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ROLE OF OIL

"Dangerous Addiction: Ending America's Oil Dependence," Natural Resources Defense Council
http://www.nrdc.org/air/transportation/oilsecurity/execsum.asp

"Iraq: The Struggle for Oil," Global Policy Forum
http://www.globalpolicy.org/security/oil/2002/08jim.htm

"On Oil and War," Sustainable Energy & Economy Network/IPS

"Extractive Sectors and the Poor," Oxfam America
http://www.oxfamamerica.org/pdfs/eireport.pdf

Resources

Dangerous Addiction: Ending America's Oil Dependence; Natural Resources Defense Council, Union of Concerned Scientists, January 2002
Executive Summary: http://www.nrdc.org/air/transportation/oilsecurity/execsum.asp
Full report:
http://www.nrdc.org/air/transportation/oilsecurity/security.pdf

Flash map overlaying oil & gas facilities with US military bases throughout Central Asia and the Persian Gulf (in German)
http://www.spiegel.de/static/flash/kaspischesoel/karte-baku.html

"Extractive Sectors and the Poor," Michael L. Ross, Oxfam America
http://www.oxfamamerica.org/pdfs/eireport.pdf

"Power Politics in Central Asia," Sean Yom, Foreign Policy in Focus
http://www.fpif.org/commentary/2002/0207centasia_body.html

Organizations

Natural Resources Defense Council
www.nrdc.org

Sustainable Energy & Economy Network, Institute for Policy Studies
www.seen.org

Friends of the Earth, 202-544-2600
www.foe.org

Greenpeace, 202-628-4016
www.greenpeace.org

United for Peace
www.unitedforpeace.org

Cities for Peace
www.citiesforpeace.org

Global Exchange
www.globalexchange.org

CorpWatch
www.corpwatch.org

SUMMARY

If the U.S. military topples Saddam Hussein's government, a new regime would undoubtedly enable American oil companies to gain access to Iraqi oil fields - and their profits. It is unclear how this consideration has shaped White House policy on Iraq, but there is no question that unfettered access to the region's oil is a priority of the Bush administration. Countries whose economies depend on oil exports generally have very low living standards, high rates of child mortality and poor environmental records. These conditions - vast gaps between rich and poor, government corruption and human rights violations - help foster an environment that breeds terrorists. Our dependence on Middle East oil threatens U.S. security and undermines international development and environmental goals.

American oil companies would likely benefit from regime change. Ahmed Chalabi, the leader of the opposition group, Iraqi National Congress, favors the creation of a consortium of U.S. oil companies to develop Iraq's oil.

The U.S. uses 25 percent of the world's oil. As long as Americans are dependent on oil, we will be increasingly dependent on imports - and on the Persian Gulf. The U.S. imports more than half its oil from some of the most unstable countries in the world.

Countries whose economies depend on oil exports generally have low living standards, high rates of child mortality and income inequality. For most countries, the discovery of oil has been a curse rather than a blessing. Saudi Arabia is a prime example. In 1996, Osama bin Laden's call for a jihad against the U.S. noted that, "The ordinary Saudi knows that his country is the largest oil producer in the world, yet at the same time he is suffering from taxes and bad services…Our country has become a colony of America…"

American security would be enhanced by reducing our oil dependency. As Middle East oil producers gain a larger share of the American oil market, the U.S. continues to compromise its security goals in order to ensure access to foreign oil. The U.S. could cut its oil demand in half by 2020, however, by investing in energy-efficient vehicles, expanding the development and use of renewable fuels, and encouraging "smart growth" rather than suburban sprawl.

EXPERTS

Michael Klare
Professor of Peace and World Security Studies
Hampshire College
413-559-5563
mklare@hampshire.edu

James A. Paul
Executive Director
Global Policy Forum
212-557-3161
globalpolicy@globalpolicy.org