IP: Colonialism? Exploitation? Get real!

[David Farber <dave () farber net>]

> From: "Gerry Faulhaber" <gerry-faulhaber () home com>
> To: <farber () cis upenn edu>
> Subject: Colonialism?  Exploitation?  Get real!
> Date: Sun, 23 Sep 2001 09:32:57 -0400
>
> I really don't get this; why do we think it's evil to care about oil?  It's
> not.  Oil is a strategic resource for most of the world, and much of it is
> in the Middle East.  Of course we have a strategic interest in this, and
> there's no need to apologize for it.  Is it supposed to be immoral to look
> out for your own economic interest?  Then every one of us who shops for a
> low price at Wal-Mart is immoral.
>
> Colonialism?  In fact, OPEC, the oil cartel, is the opposite of colonialism.
> It is a cartel whose sole purpose is to extract as much monopoly rent as
> feasible from the oil-consuming world.  If this went on in the US, it would
> be instantly prosecuted as a price-fixing violation by the Justice Dept.
> Just how is it the US and the oil-consuming world is exploiting the Middle
> East?  By paying $15-$18 a barrel above production cost for oil to their
> governments?
>
> Gerald Faulhaber
> Business and Public Policy Department
> Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania
> Philadephia, PA 19104
> 215-898-7860
>
> > >And yet: why does the United States even care about the Middle East?
> After
> > >all, there is no such interest in Africa or the South Pacific or other
> > >poor regions far from our shores.  Why has the Republican party
> repeatedly
> > >said that the Middle East was a strategic area and all these stupid
> little
> > >wars Clinton got involved in weren't?  Everyone knows the answer.  Why
> has
> > >there been so little mention of  it?  THE MIDDLE EAST HAS OIL.  The West
> > >acts toward the Middle East as if it regards this fact as an unfortunate
> > >mistake of nature to be rectified by any means necessary.  This causes us
> > >to view these Arab states and their people as means to the end of oil
> > >extraction.  And it's been going on for years. While rhetoric about
> > >"imperialism" is often overblown, in this particular case, it's almost
> > >classically true.  We need their oil and will stop at practically nothing
> > >to get it.



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