Bin Laden over a barrel?
UNITED NATIONS Ñ Joy to the World? Osama Bin Laden has sent his hate-filled holiday message to the West and many Middle Eastern rulers basically saying itÕs time to blow up the oil industry so that the wheels of global commerce and every SUV in America will come to a stop. His timing is curious but perhaps, also revealing.
Are the global Al Qaida networks so sufficiently broken or disrupted that the only place of attack remains in the Middle East Ñ especially in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia where this Yemeni born-terrorist harbors a twisted love/hate relationship? Or has he calculated that the Ultimate hit on the American homeland may not come with a focused homicidal attack on a single target but through nationwide gas shortages causing higher prices, gas lines, and an economic downturn?
The Bin Laden audio stated clearly that part of the plan is to ÒTarget America in Iraq,Ó but to also focus on the vulnerable oil industry Ñ ÒMount your operations accordingly particularly in Iraq and the Gulf.Ó That does not mean we should only assume this threat rests in the Middle East but also be prepared for a attack on VenezuelaÕs very vulnerable oil industry and among the Russian sources which we have increasingly used. Al Qaida may ÓsubcontractÓ an attack on Russian production using local Islamic terrorists.
Naturally any threat with this specificity must be taken seriously but not too literally. While Bin Laden and other assorted Iraqi terrorists have targeted the Iraqi petroleum industry, they have not stopped the flow of black gold. Moreover while the Saudi oil fields are longtime targets, the revelation that their disruption would cause chaos is nothing new but certainly nerve-racking.
When the malevolent Ayatollah Khomeini seized power in Iran a quarter century ago, he played the oil embargo weapon against the West. Though boycotts have always been quietly discussed among Middle East radicals, the business bottom line keeps the petroleum spigot open and flowing. LetÕs face it, OPEC did not become rich by not selling their petroleum.
But what Bin Laden plans is to knock the industry out Ñ yes, not would that not only hurt the Arab exporters but equally the American, Europeans and Japanese buyers. While the USA and to a smaller degree Japan are naturally the target of choice and intimidation, itÕs the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia which remains Al QaidaÕs target of destabilization and destruction. The recent attack on the U.S. Consulate in Jeddah by Al Qaida underscores this terror theme.
Americans cannot begin to comprehend the white heat hatred of Islamic fanaticism and its zeal to destroy both moderate Arab governments as well as the ÒinfidelsÓ in the West.
Bin LadenÕs assertion that the West is stealing the inexpensive Arab is laughable Ñ but brings me back to my longtime assertion that the USAÕs dangerous dependency on Òcheap imported oil,Ó is indeed part of the problem too. Though petroleum prices have plunged twenty percent from highs of $55 per barrel in October, the OPEC cartel wishes to cut production. Fine, donÕt sell your signature product and give the U.S. the incentive to pursue realistic energy alternatives.
America invites its vulnerability by not diversifying oil supplies, by not using high-tech drilling techniques for enhancing domestic production in pre-existing fields, and by not seeking new domestic sources. Given Bin LadenÕs holiday threat to the West, perhaps we should start to think about an early New YearÕs resolutionÑto seriously cut our dependence of imported oil and thus to immeasurably enhance our overall national security.
John J. Metzler is a U.N. correspondent covering diplomatic and defense
issues. He writes weekly for World Tribune.com.  |
