Adventures in Oil

And so the imperialism and those co-operating with it have been able to control the people of the country and the wealth of the country and begin to smuggle out of the country’s wealth to distant countries in addition to the introduction of poverty hunger and feudal policy.

The illustration and caption above were published by Qassim’s socialist government in 1961 in its official Pictoral History of the 1958 Revolution. The graphic handbook on the history of imperialism and revolution in Iraq was produced in Baghdad for local, regional, and international audiences, presumably to “set the record straight” to any one who might be otherwise confused. The “record” in this case is a revisionist narrative, which seeks to challenge international reports concerning the revolution that had focused on the slaughter of the royal family and the termination of Iraq’s relationship to western consultants and companies without critical insight into the reasons behind the communist-backed revolution.

In the book, the text is printed in English, French and Arabic; however, it is the international language of the political cartoon that best indicates the universal reach the regime intended for this message.

This cartoon comes early in the story, explaining the circumstances that served as a catalyst for the revolution during the 1950s. Here, the illustrator uses symbolism, scale and depth to communicate several important points to the viewer.

First, the behemoth and smug-looking imperialist on the run represents the British government and its London-based Iraq Petroleum Company. His arms are firmly wrapped around a fat sack, bulging with the wealth of Iraq’s petroleum resources. Meanwhile his accomplice, a puny Iraqi monarch, manages to escape the scene alongside the fat-cat with an impenetrable moneybag containing his share of the profits. This of course being his token for willingly allowing the British company full control over Iraq’s oil fields.

In the background, three Iraqi men are cast aside with their arms bound. They are paralyzed and forced to watch as the country’s wealth disappears before their eyes. The men are dressed in “traditional” clothes that apparently indicate their working class position in contrast to the European-style suit clothes donned by the king. Notice that categories of Iraq’s middle class and women are absent from the illustration, in favor of a starker and masculinized portrait of disparity between Iraq’s thieves and its victims.

Comparing this example of government propaganda to the iconic image of oil and the working class put forward in propaganda produced by the previous regime and the IPC (see my second post), reveals a key to understanding the ways in which class representation has been manipulated by both pro-British regime/IPC and the revolutionary government to construct a clear message. In the image by IPC, the working class “hero” stands with dignity, while in the illustration he is shown as a victim.

Thus, this retaliatory illustration by the revolutionary government must be read as a portrait of class struggle situated in conversation with the discourse of the previous regime. Distributed by the revolutionary government, this image speaks directly to the perceived misrepresentations of the working class struggle in pre-1958 propaganda, by offering a stark counternarrative.

Obscured by attention to the Development Board’s modernization projects and dominant discourse on national distribution of wealth through irrigation and housing schemes before 1958, the significance and severity of class tensions in Iraq were thus rendered invisible within the international media and political discourse of the period. Thus the revised and “corrected” narrative delivered in this cartoon highlights the critical class tensions that were inherent to the systems of capitalism and imperialism in place before 1958.

Today, the illustration becomes relevant again as a possible warning sign of the system that is steadily being imposed on Iraq’s people thanks to increasing foreign control over Iraqi oil wealth since the fallout of the 2003 invasion. In a revelatory article last week, Juhasz confronted readers with the question of whether recent contracts won by ExxonMobil and other mega-international oil conglomerates represents an ultimate “victory” for Big Oil in Iraq? “Yes,” she confirms, “If the negotiations proceed on their current path, foreign companies will produce the vast majority of Iraq’s oil. How much control they will exert, and who will reap the greatest benefits (and endure the steepest costs) is yet to be determined.”

Image Source: Pictoral History of the 14th July Revolution. 1961. Higher Committee for the Celebrations of the 14th July Revolution: Baghdad. p. 6