Out of the “well, duh” category…
The ABC in Australia is reporting on the Aussie Defense Minister, Dr. Brendan Nelson, comments about why Australian troops are still in Iraq.
Obviously the Middle East itself, not only Iraq, but the entire region is an important supplier of energy, oil in particular, to the rest of the world.
Well that only took 4 long years to finally come out.
Remember the good’ol days when war was about protecting people? Actually, that’s not true… war has always been about resources as well. From the Greeks to the Romans… from land to water, to oil. The Human race has all too often resorted to violence in order to secure the energy it needs to survive.
Personally, this is the greatest indication yet that governments around the world are getting nervous about the availability and price of oil. They see the writing on the wall. As was said by the chief economist of the IEA last week.
If Iraqi production does not rise exponentially by 2015, we have a very big problem, even if Saudi Arabia fulfills all its promises. The numbers are very simple, there’s no need to be an expert…. Within 5 to 10 years, non-OPEC production will reach a peak and begin to decline, as reserves run out. There are new proofs of that fact every day. At the same we’ll see the peak of China’s economic growth. The two events will coincide: the explosion of Chinese growth, and the fall in non-OPEP oil production. Will the oil world manage to face that twin shock is an open question.
Australia, the US and UK, have responded to this with war in Iraq.
Canada and NATO, is no better, playing backup in Afghanistan. We have a very important decision to make, right now, before the coming energy crisis is too close to matter. Do we resort to violence? Or do we find another way? *This*, not terrorism, will be the battle of our Generation.