How to Escape The Oil Trap

If I could change one thing about American foreign policy, what would it be? The answer is easy, but it’s not something most of us think of as foreign policy. I would adopt a serious national program geared toward energy efficiency and independence. Reducing our dependence on oil would be the single greatest multiplier of American power in the world. I leave it to economists to sort out what expensive oil does to America’s growth and inflation prospects. What is less often noticed is how crippling this situation is for American foreign policy.

… In almost every region, efforts to produce a more stable, peaceful and open world order are being compromised and complicated by high oil prices. And while America spends enormous time, money and effort dealing with the symptoms of this problem, we are actively fueling the cause.

MSNBC Newsweek