[marko]

This article offers a frightening but plausible suggestion that the US and Israeli governments are maneuvering to force the United States into a broader air war against Syria.

http://www.antiwar.com/roberts/?articleid=9311

In my opinion, this would risk another oil embargo, a la 1973, by Saudi Arabia and the other Gulf states. The consequences for the precarious global financial markets could be disastrous.

BUT, the resulting global depression might delay peak oil by a few years...

[kam30en]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('', 'B')UT, the resulting global depression might delay peak oil by a few years...

[marko]

Kam30en, I see your point. If we are within a year or two of peak now, a global depression would probably last long enough to make it impossible ever to exceed current rates of production. This is the scenario you suggest.

On the other hand, if the analysis of Rembrandt Koppelaar at Peak Oil Netherlands is right, oil will not peak asssuming current trends continue until 2012. See his report:

http://www.peakoil.nl/images/ponlreport.pdf

If a global depression were deep enough to preserve ample capacity, oil production could peak during the recovery from that depression sometime after 2012.

The truth is that we really don't know how much economically recoverable oil we have left.

But my main concern, and the reason I posted this in Open Discussion, is whether the US is being dragged into a broader, more dangerous war in the Middle East.