Hi Hawkmoon,
Re: All I know is that I would rather have taxpayer money spent upon subsidizing a home-grown energy program (Nukes, fuel cells... etc), than spending our treasure and blood, in defending these corrupt scumbags in the ME from one another.
Recalling some of our prior contrariness on the CaliEnergyCrisis(TM) thread, I'm heartened to see that we are in utter agreement on this amazingly ill-based, venal and counter-productive American policy. What we are witnessing today has been prophesied in a terrific analysis of our international meddling called "Blowback: The Costs and Consequences of American Empire", by Chalmers Johnson. amazon.com
I recommend it highly. Our East Asian policy is discussed with great lucidity.
As regards Saudi Arabia, our principal concern in theatre, it is worth asking ourselves as a nation at what cost do we wish to continue to import their light sweet crude. In 2000, DoE reports that we imported 1.5MM bbls of Saudi crude per day, or 17% of our imports.
eia.doe.gov
Can we afford to live without this trade? Let's look at some back of the envelope calculations. The value of the oil imported, calculated at an average cost of $25/bbl would be (25 x 1.5 x 365 = $13.69 Billion). Let's contrast that with the U.S. DoD budget, running in the neighborhood of $250 Billion per annum. Let's say that 20% of DoD's attention goes to affairs in the Islamic/MidEast world, where we would have little interest were it not for oil and the continuation of the State of Israel. This seems to me to be a reasonable if uncalculable figure. So, for the sake of getting $13 Billion in oil, we spend $50 Billion annually. What's wrong with this picture? Well, for one thing, we ought to add the impacts of the destruction on 9/11, and the loss of productivity we're currently suffering via hysterias and maladaptive official responses to bioterrorism and we can add another $100 Billion to the oil bill. So now, I see us spending around $200 Billion in the next 24 months for oil that in a sane market would cost us about $26 Billion. Are we, as the taxpayers who are ultimately called upon to pay the bills, being snookered here?
Just wondering, Ray |
