Petroleum For National Defense

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The Soviet invasion of Afghanistan and the war between Iran and Iraq underline the grim thesis of this book. Howard Bucknell argues that our dependence upon foreign oil poses an unequaled threat not only to our security as a nation but also to the fabric of our society. He issues a call for confronting this imminent crisis, for conservation and for the urgent development of new sources of energy.

Part 41, focuses on Navy fuel purchase contracts for Saudi Arabian oil and businesses' use of institutional advertising for tax exemptions during and after the war.

Though the new sensitivity to energy problems led to a veritable deluge of articles and books addressing the general foreign policy implications for the United States, the specific matter of defense policy received little more than intermittent attention. This article is an attempt to help fill the void by probing some of the relevant defense policy considerations that policymakers will have to confront. Because of the exigencies of time and space, the comments below have been restricted to the main oil producing area, the Persian Gulf, and the general question of American military intervention therein. (Author).