Oil-Hungry U.S. Reconsiders Iraq (NewsMax ...Friday, April 13, 2001

[SoCalDem]

http://www.newsmax.com/archives/articles/2001/4/12/202947.shtml



Oil-Hungry U.S. Reconsiders Iraq

NewsMax.com Wires

Friday, April 13, 2001

WASHINGTON (UPI) -

The United States is entering a period of relative shortages of energy that will require an overhaul of U.S. foreign policy, including possibly revamping sanctions against Iraq, an independent task force of energy and foreign policy experts told the White House in a report released Thursday.

The report, drafted by a panel assembled by the James A. Baker III Institute for Public Policy at Rice University and the Council on Foreign Relations, was submitted this week to the White House energy task force headed by Vice President Dick Cheney.In its comprehensive look at the United States' energy situation, the panel warned that increasing domestic energy supplies and reducing consumption would not be enough to insulate the United States from the ups and downs of world oil markets, particularly in the volatile Middle East.

"Tight markets have increased U.S. and global vulnerability to disruption and provided adversaries undue potential influence over the price of oil," the report said. "Iraq has become a key 'swing' producer, posing a difficult situation for the U.S. government."

Political turmoil in the Middle East, including the Arab-Israeli conflict and potential internal unrest in the Persian Gulf states, gives Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein greater leverage in using his vast oil reserves as an economic and diplomatic weapon. To offset Iraq's "destabilizing influence" in the Middle East, the panel recommended the United States and its allies consider refocusing the sanctions more toward curbing Baghdad's weapons development programs and less on stifling the Iraqi economy to the detriment of its everyday citizens.

....more pre-war propaganda follows...snip...

[Canuckistanian]

1. Well, they solved that "potential internal unrest" thing, didn't they?

And turned it into a "disastrous internal unrest" situation.

Bravo, Shrub!

[DemInDistress]

2. wars deficits deaths disrespect and all for oil

I understand bio fuels has some promise but what about HEMP OIL? HEMP seeds are dynamic in the way they burn
the amount of energy released by a seed is hugh compared to canola and other green energy. Back in WW2 HEMP
was an unsung hero,HEMP played a vital part in supply of oils,canvas,cloth,etc. plus HEMP is renewable and environmentally friendly..there is a 15 minute documentary produced by the Dept.of Agriculture aptly named
'HEMP FOR VICTORY" We need some new minds and new methods to combat the hugh cost of dirty crude.

[awoke_in_2003]

3. Not so sure about the high energy

release. Everytime I burn it, I get sluggish :)

[cliss]

4. OK: let's see if I understand this....we are occupying Iraq

and we're going to impose sanctions on Iraq? Why don't we impose sanctions on ourselves, then?