> But you had just said that it was the potential threat that was the
> political lever. The U.S. has the potential to threaten anyone at any
> time, so the lever is very powerful. I don't get why "control" of ME
> oil - whatever that means exactly - is so central.
I didn't say that the US needs to _own and manage_ oil fields and refineries in the ME. China is accumulating strategic oil reserves and is diversifying its sources of oil supply (Russia, Kazakhstan, Indonesia, West Africa) to reduce excessive dependence on the ME oil supplies. China is also planning greater use of nuclear power. According to reports in Peoples Daily, Chinese policy makers are concerned about "the energy security".
Ulhas