An Empire of Oil

Norman Mailer discusses many topics which support his theory that flag-waving conservatives are pushing for world domination. There is very little evidence in my day to day life of any of these theories, save for one: oil. Amongst the most prevalent reasons for the war spouted by the general public is oil. The cries of "No blood for oil!" are common sights when the television is turned on. Mailer does not address this issue in any great length, citing it as merely a perk of world domination. Mailer quotes Ralph Nader in listing off the statistics of oil usage in America. Nader is quoted as saying "The United States consumes 19.5 million barrels a day, or 26% of daily global oil consumption. . . . The U.S. [has to import] 9.8 million barrels a day, or more than half the oil we consume...." This does not even begin to express exactly how massive an amount of oil that truly is. This oil is used for many things we use everyday such as plastics, lubricants and, the lifeblood of our nation, gasoline. Kerosene, ethane, jet and diesel are a few examples of fuels that are commonly produced from petroleum. Day to day life would be radically different without oil.

In the past several years, gas prices have been steadily on the rise. One may readily attribute this to the rising tensions that have been hyped in the media. It is a common assumption that gas prices have skyrocketed due to the war in Iraq. This is a misconception. According to the United States department of energy, Saudi Arabia is the world's largest producer of oil in the world, with over 11 million barrels per day, with Iraq producing under 2 million. With such a massive difference, Iraq seems nearly insignificant. These numbers have been relatively stable for years. Why then, do gas prices continue to rise? The answer is a fundamental economic principle: supply and demand. Those that possess the gasoline set the prices. The more we need gasoline, the higher the price we are willing to pay. Perhaps someone is taking advantage of a nation distracted by war and political turmoil in order to profit. Under the guise of Osama burning up our oil reserves whilst blowing up our troops, oil companies can gouge consumers and make a pretty penny off of a nation that blames the inflation on the evils that it's president brings to the surface.

Just because Iraq's oil production is extremely low compared to the top producers does not mean that it's potential for production is as well. Mailer quotes Nader by saying "The surest way for the U.S. to sustain its overwhelming dependence upon oil is to control the sixty-seven percent of the world's proven oil reserves that lie below the sands of the Persian Gulf. Iraq alone has proven reserves of 112.5 billion barrels, or 11% of the world's remaining supply. . . .Only Saudi Arabia has more." Mailer goes on to suggest that once we occupy Iraq, we will also gain a choke hold on Saudi Arabia and the rest of the Middle East. The concept of making such a pervasive commodity such as gasoline cheaper is extremely appealing to Americans. I have no doubt that controlling Iraq would cheapen our gas prices, if only because it could no longer serve as a price-gouging scapegoat.