Thomas L. Friedman: Cut oil prices and tyrants will fall

NYTimes | Monday, January 31, 2005 | Thomas L. Friedman

[Eric in the Ozarks]

Tom, Tom, Tom...
100,000 troops will not be billeted in Iran. There will be no American PX.

[thulldud]

...by developing renewable and alternative energies and by expanding nuclear power

Oh, yeah, that's SURE to be a hit in Marin County.

[Lexington Green]

"America is a strange country. All of its best generals are journalists." Defense Undersecretary Douglas J. Feith

[oceanview]

we could take on iran easily - if we drop the "liberation" stuff and just go in and destroy strategic targets.

[jsmith48]

If Iran is to forgo developing nuclear weapons, it will only be because the Europeans' diplomatic approach manages to persuade Tehran to do so.

I can talk a tiger out of eating me, too.

[tet68]

Loo ny, Loony Loooooooony.

"Is there any other way the West can promote real reform in the Middle East?"

I guess tom missed the election today.

[Darkwolf377]

"If Iran is to forgo developing nuclear weapons, it will only be because the Europeans' diplomatic approach manages to persuade Tehran to do so."

Almost fell off the chair reading that one...

For two years the Europeans have been telling the Bush administration that its use of force to prevent states from developing nuclear weapons has been a failure in Iraq and that the Europeans have a better way - multilateral diplomacy using carrots and sticks."

You mean like what Bush has been doing in, among other places, North Korea?

Freidman is an intelligent man who neglects to think when his conclusions will lead him away from his "Bush sucks" orthodoxy.

[Cornpone]

I used to like Thomas Friedman. I read his book Longitudes and Attitudes or whatever it was called. But I gave that up long ago when I realized he'd become the master of the obviously impossible. We are going to cut the price of oil? The kinds of measures he's talking about would take 20 years or more. He makes it seem like tomorrow we could just tell the Arabs, "No thanks, we're not buying your oil because we decided to go green today."

[Normal4me]

We could broadcast the "Iraqi Election" channel 24/7 into the mideast and not have to worry about invading anyone else again. I believe the ball started rolling today. :-)

[Doctor Raoul]

Drill ANWR For Peace!

[Darkwolf377]

" I am a geo-green. The geo-greens believe that, going forward, if we put all our focus on reducing the price of oil - by conservation, by developing renewable and alternative energies and by expanding nuclear power - we will force more reform than by any other strategy."

Oh, MAN, gimme strength. Just when I thought he couldn't get any loopier.

I can't believe this is the same Thomas Freidman who used to write so perceptively about the Middle East. Then again that was a decade ago.

[tet68]

the Bush team isn't going to be invading anybody. We Americans don't have enough troops to finish the job in Iraq. Our military budget is completely maxed out. We couldn't invade Grenada today.

Guess again tom.

If Iran is to forgo developing nuclear weapons, it will only be because the Europeans' diplomatic approach manages to persuade Tehran to do so.

Right,like Lil Kim, that really worked didn't it.

[Bommer]

The geo-greens believe that, going forward, if we put all our focus on reducing the price of oil - by conservation,

California is the conservation capitol of the world. Wheres the change? Not to mention if oil drops, whats to stop OPEC from cutting back on production? No the answer is we drill in the US for our own oil, and if envioMENTALists don't like it then they are to come up with and create a viable alternative that works, otherwise STFU!

[thoughtomator]

They have to credibly convey to Iran that they will wield their own stick. They have to credibly convey that they will refer Iran to the Security Council for real sanctions, if it is unwilling to strike a deal involving nuclear inspections in return for normalized economic relations with the West.

No prize for spotting the logic error.

[isthisnickcool]

This reminds me. It's time to put a supercharger on my SUV.

[dirtbiker]

The problem is not the US alone, China's importation of oil has risen dramatically in the last few years. The problem is NOT ENOUGH SUPPLY, and it is compounded by banning drilling for oil in ANWAR, and offshore in California and the Gulf of Mexico. Yes, reducing consumption will help, but it will NOT be enough....

[sionnsar]

All these regimes have huge population bubbles and too few jobs. They make up the gap with oil revenues. Shrink the oil revenue and they will have to open up their economies and their schools and liberate their women so that their people can compete.

Oh yeah. Like any totalitarian regime is really worried about that. North Korea, anyone?

But you know, maybe he has a point. Lower the prices, hurt the economies, and maybe they'll revolt the sooner.

[ken21]

baloney.

the enviro-left and the big 3 auto makers have sat on fuel efficient cars for 30 years.

in california the enviro-left regulators move between the corporations and the state government, always making big pay increases with each move.

who you kidding?

[ALLAH-ya-out-a-here]

18 bucks a barrel, thats 98.9 a gallon,guess I'll buy my wife that new 6.o liter GTO