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Oil-Influenced Foreign Policy
By Judi Friedman, Canton
I am deeply concerned that the current national administration's greed for oil is affecting United States foreign policy in an unprecedented and very dangerous way. Some examples of these oil-influenced decisions that deserve further investigation can be found in the most recent monthly issues of Facts For Action published by the Kansas City Fellowship of Reconciliation:
• Hamid Karzai, the president of Afghanistan, is a former employee of UNOCAL, a Texas-based oil company.
• In an article in the Israeli newspaper Ma'ariv, Uri Averny suggests that the location of U.S. military bases in the Caspian/ Afghanistan region reflects the route of a proposed pipeline from the Caspian Sea to the Indian Ocean.
• The U.S. invasion of Iraq would help secure Iraq's more than 70 oil fields for the use of the United States and its allies.
Concerned citizens must question the constitutional right of the President to declare war unilaterally. This power belongs to Congress. Also, each of us should do our utmost to reduce our own dependence on oil.
I urge readers of The Voice to question current U.S. foreign policy in oil-rich areas or in areas that are useful for oil and energy transport. We must influence our elected legislators to work for sane and fair foreign policies that help people in other nations meet their basic needs. Voting for legislators who support clean energy, energy efficiency and conservation technologies is vital. It is also useful to support such legislators financially in our state and in other regions as well.
At the same time, we must make personal lifestyle changes that support energy efficiency, conservation and renewable technologies. The simple act of changing light bulbs to compact fluorescents in every household would revolutionize our energy demands immediately. Buying products that are not oil-based is also helpful. Investing in companies that produce environmentally sound items is yet another way to "walk the talk." Each of us—acting together—can be a powerful force for a fairer and safer world when we honestly face and understand the issues.
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