What if it&#x27;s not for &quot;profit&quot;, but for the perceived long-term national security interest of the US? The kind of &quot;national security&quot; which doesn&#x27;t directly protect us from attack, but rather prevents us from having to fight future wars when the nation is energy-starved.<p>Consider this video featuring Retired General Wesley Clark talking about plans in the Pentagon (circa 2001) to regime change 7 Middle Eastern countries in 5 years.<p><a href="https:&#x2F;&#x2F;www.youtube.com&#x2F;watch?v=9RC1Mepk_Sw" rel="nofollow">https:&#x2F;&#x2F;www.youtube.com&#x2F;watch?v=9RC1Mepk_Sw</a><p>Assuming there is any truth to this claim (and I&#x27;m suspicious because we can&#x27;t independently verify the claims), the implication is that the US military investigated and drew up plans to free the countries and make their oil available to western nations in order to fuel future economic growth (I&#x27;m taking liberties and drawing inference from previous US intervention in Middle Eastern foreign policy).  It&#x27;s not &quot;profit&quot;, but it&#x27;s the long term &quot;security&quot; (which can be extremely subjective) of the US.