| Look, for the moment, the petroleum economy is cheaper than any alternative. We are not, in fact, an imperial power, and we deal with regimes "on the ground", for the most part. If the oil is in Arabia, we deal with the Saudis, Omanis, Yemenites, and so forth. If we refused, it would not matter, because their oil would indistinguishably be absorbed by the world market, and someone would buy it. If some of it is diverted to terrorists, there is not much we can do about it. Even if we stopped buying now, and got everyone else to do so, the richest of these people would still have substantial portfolios and funds enough to give to terrorists. Meanwhile, the cost of economic growth would skyrocket, as energy costs became exorbitant, and the world would be mired in a depression......... |
