The Great Craving: The Effect of Oil - P#1

          While the use of oil in itself is not bad, the dependence on foreign oil has caused the United States to focus its foreign policy on the Middle East oil rich countries economically, politically and militarily. This foreign policy has caused the US to make some less than desirable concessions to scrupulous leaders, uses of military might, and been cornered into economic crisis. Finding a region besides the Middle East that is more stable economically, didn’t have trouble with political leaders, didn’t have constant conflicts with neighboring countries, and could supply the US with our desired oil is a solution, or maybe we should try turning to more alternative energy sources.

          Ever since the discovery of oil in Titusville, Pennsylvania and the invention of the internal combustion engine, US society and more so its foreign policy have changed. This became more evident in the twentieth century with the occurrence of two World Wars as the US would take a more active role in the affairs of foreign countries. As the consumption of oil and gasoline would rise beyond the amount of domestic oil production, the US would look to foreign sources to meet the demand. In particular after WWII our foreign policy would change economically, politically, and militarily based on this demand for oil; however, the new oil foreign policy has not always worked to our advantage.

          The discovery of oil in Saudi Arabia by Rockefeller in 1936, US foreign policy would change to have a focus on the oil rich nations of the Middle East. Prior to 1936, as early as 1919 in fact the United States had the opportunity to be involved with the Middle Eastern countries. The door was open by the League of Nations as those regions of the Ottoman Empire were divided into independent states to become more involved in Middle Eastern affairs. However, there was no considerable economic advantage in buying Persian goods, such as rugs, figs, and minerals. The US did not feel moved to intervene in their political disputes over such novelties. Until of course the natural resource became oil. The US had become an oil dependent society, as the automobile became a part of everyday life, and oil drove industries and economic policy. In 1973, OPEC forced an oil embargo on the US and other free world economies. This created gasoline shortages in the US and the price of gas quadrupled. Since then ensuring that supply of oil has been one of the most important foreign policy issues for the US economically.

          Politically, oil has forced our concern for the politics of the Middle East. In the 1950s the US government in attempt to keep communism out of Iran, helped oust the newly elected prime minister. The US backed a coup that would put into power the Shah of Iran in 1953, a pro-American leader. The Shah, Mohammed Reza, made sure to sell plenty of Iranian oil to the US in exchange for money and military might. Iran the largest country in the Middle East and certainly one of the largest oil producing countries in the world enjoyed this status with the US as much of the US relished in the oil supply. However, the Shah was ruthless to his own people, suppressing political opposition, employing a secret police and forcing western ways on them. The US turned a blind eye to these human right violations as not to upset the delicate relationship that included a very large supply of oil. In 1979 Islamist revolutionaries overthrew the Shah, took over the government. Since then the US has had a turbulent relationship with Iran, and has been shut off from the Iran oil supply since.

          Militarily, oil has been the reason for putting soldiers in harm’s way, all for the sake of protecting our oil supply. Prior to WWII, if conflicts arose in the Middle East, it would barely affect the United States and in fact the US would not get involved. When the German Army took over parts of the Ottoman Empire, the US protested but did not enter WWII over it. Today even the threat of war in the Middle East has US diplomats attempting to work out the issues with those upset neighboring countries to avoid conflict. In 1990, when Saddam Hussein and his Iraqi Army invaded neighboring Kuwait, the US responded by sending a large force made up of our Navy, Air Force, Marines, and Army to free Kuwait at the urging of the other Arab countries. Kuwait’s oil fields supplied the US on a small scale, but other larger oil supplies in Saudi Arabia were Saddam’s potential next target. American foreign policy driven by oil again pushed the US into conflict. While the US military force easily beat back the Iraqi military, our presence in Iraq would last for decades as another conflict would bring us back to Iraq again in 2002.

Iraqi Military during Operation Desert Storm when Saddam Hussein tried invading the Saudi Oil Fields.

American F-15 used in Operation Desert Storm




Bibliography

"Oil Embargo, 1973–1974 - 1969–1976 - Milestones - Office of the Historian." Oil Embargo, 1973 –1974 - 1969–1976 - Milestones - Office of the Historian. United States Department of State, 31 Oct. 2013. Web. 09 Jan. 2014.