Oil has often been referred to as any economy’s lifeblood. Although this is an overemphasis, oil has been the key, nonhuman resource of the economy throughout the largest part of the 20th century. In the book “The Prize: The Epic Quest for Oil, Money, And Power” by Daniel Yergin, the author illustrates the political, societal, economic, and geo-strategic importance of this product. Yergin is the IHS Vice Chairman, and as their website tells us, he is also a "Pulitzer-Prize winning author and leading authority on energy, international politics and economics." He graduated from Yale University, and received his Ph.D. from Cambridge University. In addition to "The Prize," which won the Pulitzer Prize, he is also known for his book "The Quest Energy, Security, and the Remaking of the Modern World." He has been awarded the United States Energy Award, the Charles Percy Award for Public Service from the Alliance to Save Energy, a Lifetime Achievement Award by India 's Prime Minister, and many others (IHS, 2014). Yergin has a vast knowledge and understanding for the oil industry including its history and future implications. In this book, Yergin takes the reader on journey through oil history, from the first 1859 well drilling by Colonel Edwin in Pennsylvania up to the invasion of Kuwait by Saddam Hussein in a wrathful grab for oil and wealth in August of 1990. Yergin explores the role of oil in warfare, describes the changing organization of the oil sector, and examines
Michael Klare's Blood and Oil Michael Klare has written an interesting and very relevant book, dealing as it does with the politics of oil, US foreign policy, the Middle East, and the causes of terrorism. He writes with a clear purpose and that is to argue that America's "securitization" of oil and its willingness to use military force in order to secure its supplies of oil have been a major mistake. His main argument is that ever since the meeting on
Senator Everett Dirksen once noted “The oilcan is mightier than the sword”. In today’s world, it is easy to see why oil can be considered the most important resource to hold. Without oil, many of the common day occurrences we take for granted would be impossible. Oil is used for almost everything; from the fuel used to drive our vehicles, to the plastics used in every facet of life, and providing the heat needed to live through the winter. In fact, the United States depends so much on oil that as a nation it uses over 20 million barrels a day. Importing oil increases the total costs because of the need to transport it from around the world. It is estimated
This article The Gulf of Oil: The Deep Dilemma published by Monica Eckman adapted from “The Gulf of Oil: The Deep Dilemma” by Joel K. Bourne Jr.: National Geographic Magazine, October 2010.
Two-thirds of the world’s remaining oil reserves are in the Middle East which will make international policy imperative in the future (Campbell 2007). It is
Kuwait is one of the 12 members of the OPEC countries, the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries. According to the organization, these members produce about 81 percent of the total oil produced in the world. In the recent past, there have been rumors about the country not producing as much oil as it is proving that it does (Cobb, 2012). It cannot be said with certainty whether or not the oil reserves of Kuwait are depleting, however, this subject is important for discussion because the whole world depends on oil reserves of the major oil producing countries. All the issues, economic or political, revolve around one country wanting to take over the other for its all reserves. In this paper, we shall discuss the presence of oil reserves in Kuwait and some news pertaining to their depletion and overstatement. We shall also address this topic in another aspect; the oil depletion protocol.
Renewable energy has currently become a significant aspect in the countries generation, combination, and a constitution focus of government policy for energy, and environmental protection. As a result of public’s growing responsibility for the environment and constantly binding rules, and regulations of emission in the electric power industry, government has facilitated policies to boost the amount of renewable energy in the electricity generation portfolio. Additionally, the generation of electricity from renewable resources creates insufficient, and frequently, zero emissions of pollutants that comes from traditional fossil fuel production technologies. The additional use of renewable energy aids utilities in their emission agreement obligations. Furthermore, the anticipation of agreement with any future carbon emissions management would further toughen the incentive to move towards cleaner electricity creating technologies (Langwith, 2009).
Peter Maass begins his book by saying “oil was all around me.” He was standing on a balcony in Bagdhad as the war was breaking out in 2003. In looking around as Iraqis were dragging the bronze head of Saddam Hussein’s head on the ground, Maass asked himself, “Had the Americans marched on Bagdhad for the sake
The US invasion of Iraq in 2003 used many of the same arguments as the British did years earlier – but both were instances of disguised imperialism by self-determination. The conflicts shown in the Middle East today still stem from control of oil, and these will likely continue as long as industrialized nations attempt to maintain control of the oil reserves in less developed areas of the
The featured article “The End of Oil,” the author, Alex Kuhlman argues that oil production is decreasing due to the costs of production are rising because cheap and easily accessible oil is hard to find despite increased consumption.(Kuhlman, 2007). Kuhlman (2007) provides evidence both from oil demand and supply aspects to illustrate the imbalance which causes the end of oil.
“National Security Consequences of United States Oil Dependence” is an article created by an Independent Task Force which emphasizes how in the future the United States can experience severe consequences from using an abundant amount of oil. "For the United States, with 4.6 percent of the world's population using 25 percent of the world's oil, the transition would be especially disruptive" (Task Force 212). The transition they describe is to an economy that relies less on petroleum. This dependence on oil could possibly result in the United States to suffer with economic, and social downfall as the entire country depends on the oil we obtain. One alternative to this oil dependency is to explore all American territory for oil, which involves
New and improved methods for extracting oil were being developed. Billions of dollars would be poured into the discovery of new wells and the hunt wasn’t slowing down. Governments were willing to do anything to secure a steady supply of oil, even if that meant fighting for it. Some of the most destructive world conflicts all started from the desire of that sticky liquid that comes from the ground. But on the positive side, oil has been at the base of some of the most important developments in modern history. Due to the speedy development of oil, a byproduct of the drilling process kick started the agricultural revolution, resulting in the rapid growth of the earth’s population. Millions of people can now eat due to the advancements of fertilizers, which main ingredient ammonia is produced from oil drilling. Oil became a huge part of society’s advancement in technology, and is still a driving force in the world of science and
In the “The Prize: The Epic Quest for Oil, Money, And Power,” Yergin undertakes the reader upon a thorough and enjoyable journey through oil history, from the first 1859 well drilling by Colonel Edwin in Pennsylvania during up to the invasion of Kuwait by Saddam Hussein in a wrathful grab for oil and wealth in 1990 August. Yergin explores the role of oil in warfare, depicts the ever-changing organization of the oil sector, and examines the prominent, as well as often flamboyant petroleum players. The book is a well-researched and well-written, and supplement to a history branch, which until very lately, had been regrettably neglected—history of business.
In England, a man by the name of William D’Arcy was close to losing it all. After taking a gamble on oil, experts who had persuaded him, were wrong about the sands in Persia. Never setting foot in Persia, D’Arcy was begging for oil. A explorer for D’Arcy named George Reynold’s was sent a telegraph stating “drill 1600 feet and give up.” On the morning of May 26, 1908 they started drilling. That evening after drilling 1180 feet, a fountain of oil spewed from the ground. D’Arcy got the news five days later. Within a year, the Anglo-Persian Oil Company, later to become BP, was now in business (BP, 2013a). After almost losing everything, D’Arcy was now richer than he had ever been. In the field of Naphtha a refinery was being built where Anglo-Persian Oil Company first struck oil. But just getting there proved to be a task. It was a 210 kilometers trip through winding mountainous routes. It took two years for construction to be complete because the work was slow and painstaking.
The Oil Curse and the other articles under review discussed oil revenues and the effects it has on economic development, regime durability and civil wars in oil rich nations. What is it about oil wealth that seems to hinder development and trigger internal conflict? Scholars have examined the oil curse phenomenon from different perspectives and draw various conclusions from their analyses. Some have argued that oil wealth inhibits growth and development; others have questioned the resource curse thesis and argue that oil wealth over all has a positive effect on development. While some have outlined the circumstances under which oil wealth becomes a curse. The resource curse hypothesis generally assert that the inflow of wealth from
The Egyptian oil and gas industry supplies vitality and key chemicals for homes, commercial enterprises, and transport, and subsequently assumes a key part in the Egyptian economy. It gives around 87% of Egypt 's essential vitality and records for around 35% of Egypt 's fare incomes (EIA, 2013). By the by, the amalgamation of considerable increment in local utilization of vitality, wasteful government appropriations on petroleum items, colossal spending plan deficiency, omnipresent assaults on gas pipelines and consistent political agitation, implies that Egypt oil and gas industry is confronting overflowing difficulties which will be felt for quite a long time to come. Egypt is the 63rd biggest send out economy on the planet and the 68th