The Arab Winter and Oil Wealth

 

 

 

 

  

 

The Arab Winter and Oil Wealth

( When will we ever learn )

Steven R. Berryman

[ column for MediaHooker.Org 09/13/2012 ]

  An "Arab Winter" is exploding... again...

Terrorism is political violence, folks, just as "war is the logical extension of failed diplomacy."  In an aggressive and competitive world, where nations do battle against one another via economic warfare, protectionism, trade-wars, and tariffs plus embargoes and favoritism always create a tension that must be relieved at some point.

Of course, since the termination of the Second World War, the advent of  "The bomb" has kept the nations of our globe controlled by a pair of bookend-superpowers via the threat of total nuclear annihilation by radiation.  All nations were either for or against one side, the Communists, or the Western powers, meaning the U.S.  There have been no major wars since this control.

Never forget that the Japanese started World War II for America largely because of a trade embargo with them that we started.  It gave their fascists the excuse to mobilize their masses and consolidate the military will into action.

And then after 1989 there was but one sole superpower.........

Oil is the coin of the realm internationally, of course.  Just as precious as Africa's blood diamonds and gold, we covet to control Middle Eastern oil reserves.  This works in reverse, of course, and has empowered Saudi Arabia and Iran, as their liquid-gold has value unimaginable, and makes sandy-nations most suitor-worthy endeavors. 

If the Middle East had never had the oil, I doubt there would be much trade, except for antiquities tourism by National Geographic fans seeking relics. Perhaps figs and dates or pistachios.

Of course The Bible's Book of Revelations and interests in the nation of Israel draw us back to the oil considerations that our once chrome plated nightmare cars still crave.  We are not addicted to just oil; we are addicted to "cheap oil."

Don't forget the distinction.  Otherwise we would be producing oil from shale, and natural methane from underwater crystals.  These would be just as consumable, but not economically feasable as an alternative.

That's why I laugh when president Obama claims fuel security in the form of national self-sufficiency as a stated platform goal.  Easy to say!

All the while American pipelines are denied, platforms at sea banned, and American refineries (the other choke-point) remain unbuilt.  We have not even brought a nuclear power plant on-line since the 1970s, despite a 10-year construction process.

We are lost for policy, and bartering for energy credits or carbon emission bonds is certainly not an answer, but a way to consolidate wealth, and continue to use fuel as a weapon of international diplomacy.

The peoples of the Middle East are tired of us meddling and seeking to control their oil.  They want us out.

Do you really think that some anti-Islamic movie incited the uprisings of September 2012, and the murder of our Ambassador to Libya?  More likely factions related to the legacy of the former bin Laden have been hard at work, and used bad cinema as a draw to their cause. 

Till we unleash Americas mineral fossil fuel wealth, we will stay stymied for an economic engine, and will propagate the over-value of foreign oil.  We also will pay the price for handing U S tax dollars to Brazil so that we subsidize their oil production - and their deals long-term are with China!

In the past, America had been prepared to do trade battle with great advantages of cheap oil, product innovation, and marketing savvy.  We had to have this combination to fight the cheap labor of an oppressive world; that was their advantage in reduction of costs of production.  

Just what will the Obama legacy for his first term be; certainly not innovation in foreign policy or petrol-economics.

Count on a rising opportunity for world conflagration, and a (convenient) justification for a large standing military if nothing else...perhaps even on somebody elses watch.  

srbmgr@comcast.net