“A remarkable and revealing dive in to the murky world of oil contracts that shape power and politics in Iraq.” -Loveday Morris, The Washington Post Jerusalem bureau key

Iraq sits on top of more than 140 billion barrels of oil, making it the owner of possibly the world’s fifth largest proven reserves. When america invaded in 2003, the Bush Administration guaranteed that essential oil revenue would be used to rebuild and democratize the united states. But fifteen years afterwards, those dreams have been about Tube Dreams: The Plundering of Iraq’s Oil Prosperity shattered. The Iraqi overall economy has flatlined, thousands of people are internally displaced, and worldwide institutions have had to deliver vast amounts of dollars in assist with the country every year. Where did all the oil revenue go?

Reporter Erin Banco traveled to oil-rich Iraqi Kurdistan-an autonomous zone that the regional government claims keeps some 45 billion barrels of crude-to uncover how popular corruption, tribal cronyism, kickbacks to political parties, and the battle with ISIS have contributed to the plundering of Iraq’s oil wealth. The region’s overall economy and political balance have been on the brink of collapse, and residents are suffering. Predicated on court documents and on distinctive interviews with resources who have investigated energy businesses and their dealings with government officials, Pipe Dreams is definitely a cautionary story that reveals the way the imagine an oil-financed, American-style democracy in Iraqi Kurdistan right now looks like a totally unrealistic fantasy.