Removing Oil as a Cause for War
It’s the 150th anniversary of the signing of the First Geneva Convention, which, according to the Writer’s Almanac, “marked the beginning of the international humanitarian law movement.”
I’m going to resist the temptation to go off on a rant about the fact that my country, which likes to represent itself as a bastion of human rights, a century and half later, still tortures its prisoners, and take this post in another direction: war itself, and its relation to energy—in particular, to oil.
I’m reminded of the conclusion to my first book: Renewable Energy—Facts and Fantasies, in which I interviewed ex-U.S. CIA Director James Woolsey (pictured). Astonished that Mr. Woolsey was equivocal when I asked him if the U.S. invasion of Iraq was about oil, I wrote:
It’s quite obvious that we fight wars over oil; I don’t know how – or even why – anyone would attempt to deny that. Oil is a resource that lies at the very heart of our culture; wouldn’t anyone be rightfully shocked if the US didn’t fight to preserve its very life’s blood? After all, it’s not like we’re exactly pacifistic as a nation. Can you think of something more serious to fight over?
Having said that, it seems to me that Mr. Woolsey is correct about almost everything else he said. In particular, there are huge national security issues militating towards an immediate migration away from oil. Yet he appears to see nothing sinister about the fact that, knowing all this, we’re still borrowing half a billion dollars a day to buy oil, pushing our country further into debt and empowering the world’s truly evil interests. I’m not sure how anyone could conclude that there isn’t some extremely sinister force behind this.
I’m also reminded of the opening essay: “Oil and a Century of War” in my second book, Is Renewable Really Doable?, which begins with a few quotes:
“All wars are fought for money.” – Socrates
“Give me the money that has been spent in war and I will clothe every man, woman, and child in an attire of which kings and queens will be proud. I will build a schoolhouse in every valley over the whole earth. I will crown every hillside with a place of worship consecrated to peace.” – Charles Sumner, the Republican Senator, and head of the abolitionist movement in Massachusetts
“The Iraq War is largely about oil.” – Alan Greenspan
In any case, it’s a good thing that we have the Geneva Convention in place. Now it’s time to put it fully into effect, or, better yet, let’s dial back the belligerence. This is clearly an attainable objective, and will be achieved, at least in part, by removing oil as an important commodity and thus a cause for war.
