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Politics : Formerly About Advanced Micro Devices -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: TimF who wrote (291752)	6/21/2006 11:34:31 AM
From: Road Walker	Read Replies (3) \| Respond to of 1572362

Oil addiction's hidden costs Wed Jun 21, 7:23 AM ET Next month, for the first time ever, the annual meeting of the world's leading industrialized nations will be held in a country without a commitment to democratic values. Russia was admitted to the Group of Eight during the 1990s when it seemed to be heading in the right direction. Now, having grown increasingly autocratic under President Vladimir Putin, it is its turn to play host. Perhaps Russia's actions - which have included press crackdowns and intimidation of neighbor countries - will be discussed when President Bush and other leaders gather in St. Petersburg from July 15-17. But don't count on it. Efforts to raise these concerns have been met with a steely silence. Calls for suspending Russia's membership in the G8 have gone nowhere. And Vice President Cheney's speech in May critical of Russia provoked little response from fellow nation members, other than angry rejoinders from Moscow. And what is behind this lack of response, worthy of a supine invertebrate with a self-esteem problem? There are two explanations. The first is oil. The second is natural gas. Russia has them. Other countries, particularly those in Europe, want them, need them and are willing to abandon their own principles and independence to get them. There is a word for this: addiction. While making nice with Putin, the other heads of states should seriously consider convening the first meeting of Oil Abusers Anonymous - that is, if they can bring themselves to admit they have a problem. Their inaugural meeting might address how their dependence on oil is undermining their ability to deal with world's growing problems. In addition to Russia's defiant posture they could ponder Iran, where their collective lack of resolve -coupled with Russian and Chinese resistance - has encouraged that nation's nuclear ambitions. Iran scoffs at the threat of economic sanctions, arguing the West will cave in if it fears loss of oil. They could also turn to Saudi Arabia, which supplied 15 of the 19 Sept. 11 terrorists, teaches militant Islam in its textbooks, and brushes off what little criticism the United States musters. These instances show how the costs of oil go well beyond the price of a barrel. They can be denominated in numerous ways. Climate change is one this page has cited before. Rising authoritarianism is another, as is nuclear proliferation. Taxpayers pay much to deal with these issues. If one or more becomes a crisis, they will pay a lot more. Much of the problem is driven by the USA, which accounts for a quarter of the world's oil consumption. There are no easy solutions. Increased gas taxes are a tough sell. Domestic drilling is inadequate to the task. And practical alternatives to oil might or might not materialize. But as unappealing as these may be, ignoring troubling world developments is worse. One place to start is to recognize that the central question is not what we should pay for energy but how we should pay for it. If we can begin to shift the hidden costs away from the taxpayers and onto energy consumers, the true nature of our addiction will be more visible. Copyright © 2006 USA TODAY, a division of Gannett Co. Inc.