Wednesday, April 06, 2005
Oil and Gas for India?
According to a recent report, India and Pakistan have planned to build a pipeline from Iran through Pakistan to India. The pipeline would provide India and Pakistan with oil and natural gas needed to fuel their own growing industrialization. Last month our Secretary of State, Condoleezza Rice, while on a visit to India, informed officials there that the United States strongly opposes the pipeline project. The reason is that the United States wants to be able to increase the economic pressure on Iran by tightening the blockade on Iranian exports. The United States fears the growth of a nuclear weapons technology in Iran and wants to use the blockade to pressure Iran from proceeding with its nuclear program.
It occurs to me that the United States has another motive. I think of it every time I drive by a gasoline station and see how much the price of a gallon of gas has increased since last summer. I think of it when I hear on the news that the price of crude oil is reaching new highs almost every day. Obviously there isn't enough petroleum produced these days to go around. India needs more. China needs more. We Americans need more to run our inefficient but popular SUV's.
I submit that the nuclear weapons excuse for opposing the pipeline is not the real reason. Our distaste for the government of the ayatollahs is transient. Our increasing need for a major share of the world's petroleum is permanent. We don't want that pipeline built because we want to be able to get all that oil and gas for ourselves.
It occurs to me that the United States has another motive. I think of it every time I drive by a gasoline station and see how much the price of a gallon of gas has increased since last summer. I think of it when I hear on the news that the price of crude oil is reaching new highs almost every day. Obviously there isn't enough petroleum produced these days to go around. India needs more. China needs more. We Americans need more to run our inefficient but popular SUV's.
I submit that the nuclear weapons excuse for opposing the pipeline is not the real reason. Our distaste for the government of the ayatollahs is transient. Our increasing need for a major share of the world's petroleum is permanent. We don't want that pipeline built because we want to be able to get all that oil and gas for ourselves.
