Blood & Oil

Michael Klare has written an interesting and very relevant book, dealing as it does with the politics of oil, US foreign policy, the Middle East, and the causes of terrorism. He writes with a clear purpose and that is to argue that America's "securitization" of oil and its willingness to use military force in order to secure its supplies of oil have been a major mistake. His main argument is that ever since the meeting on the Suez Canal in February 1945 between Ibn Saud, King of Saudi Arabia, and President Roosevelt, that America has supported despotic regimes in the Middle East in exchange for guarantees of oil supply, and that this is a deal, which undermines American commitment to and support for democracy and freedom. Furthermore, Klare believes that unless American policies change dramatically, there is likely to be an increase in conflict over oil, as countries such as China, which is dependent on imported oil (like the U.S.), attempt to secure their own oil supplies. Oil is a finite resource, which will be in increasingly short supply over the next few years, and production may now be near its "peak." In short, he believes that America must act now to move to a post-oil economy, taking exceptional measures to reduce the use of petroleum by motor vehicles and to introduce alternative fuels.

Since September 11th and the commencement of the "war on terror," the world's attention has been focused on the relationship between U.S. foreign policy in the Middle East and the oceans of crude oil that lie beneath the region's soil. Klare traces oil's impact on international affairs since World War II, revealing its influence on the Truman, Eisenhower, Nixon, and Carter doctrines. He shows how America's own wells are drying up as our demand increases; by 2010, the United States will need to import sixty percent of its oil. Since most of this supply will have to come from violently anti-American zones, our dependency is bound to lead to recurrent military involvement. "Ultimately, the cost of oil will be measured in blood: the blood of American soldiers who die in combat, the blood of the many other casualties of oil-related violence, including the victims of terrorism."

Klare believes that if America does not reduce its dependency on imported oil it will have to increase its military presence in the Middle East, stationing permanent garrisons in countries like Iraq and facing the need to take further measures to support the Saudi Arabian regime and possible action in central Asian countries like Kazakhstan. He believes that the US military budget will therefore have to increase if the current policies remain in place, and claims that, "the American military is being used more and more for the protection of overseas oil fields and the supply routes that connect them to the United States and its allies. Such endeavors, one largely confined to the Gulf area, are now being extended to unstable oil regions in other parts of the world. Slowly but surely, the U.S. military is being converted into a global oil-protection service." Klare is also concerned about the effects of U.S. policies on the reputation of America in the Middle East, he quotes Kenneth M. Pollack's article in Foreign Affairs ("Securing the Gulf" Foreign Affairs, 82, no 4 - July - August 2003) in which Pollack said, "Terrorism and internal instability in the Persian Gulf are ultimately fueled by the political, economic, and social stagnation of the local Arab states," which the local people see as being maintained in power by the U.S.

In considering the threat of possible conflict over the oil reserves of the Persian Gulf and Central Asia, with China and Russia, Klare considers China's current need to secure its future oil supplies to support its rapid economic growth and Russian sensitivity to US influence and military bases in Central Asia. He points to the critical role of Kazakhstan in China's foreign energy policy, and notes that it has received some of the largest Chinese investments, notably CNPC's majority share in Aktobemuniagaz, and the Chinese commitment to building a $10 billion oil pipeline from the Aktobinsk oil-fields to coastal China. Klare also looks at China's investment in oil development and production in Sudan and Iran, and the willingness of Chinese oil companies to pay top dollar for oil-production assets in countries including Ecuador, Indonesia, Russia, and Venezuela.

In Klare's opinion, American leaders have been "trapped in their same old policy paralysis, proposing feeble steps to reduce our reliance on imported oil even as they acquiesce in our ever-increasing dependency." He proposes an emergency program to cut America's foreign oil imports (currently over 50% of total US consumption) by addressing the use of oil by automobiles, especially by SUVs and small trucks, by introducing new regulations, and using technologies such as hybrid power units, modern diesels, and investing in public transportation systems. His fundamental point is that the present policies are unsustainable, that they will cost increasing numbers of the lives of US soldiers, and that by withdrawal of support for despotic regimes the US will do much to improve its international reputation. In effect he is saying we have to face up to this at some time and the sooner the better, let's plan to move out of the oil age now.

The world's rapidly growing economy is dependent on oil, the supply is running out and the U.S. and other great powers are engaged in an escalating game to secure its continued free flow. Klare argues that the U.S.,