate: "The Oil-for-Food Scandal" (2004)

Investigations

St. Petersburg Times: "The Oil-for-Food Investigation" (2005)
New York Times: "Senators Accuse U.N. Leader of Blocking Their Fraud Inquiry" (2004)
Harvard University: "Congressional Testimony" (2004)

Aftermath

Council on Foreign Relations: "The Impact of the UN Oil-for-Food Scandal" (2006)
International Herald Tribune: "Oil-for-Food: Far From a Failure" (2005)
UN Association USA: "Oil-for-Food Programme: What Went Wrong—and Right?" (2004) (103KB)

Oil for Food Videos and Media

Google Video: Reform at the United Nations: Lessons from the Oil for Food Program (Time 01:27:08)
Google Video: George Galloway Speaks Out Again on Iraq War and Oil for Food Scandal (Time 04:04)
YouTube: Charlie Rose - Bush Press Conference and Oil for Food (Time 58:39)
YouTube: George Galloway in the US Senate (Time 48:36)
SifyMax: Dealer Shows Oil-for-Food Cash (Time 01:39)

Oil for Food Commentary and Criticism

University of Pittsburgh: "Putting Oil-for-Food in Perspective" (2005)
PBS: "The Oil for Food Scandal" (2004)
Wall Street Journal: "Oil-for-Terror" (2004)
Rand Corporation: "'Oil for Food' Worked" (2004)
Z Communications: "Burying Genocide - The UN 'Oil For Food' Program" (2004)
The Independent Institute: "No Oil for Food" (2003)

Oil for Food Message Boards and Blogs

The Galloping Beaver: It Was Always About Oil: The Iran Extra (December 8, 2007)
DebbieSchlussel.com: American Oil-For-Food Scammer Gets Slap on Hand (November 28, 2007)
Drudge Retort: Texas Oilman Jailed over Oil-for-Food Scam (November 27, 2007)
Daily Kos: Chevron, Condi, And The Oil-For-Food Scandal (November 16, 2007)

Central Figures

Kofi Annan

Wikipedia: Kofi Annan
WashingtonPost.com: "Oil-for-Food Panel Rebukes Annan, Cites Corruption" (2005)
The Heritage Foundation: "Kofi Annan's Shrinking Credibility" (2004)
Wall Street Journal: "Come Clean Kofi" (2004)

Saddam Hussein

Mahalo's Guide to Saddam Hussein
CommonDreams.org: "Under Cheney...Saddam Hussein Siphon Billions...Oil-for-Food Program" (2004)
The New York Times: "Foreign Minister of Australia Rejects Reports...Kickbacks to Hussein" (2006)
The New York Times: "Ex-Aide Denies He Will Testify in Hussein's Trial" (2004)

Benon Sevan

Official Site: Benon Sevan
Wikipedia: Benon Sevan
The Rosett Report: "Benon Sevan Watch: An Oil-for-Food Letter-to-Cyprus" (February 13, 2007)
FOXNews.com: "Benon Sevan Indicted Over Bribes From Saddam's Regime" (January 1, 2007)

Peter Volcker

Wikipedia: Peter Volcker
Radio Free Europe: "Volcker Cites Broad UN Lapses In Oil-For-Food Probe" (2005)
The Heritage Foundation: "Time for Paul Volcker To Resign" (2005)

Oil for Food Satire and Humor

MSNBC: Oil for Food Cartoon
Broken Newz: "John Kerry Selects Saddam Hussein As Running Mate" (2004)
The Onion: "137 More Oil Wells Liberated For Democracy" (2003)

Related Searches

Iraq | War on Terror | Saddam Hussein | Kofi Annan | Benon Sevan | United Nations

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