[Culturechat] Swiss Analysis of Iraq & Peak World Oil Production

[Gerald J. Clancy, Jr.]

At 01:36 PM 6/1/2004, Bob Bestor wrote:


>>Speaking as a West Texas oilman, I think that we have a lot to learn from 
>>the Europeans.
>
>
>Can't argue that, except F. William Engdahl, the author of the piece 
>referred to in the email that started this thread, is not a European. He 
>was born in Texas and educated at Princeton. The point of the article in 
>question - and in others Mr. Engdahl has written - is that the United 
>States is in Iraq.to protect its oil interests. The second sentence of his 
>piece reads "There is compelling evidence that oil and geopolitics lie at 
>the heart of the still-hidden reasons for the military action in Iraq." 
> From there he goes on to support his thesis.

Writing _from_ Princeton, I have to say that while Mr. Engdahl may make a 
good case that the world may well be running out of oil, his leap to the 
conclusion that we went to war in Iraq chiefly for the oil is most tenuous 
at best. His thesis seems to be: 1) We're running out of oil; 2) Bush and 
Cheney have oilmen backgrounds; 3) the US went to war for oil. QED. He 
offers not a shred of evidence other than conjecture for this conclusion.

I do agree, however, that the article was basically trying to make a 
political point.

Actually, given its first postulate, I'm appalled (even as a moderate 
Republican) that we don't have an energy policy in this country that isn't 
hell bent for leather into finding and supporting research into alternative 
energy sources. Weaning ourselves off even 25% of our oil usage would not 
only portend well for our future but would give us enormous leverage over 
OPEC and strategically help guarantee the economic and technological 
supremacy of the country. And I'm personally convinced that this will never 
happen while this Duo is running the show, but that's _my_ conjecture.

>As important as such a discussion may be, nothing in the article can 
>remotely be construed to fit within the topic guidelines for this 
>listserv. See http://www.currentconcerns.ch/archive/2004/01/20040118.php.
>
>I recall several fascinating posts by Vance Roy about life in Switzerland 
>and the nuances of the relationships he and his wife have with Swiss 
>friends. Those, I submit, are what culturechat is about; not a treatise by 
>an American scholar/journalist with a specific political viewpoint on why 
>the U.S. invaded Iraq.

Except in the strictest sense I think you're beating a dead horse here. 
Besides, Vance loves to throw "bombs". I really have no problem with posts 
like these and if you want me to link it to European culture, this is easy. 
Ever since the first of my 26 trips to Europe in 1965 I've noted that 
Europeans have been paying 3-5 times as much as Americans for petrol. In 
Tuscany in 2000 we paid $4 a gallon. Yet here, at only $2 a gallon, 
Americans are screaming that they're being robbed. Actually, maybe we are, 
but if you drive 10,000 miles a year and gas goes up 50 cents a gallon, it 
costs you about $333 extra a year at a gas-guzzling 15 MPG. This is a drop 
in the tank compared to that $40,000+ that so many people seem to be 
plunking down for that humongous SUV. And if your vehicle is only getting 
15 MPG, than you are getting exactly what you deserve, in my humble 
opinion. At 30 MPG that yearly differential is only about $170.

What is encouraging is that there is now some evidence that people are 
finally backing off SUVs and, most ludicrously, Hummers.

Here's a column by Allan Sloan from Newsweek two weeks ago on the gas price 
spike:
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/4987492

It raises at least one unsettling thought, namely that China is poised to 
become the next oil pig. Short-term oriented, however.

For what it's worth.

Jerry