Oil & Terrorism

by Michael Sanders

Oil has been on America’s mind for the last year. There has been much angst at the pump, but, there is something far more sinister about oil than high prices.

In fact, petroleum has fuelled radical Islamic terrorism worldwide. It is time to include a search for alternative energy in the war on terrorism. Al-Qaeda itself has derived a significant portion of its wealth indirectly from petroleum. The 9-11 Commission Report states that the majority of Al-Qaeda’s wealth is from private donors in the Gulf States and in particular, Saudi Arabia. The money is primarily from the petroleum business.

This indirect connection is not enough to warrant a full-strength push for alternative energy, but there are more pressing reasons. While Al-Qaeda gains much of its strength indirectly from oil money, the generally repressive governments of the Middle East rely on oil to survive. The tyrannical governments in the Middle East both directly and indirectly cause terrorism. States such as Syria, Iran, and Yemen are able to sponsor various terrorist organizations. Without oil wealth, it is doubtful whether such regimes could survive.

For example, since the oil wealth props up the government of Saudi Arabia, the leaders do not have to tax their citizens. As Fareed Zakaria cleverly notes, instead of “No taxation without representation,” the Saudi public is forced to live with no representation without taxation. Furthermore, repressive regimes tend to drive their populaces to commit terrorism. Fifteen of the nineteen 9-11 hijackers are from the repressive state of Saudi Arabia. Angered by our presence in Saudi Arabia (dictated by oil) and infuriated with their tyrannical government (propped up by oil), Saudis comprise the highest percentage of global terrorists.

Dependent on oil, we unwittingly force the choice between the undemocratic, tyrannical rulers and the religious fanatics. There is nothing worse than being forced to do business with such tyrants. Our addiction to oil has caused us to deal with unsavory characters. Breaking this addiction will weaken our enemies and will strengthen our hand. No longer will we be forced to compromise our ideals in foreign policy. No longer will we fuel our enemies, and no longer will we rely on tyrants to fuel our economy.

I know some of you are probably thinking that the easiest solution would be opening the Alaskan National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR). I would support the idea if I thought it would work. Unfortunately, it would be both a temporary and incomplete solution. We are not the only consumers of oil, and so we will not be able to end the flow of money to the wrong people.

The only reasonable solution is to immediately pursue alternative energy with vigor. Two viable solutions that have been debated are biodiesel and ethanol. Ethanol is a viable source of energy that can be derived from agricultural corn or sugar. While it has a smaller fuel content than petroleum, it is already widely used in fuel today. In Brazil, all fuel contains at least twenty percent ethanol, and in the United States, most fuel contains at least ten percent ethanol.

Biodiesel has comparable fuel content to petroleum and can be made from agricultural products as well. Unfortunately, the yield from the conversion to fuel leaves biodiesel currently not viable for large-scale implementation. There are clear avenues for research into alternative energy. The quickest way to reach a viable solution is to involve the US government.

Our government can have a leadership role in research for alternative energy. While some conservatives often blast the government for being inefficient and wasteful, our government has proven its worth when it comes to large-scale scientific projects. The mission to the moon not only landed Neil Armstrong where “no man has gone before,” it also proved to be an economic boon.

NASA was ironically the only government agency that made a profit; its scientific discoveries were worth more than Congress allocated in the first place. We have the chance for a similar burst of scientific activity. This project can only be good for our country. Write your representatives in Congress. Support companies that are searching for alternative energy. This can be the only long-term solution to our long-term problem of terrorism.