Middle Eastern Black Gold

The Middle East by far controls most of the oil production in the world and it is essential to the U.S. that they get most of this oil. Without oil the U.S. would be left defenseless and useless. Oil runs cars, planes, tanks, heating and military vehicles of different times. In the Middle East the main exporters are Saudi Arabia, Iran, United Arab Emirates and Iraq. Combined all these countries export about 19.79 million barrels a day; with Saudi Arabia contributing half of these barrels of oil. On the other hand, the United State is the top importer of oil with taking in more than Russia, India, China and Canada combined. The United States takes in more than 21 million barrels of oil a day. Oil is a resource that is vital to every country and its abundance on earth is decreasing. "Industrial nations desperate for fuel would aggressively pursue control of the remaining oil supplies, which would likely result in war." As the amount of oil gets less and less, it is probable that countries will go to war trying to get the last of that oil. The Middle East will also probably go to extreme lengths to protect that oil. Currently with the amount of oil decreasing, the price of it is going up. The current price of oil per gallon in the U.S. is about $4. The current price of oil per barrel is about $130.02 and still may increase in price. The United States tries to promote democracy in the Middle East, but at the same time they don't want to get involved because they want to continue to have access to oil. Rumors have been going around that the money given to Saudi Arabia for its oil is being used to fund terroristic activities and operations.

("The Energy Crisis." Is the World Heading Toward an Energy Crisis? Ed. Daniel A. Leone. San Diego: Greenhaven Press, 2005. At Issue. Gale Opposing Viewpoints In Context. Web. 8 June 2011)