"The New Geopolitics of Energy" by Michael Klare

The article by Michael Klare takes an interesting approach, by narrowing the issues of military presence in foreign countries, the Pentagon's plans, and the problem of dwindling resources into one heading. The Pentagon seems to be focused completely on the military control of resources around the globe, not cooperation and funding for new energy alternatives.

Historically, a majority of American foreign policy has been directed at controlling resources. Especially our relations with Latin America and the Middle East are characterized by the exploitation of resources. Now we are seeing our interest in oil played out through the Iraq war, many Americans even site oil as the primary reason for the intervention in Iraq. Since we couldn't learn to cooperate with Iraq we intervened. This kind of aggressive foreign policy has the potential to send American troops all over the globe in order to gain access to resources. We spend time bulking up the military in order to gain control over resources when we could be using that money to fund research for alternative energy sources. I can't wrap my head around that idea, that we would rather just take from other countries than find a renewable and reliable alternative source. Eventually resources are going to run out, whether its 200 years from now or 25 years from now, we need to come to terms with that and start working towards a solution.

I like Klare's last paragraph where he brings it back to the current election. Without saying names Klare clearly shows that a vote for McCain would lead to "greater reliance on imported fuels, increased militarization of our foreign fuel dependency and prolonged struggle with other powers for control over the world's remaining supplies of fossil fuels." (7) While McCain has tried to distance himself from the current administrations foreign policies and decisions, these things sound remarkably familiar. The American public has witnessed what this administration's foreign policy has gotten us into, perhaps its time to try a different route. As Klare puts it, "Rarely has a policy choice been as stark or as momentous for the future of our country." (8)