Addicted to Oil: Strategic Implications of American Oil Policy

Research Summary

q       Pointing out that America is addicted to oil, President George W. Bush called for concrete steps to replace more than 75 percent of the oil imports from the Middle East by 2025.

q       In this background, the article opines that Bush’s advance is just a small step and to make this a reality, several real time strategic plans and implementations must follow.

q       The study lists out several policies and stances by the government and political personalities of the state with respect to oil policy.

q       The article at length analyses the issue in connection with the four national interests such as defense of the homeland, promotion of U.S. democratic values, creation of a favorable world order, and enhancement of the nation’s economic well-being.

q       The author highlights that energy policymaking in the United States in the past 35 years has been neither decisive nor strategic due to certain vested interests.

q       The strategic steps suggested by the author invite more advances towards using gasoline ethanol hydrogen as alternative fuels.

q       It is highly important to summon the talents of the global community to this end in addition to the native industrial and scientific talents.

q       America must look forward to activate new untapped reserves of the country besides increasing the existing oil production.

q       The author comments on the fact that America does not change because of good ideas, but any concrete effort must be driven economically and with emphasis on real time implementation.

q       On the whole, the article is a frank and practical attempt to pool together certain potential strategies of making the country’s oil policy a reality.

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