The Pressure Is On to Play the Oil Card

LA Times ^ | 4/10/02 | JEREMY RIFKIN

[Tumbleweed_Connection]

Nearly 30 years ago, the Arab oil-producing countries in the Middle East first used oil as a weapon against Israel, the U.S. and their allies. The 1973 OPEC oil embargo, which came on the heels of the Yom Kippur War between Israel and its Arab neighbors--Egypt and Syria--rocked the post-World War II global order. Oil prices quadrupled, motorists waited in long lines at filling stations and the global economy began to slide into a prolonged recession. Can this happen again?

[Tumbleweed_Connection]

Hasn't Bush been demanding Israel to pull out? How do we know that part of that hasn't been for the sake of oil? And if the Israelis did listen how do you think the Rats and the media would then feel?

[ikanakattara]

Shove those petrodollars in the Russki direction.

[gcruse]

Well, now. Does the name of the piece's author ring a bell? Jeremy Rifkin is a Luddite of monumental proportions. I don't believe a word he ever writes, including "the" and "and." If I were to rebutt him directly, I would point out that his insane fear of nuclear power generation is one of the reasons the oil card can be played against us.

[My Identity]

Rifkin is a bit nutters. His main point:

"...even the partial withdrawal of OPEC oil from world markets could send the price of oil soaring. Were that to happen, it would trigger a devastating downturn in the global economy, hitting developing nations the hardest."

is worst case scenario stuff that ignores the economic realities. The Arab nations rely entirely (kings to nomads) on oil income, while the West relies only partially on Arab oil (about 28% down from a peak of 40% in the 70's). Arabs cut off the oil and a lot of regimes are going to be faced internally with unstable armies. Upset that their pay is gone, in a jihadic mood, with little discipline and packed with tribal rivalries. Pretty scary...ooooh! Especially with a built-up US presence in the area.

[Mike Darancette]

I'd love to see a picture of Saddam with a "Save the Carabou" button.