Turning Left » Archive » Iran, Oil, and the Neverending Story

Iran, Oil, and the Neverending Story

I get it. We’re stuck with oil and there’s no way out. At least that’s what we’re supposed to think if we believe Robert Bryce at the Washington Post. Bryce sets out to dismiss 5 arguments many make regarding our dependence on foreign oil:

Energy independence will reduce or eliminate terrorism.
A big push for alternative fuels will break our oil addiction.
Energy independence will let America choke off the flow of money to nasty countries.
Energy independence will mean reform in the Muslim world.
Energy independence will mean a more secure U.S. energy supply.

The thread that ties all of these, according to Bryce, is that “we’re woven in with the rest of the world — and going to stay that way.” While arguing that there has been terrorism before there was oil, indeed, “terrorism is an ancient tactic that predates the oil era,” he concludes there is no other alternative but to keep using oil.

But his arguments fall short. In dismissing alternative fuels, for example, he relies on the United States remaining with the internal combustion engine, which may or may not happen.

I’m always loathe to believe anyone who claims to know the future. The fact is that all of these arguments fall short of the wonderful, profound truth that we need to pursue alternative energy solutions for more important than Bryce’s confining arguments. Alternative energy, energy independence, simply means imagining for just a few moments that we are actually dreaming once again.

And we may arrive at completely different and innovative solutions to our current energy problems. And, for my friends on the Right, these may actually prove lucrative as well.