Addicted to Oil: America's Relentless Drive for Energy Security [Paperback]

Ian Rutledge (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: November 12, 2006 | ISBN-10: 1845113195 | ISBN-13: 978-1845113193

As even George W. Bush acknowledged in his 2006 State of the Union, America is dangerously "addicted to oil". In Addicted to Oil, Ian Rutledge explores the political, economic and social ramifications of the motorization of the US economy and examines the ways in which America's dependence on the car has created oil needs which have heavily influenced US foreign policy. Rutledge argues that the invasion and occupation of Iraq was primarily an attempt to create a pliant and dependable oil protectorate in that troubled region which would underwrite the soaring demand from America's hyper-motorized consumers.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"Addicted to Oil provides a sweeping account of the forces, policies, and personalities that drive America's unending pursuit of foreign petroleum. Ian Rutledge has done a superb job of recounting the evolution of U.S. oil dominance in the Persian Gulf and the events leading up to the 2003 U.S. invasion of Iraq. Highly recommended for those seeking a keener understanding of the geopolitical underpinnings of American foreign policy."
-Michael Klare, Professor of Peace and World Security Studies, Hampshire College, Amherst, Massachusetts, and the author of Blood and Oil: The Dangers and Consequences of America's Growing Dependency on Imported Petroleum

" Essential reading for anyone interested in the emerging pattern of global conflict. Rutledge illuminates the role of energy security in US policy and shows that US intervention in Iraq was needed… 'about oil'. A valuable guidebook to causes of the resource wars of the future." Professor John Gray, London School of Economics

"Rigorous and insightful… Rutledge paints a vivid picture of the development of the intense love affairs of the US economy with its drug of choice."
Dr Juan Carlos Boue, Journal of Energy Literature, Oxford Institute for Energy Studies

"Very provocative analysis…One cannot ignore the force of Ian Rutledge's arguments. His book is a must-read for an understanding of America's international priorities and its troubled relations with the Middle East... A telling account of what literally 'drives' America and its foreign policy" --Asian Voice

"Essential reading for an understanding of America's international political priorities and its fraught relations with
the Middle East". --Fuel Oil News

About the Author

Ian Rutledge is an energy economist and lectures at the University of Sheffield. He also works as an energy business consultant.

Product Details

• Paperback: 288 pages
• Publisher: I. B. Tauris (November 12, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1845113195
• ISBN-13: 978-1845113193
• Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 6.1 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,048,020 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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11 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent Analysis, June 29, 2005

By 

B.Sudhakar Shenoy (India) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Addicted to Oil: America's Relentless Drive for Energy Security (Hardcover)

The book begins with some good definitions that guide the global oil industry. In terms of "energy grades" oil is a clear winner for powering Large Independent Mobile Machines ( LIMM ). Cars are the most popular LIMMs today and oil drives these machines. The concept of "eminent domain" in terms of the ownership of natural resources of a country establishes the supremacy of the State and the key to Government policies over oil reserves in various countries. The concept of "territorial imperative" links the valuation of shares of oil companies with their untapped proven oil reserves. Since oil is a depleting asset, oil companies should keep moving across our planet's surface in search of new reserves.

The core theme of the book is around the American automobile industry and its linkage with America's foreign policy in its quest to keep feeding the millions of energy hungry vehicles on its roads. The book claims that the public transport system was systematically dismantled in America to aid the growth of the market for cars. Cheap oil was then a necessity to make their running costs affordable. Cars are very closely linked to the American culture and the country has the highest ownership of about 832 cars per thousand population. In per capita terms Americans own more than double the number of cars, use them for double the mileage per year, and own cars that are bigger and consume nearly double the quantity of fuel per mile in comparison with Europe. Things were fine till such time America had plenty of oil in her own land. Suddenly "Hubbert's Peak" becomes a reality and in 1974 America was caught off guard by the oil shock.

What follows is an exciting read on the impact of America's external dependence for her oil . With over 11 million barrels of the daily consumption of 20 million barrels being imported, American oil companies are now driven by the territorial imperative need to find large oil wells outside America. Unfortunately over a quarter of these proven reserves are in "not so friendly" or "politically unstable" countries whose governments exercise the eminent domain over the precious commodity.

The book discusses the following points very convincingly :

- In the desperate search for oil, America is endangering the environment in Alaska
- The present US government is friendly to American oil companies
- Oil companies would like to maximize their wealth through larger control of global oil reserves and simultaneously maintain a higher price for oil
- America's need to diversify its oil imports away from the Persian Gulf
- The Caspian reserves are not so promising as once believed
- The Gulf finally holds the key to global oil supplies and prices
- America's indifference to switch over to more fuel efficient vehicles
- The recent American Invasion of Iraq as a means to create an alternative to Saudi supplies
- Current proven reserves, their global distribution and the likely supply and demand scenarios till 2050
- Scenarios of surge in demand for oil from fast growing countries like China and India
- Need for alternative energy sources

Many of the conclusions are debatable. But the book establishes a clear logic in the linkage between foreign policy and oil.

References mentioned in the notes at the end of the book are very detailed and can be a good list for any researcher on the topic of oil.

Highly recommended.