Like any citizen of this world, I grieve for the loss and suffering of so many people in New York City, Washington, D.C. and around the United States, due to the shocking and horrific terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001. With every headline, Americans advance theories to explain what has happened. The Islamic terrorist hate the United States because of their power, pleasures, openness, democracy, wealth, faithlessness and fun. Oil, however, is barely part of the discussion. As stated by Prof. Radovic at Penn State University, "The desperation that has led them [the terrorists] to these counterproductive acts has its roots in society’s attitudes toward energy and fuels." Or even more dramatic are the statements by Paul Krugman in his article "Not a Fuels Errand" published in The New York Times on September 26, 2001:

        "Apparently the greatest single motivating factor for the terrorists was not, as you might suppose, the Israeli-Palestinian conflict; it was the continuing presence of American soldiers in Saudi Arabia. That presence is a legacy of the gulf war. And while the gulf war did involve defending a small nation against aggression, we probably wouldn't have waged that war, or maintained a permanent military presence in the region, if it weren't for the oil."

        It is an undeniable fact that one of the reasons that tensions arose high in the Middle East is the value of the oil reserves in that region. For about three decades, Americans have only haphazardly tried to fortify themselves against a catastrophic cutoff of oil from the Middle East, which accounts for about one-third of world production and two-thirds of known reserves. U.S. government has looked for any local reactionary powers to serve as bases of its influence in the Middle East. Thus, United States has been bombing one or another Middle Eastern country almost continuously since 1983, including Lebanon, Libya, Iraq, Iran, the Sudan and now Afghanistan. Without actually declaring war, the United States has conducted military operations against Iraq for nearly 11 years. I remember one particular war fought by Americans for access to oil – the Persian Gulf War in 1991. The former President Bush said that the U.S. was in the gulf to "protect freedom, protect our future, and protect the innocent". He claimed that if Saddam got greater control of oil reserves in the Middle East, he could threaten "our jobs" and "our way of life."

        The U.S. government position seems to find supporters among the average Americans. Very recently I was talking with a "well-educated" person and I was stunned when he said with surprise that he thought that the problem of the Persian Gulf War was Saddam Hussein. Guess what! The Iraqi leadership has been unaffected. Saddam Hussein remains in power, but millions live in abject misery, and the United Nations’ own data shows over 700,000 children having died as a consequence of these U.S. measures against Iraq. A decade of bombing and embargoes has left Iraq’s electric, water, and health infrastructure in tatters.

        No wonder why America’s efforts to destroy the terrorist networks are seen as suspicious. The United States is believed to have an overarching strategy that includes the control of the oil and gas resources in Central Asia and consolidation of America’s grip on the oil-producing Persian Gulf regimes. No wonder why some people compare the terror attacks on America and the shortsighted, unjust American policies that have alienated and antagonized most of the rising social classes in the region. The use of force against the Afghanistan seems to be unavoidable given the terrorist threat, and I also condemn the terrorist attacks. But I believe that Americans should also pursue peaceful solutions to their so-called "energy crisis". Even if trouble is avoided now, the threat will remain and new terrorists will continue to arise.

       Another troubling note of concern is just around the corner. The United States imports more oil from Colombia, and its neighbors Venezuela and Ecuador than from all Persian Gulf countries combined. Colombia's petroleum production today rivals Kuwait's on the eve of the Gulf War. And recently Colombia announced its largest oil discovery to date, with many other potential lucrative fields marked for exploration and exploitation across the entire northwest Amazon region. The main purpose of the United States Military in the Amazon now shifted from drug war to oil war, i.e. to secure access to oil. The proposed Plan Colombia is an example of this strategy, which was introduced as a pretext to the real objectives of the future U.S. intervention in the region.

        In general, the industrialized nations' fossil fuel dependence means that, to ensure supply, they may be forced to protect foreign sources of oil. The Persian Gulf War is the perfect example. U.S. troops were sent to the Gulf in part to guard against a possible cutoff of oil supply. Not only were billions of dollars spent (and continue to be spent) in protecting the oil, but lives were lost as well. Without the "black gold" the U.S. economy would be totally unsustainable, living standards would plummet, the dollar would weaken, the available investment and loan capital would shrink and Washington would not be able to sustain its global empire. Reliance on Middle East oil also creates a danger of fuel price shocks or shortages if supply is disrupted. Today, about one-third of United States’ oil comes from the Middle East. By 2030, if there is not change in U.S. energy policy, this nation may be relying on Middle East oil for two-thirds of its supply.