December 2003-May 2004: Oil Lobby Group Refers to Its Iraq Project as a Potential ‘Beachhead’ for ‘Expansion in the Middle East’

The International Tax & Investment Centre (ITIC), a corporate lobby group that advocates for pro-business investment and tax reform, has a series of board of directors’ and sponsors’ meetings on the theme “Strategic Questions For Our Future.” A paper summarizing the views expressed during those meetings says that the ITIC’s work in Iraq “should be continued and considered as a ‘beachhead’ for possible further expansion in the Middle East.” Included in the group’s board of directors are representatives from Shell, BP, ConocoPhillips, ExxonMobil, and ChevronTexaco. [International Tax & Investment Centre, n.d. ; Muttitt, 2005]