highnote
02-24-2006, 02:18 PM
http://www.foreignaffairs.org/20021101faresponse10002/shibley-telhami-fiona-hill/does-saudi-arabia-still-matter-differing-perspectives-on-the-kingdom-and-its-oil.html
It may be good in the short term that we are getting cheap stuff made in China and that companies are improving their bottom line in the short term, but long term, China is going to cause major problems.
When you read the whole article, you can understand why we need a strong military defense in the U.S. As other countries get stronger, it is not unreasonable to think that they would find occupying the United States very desirable. And this is only the tip of the iceberg of concerns the U.S. has.
STRATEGIC COMPETITORS
In the coming years, the United States is likely to face additional complications in the Persian Gulf as the world becomes increasingly dependent on Middle Eastern oil, and as new countries vie to protect their own interests in the region's supply. China is a case in point. Oil now accounts for almost 30 percent of Chinese energy consumption. The country imports 60 percent of its oil from the Persian Gulf, and projections indicate that in the next two decades, this figure could rise to 90 percent. Economic interests and concerns over energy security could thus easily lead to increased Chinese political involvement in the region. China has already begun to invest in energy exploration in Iran and has made efforts to negotiate rights to develop an oil field in Iraq. (Beijing's interest in Caspian energy reserves has also translated into political involvement in Central Asia -- most notably through the creation of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization with Russia and four of the Central Asian states, including Kazakhstan.) Yet China is just one reminder that in the next decade, the United States will not necessarily find it so easy to influence and restrain the activities of all the interested parties in the Persian Gulf.
As wealthy as those Saudi sheiks are, they've got a lot of headaches. They are right in the middle of the mix. Various groups are plotting to overthrow them. Everyone wants their oil.
Think about the former Royal Family of Russia -- the Romanov's -- and the fate they suffered. Not to mention most of the Royal families of Europe. Can the Saud's rule last indefinately?
It may be good in the short term that we are getting cheap stuff made in China and that companies are improving their bottom line in the short term, but long term, China is going to cause major problems.
When you read the whole article, you can understand why we need a strong military defense in the U.S. As other countries get stronger, it is not unreasonable to think that they would find occupying the United States very desirable. And this is only the tip of the iceberg of concerns the U.S. has.
STRATEGIC COMPETITORS
In the coming years, the United States is likely to face additional complications in the Persian Gulf as the world becomes increasingly dependent on Middle Eastern oil, and as new countries vie to protect their own interests in the region's supply. China is a case in point. Oil now accounts for almost 30 percent of Chinese energy consumption. The country imports 60 percent of its oil from the Persian Gulf, and projections indicate that in the next two decades, this figure could rise to 90 percent. Economic interests and concerns over energy security could thus easily lead to increased Chinese political involvement in the region. China has already begun to invest in energy exploration in Iran and has made efforts to negotiate rights to develop an oil field in Iraq. (Beijing's interest in Caspian energy reserves has also translated into political involvement in Central Asia -- most notably through the creation of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization with Russia and four of the Central Asian states, including Kazakhstan.) Yet China is just one reminder that in the next decade, the United States will not necessarily find it so easy to influence and restrain the activities of all the interested parties in the Persian Gulf.
As wealthy as those Saudi sheiks are, they've got a lot of headaches. They are right in the middle of the mix. Various groups are plotting to overthrow them. Everyone wants their oil.
Think about the former Royal Family of Russia -- the Romanov's -- and the fate they suffered. Not to mention most of the Royal families of Europe. Can the Saud's rule last indefinately?