US Energy Dependence Undermines Foreign Policy

The U.S. consumes and imports more oil than any other country in the world, and years of rising energy prices have underscored the nation's economic and political vulnerabilities to the vagaries of energy markets partially controlled by producing nations. The report, called National Security Consequences of U.S. Oil Dependency, said reliance on international suppliers in a tight crude oil and natural gas market partially explains the difficulty in getting an agreement on how to handle the standoff over nuclear proliferation in Iran. "Major energy suppliers, from Russia to Iran to Venezuela, have been increasingly able to use their energy resources to pursue their strategic and political objectives," while softening the U.S.' international leverage and increasing its strategic vulnerability, the report said. http://www.cattlenetwork.com/content.asp?contentid=75539

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