Why Go To War Over Oil

Who Needs War For Oil? -- Robert P. Murphy, American Conservative

For decades Americans have endured a steady drumbeat urging the need to wean the U.S. from its “addiction” to oil. The specific reasons differ, depending on the critic: leftists stress the environment and the social joys of a European-style mass transit system, while right-wingers worry about oil from a national-security standpoint. Yet both camps agree: left to its own devices, the laissez-faire American economy would rely too heavily on oil, and therefore there is an important role for federal intervention.

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My Comment: I have always argued that the world is actually awash with oil .... but the problem has always been the politics and the policies that governments pursue to control what everyone agrees is a vital resource. So yes .... going to war over oil is an outdated concept .... what we should focus on are the other reasons on why we go to war .... and pursuing policies to avoid and/or minimize these conflicts. As to our present day wars .... we should not fall into a trap (like Afghanistan) where the commerce of keeping a war ongoing takes precedent over anything else .... which in the case of Afghanistan is proving to be very bloody and expensive.