The Geopolitical Challenges Of America

With gas prices on a slow rise it is no surprise that the United States has a huge dependency on oil. In a recent statistic from the US Energy Information Administration stated that in 2012 alone roughly 10.6 million barrels of petroleum were imported into the US daily. Most recently BP was accused of spilling approximately 470 to 1228 gallons of oil. And in recent past the major oil spill with in the Gulf of Mexico which occurred in 2010 that is by many is considered to be the worst oil spill in US history. An estimated 4.9 million barrels of oil was leaked into the Gulf coast. Being detrimental to not only wildlife but also has a huge impact on the planets general population as well. Most if not all forms of transportation with a large portion being cars run on oil and little alternatives to what can be used as a substitute. With such a high dependency on oil as well as being a high risk factor why hasn’t the US looked to other forms of energy that are both clean and efficient? Many countries have found alternative ways to supply energy. Most notably Sweden, in which in later years has been noted to actually import waste to use for their energy. If a viable energy alternative is not implemented then dependency on oil may inevitably deteriorate the infrastructure in which this country is operated upon as well as consequently negatively affect natural resources and wildlife to a point in which it will be near impossible to rehabilitate.

     For a drug addict to quit a drug, the best solutions for the addict would be to slowly wean them self off the drug periodically. America can be viewed in a parallel way on its dependency for oil. America needs another source of oil to slowly lessen its overwhelming dependency on foreign oil and to help the process of finding another mass energy source. The Arctic National Wildlife Refuge better known as the ANWR is a rich treasure of oil and gas that can help lessen Americas need for foreign resources. Drilling on the ANWR will not only help the American economy, but will also help aid America in the future.

The U.S. should invest in alternatives to oil, and drill on the United States grounds because it will assist the economy, preserve energy and fix the world’s environmental problems. The supply and demand for oil is always on the rise, and problems are contemplated with the use for oil. Those problems are starting to catch up to the modern world, and something needs to change before the world enters a black out. Experts can predict that there is estimated to be somewhere around 61 years of oil left for us to use at our current rate. The demand for oil is always rising. People in today’s modern society rely so heavily on oil, that they would not know what to expect if it

The “U.S. became the world’s top producer of petroleum and natural gas” in 2013 (Energy Infrastructure). “Capital spending in the infrastructure that moves and transforms oil and gas into everyday products … has increased by 60 percent between 2010 and 2013” (Energy Infrastructure). The rise to become the top producer has led to the decrease in “U.S. oil import dependence” and the “rise of U.S. product exports” (U.S. Oil Import Dependence). The increased exportation of oil and gas by the U.S. has allowed both of these products to become large moneymakers for the United States. Although we will probably never “completely eliminate our need” for oil, we can reduce our petroleum consumption and the damage we inflict on the environment (Reduce Oil Dependence Costs). By decreasing the “dependence on oil” in new vehicles, there has been a

Currently, the United States is the largest importer of crude oil in the world, while it is only the 3rd largest producer. In 2013, while we imported 7.7 million barrels of oil a day, we only produced 7.5 million (Dakota Access). It is critical that we produce more and import less so we can be more self-sufficient in energy production and focus on our country’s economy, to benefit the American people.

Our dependence on foreign oil and natural gas has created a vulnerability affecting our national security and economic stability. Up until this past decade there was an appreciable decline in our oil and natural gas production in the US and we were tied to world market price fluctuations. Oil prices and natural gas prices rose and fell based on OPEC’s and other large oil and natural gas producers’ production and pricing decisions. Beginning in 2005, things began to change in the US oil and natural gas industry. New technology called hydraulic fracturing or “fracking” made it possible to extract oil and natural gas from geological

The U.S. Government should stop investing in oil because it has proven to be harmful to the environment, such as the BP oil spill in 2010, and oil has historically been destructive to our economy. Oil costs far too much money; from costing consumers in gasoline money, to wasting far too much money on the recovery of oil spills. The government should invest money in renewable resources instead of oil.

In a revealing article by George Perry (2001) the author discusses the economic impact that a disruption in the oil supplies would have on world oil prices. He states “Currently 28 percent of the world's crude oil comes from the Organization of Arab Petroleum Exporting Countries (OAPEC) consisting of Arab Muslim nations, some of which are not part of the OPEC cartel. The governing regimes in all these countries are at some risk [due to the war on terrorism].” He goes on to state that in a worst case scenario the economic consequences of oil supply disruption would be “oil prices rise to $161 per barrel driving gasoline price to $4.84 per gallon. The increase in the nation's bill for products of crude oil rises by about 10 percent of GDP, which adds perhaps 15 percent to the inflation rate in the first year. And the recession is the steepest and deepest of the postwar period, with GDP declining nearly 5 percent the first year.”

I personally believe that not only Americans, but everyone needs to conserve energy. There is only so much energy, so we need to use what we have wisely so we don’t run out. There are forms of energy like the sun, that we will always have, but types like oil, it’s only a matter of time before not only Americans, but everyone globally runs out. “The Telegraph” estimates we will run out of oil in 2050

needs coal, coal-fired plants, and nuclear power plants to create jobs, and wind energy to help generate electricity. The U.S. can find sources around here to use, and then they can slowly back away from being dependent on foreign oil. Is the U.S. trying to drain the other countries of their oil, so if they run out, we have oil to survive with and the other countries will not? Or if the other countries run out of oil, they will have to buy it from the U.S.? These are some questions we should ponder and think about this and see what other people think about these questions for our future generations. The U.S. should be ready and prepared for the future in case they are in dispute with other countries and are not welcomed there, and have no choice but to drill here in the U.S. Since the U.S. uses tons of oil and gas, the people in the U.S. probably only think of what they use in their vehicles or lawnmowers every day and not for anything else like making wind turbines, light bulbs, and electric cars. They think of themselves as using the oil and gas as one person and not as a whole United States using the gas and oil. Our Illinois Senator Dale Righter and the other U.S. Congressmen need to listen to other people who are trying to reduce the dependency on foreign oil and try to support them. Those people may have some good suggestions or ideas, for them to use or try. U.S. Energy Information Administration, “The United States uses nearly 400 million gallons

“National Security Consequences of United States Oil Dependence” is an article created by an Independent Task Force which emphasizes how in the future the United States can experience severe consequences from using an abundant amount of oil. "For the United States, with 4.6 percent of the world's population using 25 percent of the world's oil, the transition would be especially disruptive" (Task Force 212). The transition they describe is to an economy that relies less on petroleum. This dependence on oil could possibly result in the United States to suffer with economic, and social downfall as the entire country depends on the oil we obtain. One alternative to this oil dependency is to explore all American territory for oil, which involves

The United States is facing an energy crisis. Dependence on foreign oil has led to geopolitical conflict, and global fossil fuel consumption is damaging the environment at an alarming rate. Add to this an exploding world population, and it is clear that the US needs to find an alternative source of energy.

What the U.S. grand strategy should strive for is to conserve primacy as the leader in a monopolar world-order. Consequently, the U.S. energy independence affords it the flexibility to not only cut ties with Middle Eastern oil supply but compete directly with it. Oil imported from Canada or extracted by fracking the Marcellus shale within the U.S. provides a more reliable and secure supply than oil from the Middle East. Oil exports from North America could reduce European reliance on Russian oil supplies. This would strengthen the North Atlantic Treaty Organization’s (NATO) ability to contain Russian expansionism into Eastern Europe and preserve the monopolar status quo ante; however the U.S. is exhibiting signs of losing its ability to maintain

In 2014 the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries, or OPEC decided to lower the oil price. The reason the OPEC nations decided to overproduce and flood the market was to strangle the oil industry of the United States. This low price would force the oil businesses to lower their prices to compete and therefore income would be reduced. The OPEC nations would have a majority of control over the oil market if the US oil industry fades or is driven out of business. The OPEC nations, whose primary income is from petroleum, are fighting for more income from the US based

People in the U.S. use oil every day. Powering cars, heating homes, and providing electricity are just a few examples of how we use oil fuels in our daily life. Where would we be if we woke up tomorrow and couldn't fly because there was no fuel, or products containing plastic were taken off the market? "In fact, oil is a part of everyday items such as crayons, bubble gum, and deodorant (Mooney 19). Oil is the number one source of energy in the U.S. today. However, the U.S. imports 140 billion worth of its oil supply every day from unstable regions such as Canada and Mexico (news desk). This makes our addiction to oil an even more dangerous game. Dependence on foreign oil, also leaves the U.S. vulnerable to fluctuations in global supply and