the tyranny of oil

a briefing on the diplomatic consequences of U.S. oil consumption

Addicted to oil?
The United States consumes 19,498,000 - almost 20 million - barrels of oil every single day. At 42 gallons per barrel, that's 818,916,000 gallons, or enough to fill 1,365 Olympic-sized swimming pools.

Why so much?
Crude oil and petroleum products constitute the lifeblood of American society, entangling almost all aspects of its economy, and influencing the daily habits and outlook of its citizens. Everything from the cars we drive, to the shampoo we use to wash our hair, to the bags we put out the trash with, somehow rely on oil.

How is this oil used?
Of the 20 million barrels of oil used every day, about $6.5 million, or 29%, are used for residential or commercial purposes (5%), in industrial settings (23%), or to generate electricity (1%). The other $13.5 million barrels/day, or 71%, however, are used entirely for transportation, meaning that America uses 945 Olympic-size swimming pool's worth of oil every single day just to get around, and to get things around. America, literally, runs off oil.

Where does all this oil come from?
Some of it comes from America, mostly from Alaska, Texas, and offshore sites, but the majority is imported from abroad. As of 2008, America produced only 34% of its own oil consumption, while the rest, 66% - or 12,915,000 barrels/day - came from foreign sources.

Why does this matter?
It matters because the vast majority of the world's top oil producers represent ideas and interests antithetical to those of the US. Yet the US, out of its addiction to oil, continues to buy oil from these producers, and thus bankroll ideas and interests adverse to its own. The countries of Saudi Arabia, Venezuela, Nigeria, Iraq, Algeria, Angola, Russia, and Libya collectively supply the US with 6,162,000 barrels/day - that's 49% of all the oil America imports, and 32% of all the oil America consumes. The individual breakdown is as follows:

To varying degrees, these 9 countries, which together account for almost a third of the US's oil supply, are governed by repressive, autocratic regimes, frequently commit human rights abuses, and are generally marked by popular impoverishment, inequality, injustice, anti-Americanism, and sectarian violence.

How does this affect US diplomacy?
Very negatively. Even though these 9 countries - as well as other more minor oil producers - practice forms of government and commit atrocities that the United States - as a free, liberal, democratic society - is ideologically and humanly opposed to, because of its dependence upon these countries to quench its thirst for oil, the US's diplomatic hands are tied.

How so?
Ideally, the US would pursue policies that put pressure on these countries to instigate democratic reform, make pace between squabbling sects, and enforce the protection of civil and human rights, yet materially, the US is withheld from doing this, over fear of damaging diplomatic ties and losing access that country's oil reserves. The US's dependence on oil has made oil the bottom line when it comes to foreign relations.

So what?
The US's addiction to foreign oil has meant that it's prepared to turn a blind eye to a government's nefarious actions as long as the pipelines keep on flowing. In fact, some accuse the US of even encouraging autocratic regimes in oil-rich states, as they tend to be stable and are less susceptible to civil unrest, which has the potential to disrupt oil flow. There have even been cases in history when the US has secretly staged coups against democratically-elected governments and installed autocratic puppets in their place just to secure oil.

Does this hurt the US?
Yes. By continuing to buy oil from repressive regimes, and not putting any serious pressure on these countries to reform, the US is essentially funding these regimes, the ideologies they support, and the poverty, inequality, and lawlessness that they encourage - all of which are seeds for future civil distress, which could, and has, in several cases, come back to bite the US in the backside.

How could electric vehicles change this?
Tremendously. As said above, 71% of the oil the US uses - 13,500,000 barrels/day - is for transportation. Of this, 8,898,000 barrels/day - or 46% of the US's oil consumption - is used for motor gasoline. And so, if America were bold enough to make the entire switch over to electric vehicles, it would cut our oil consumption by almost a whopping half. Furthermore, this would be enough to ensure that the US would never have to buy its oil again from a country with a repressive regime or a questionable human rights record, thus freeing the US to pursue real diplomatic goals.