Economic rhetoric: Heating up the energy independence debate (Part II)
Lessons from Georgia
Americans love a bargain. Just look at the success of Wal-Mart for proof that America loves cheap goods.
And it is our love for cheap goods that keeps us dependent on foreign energy sources, particular petroleum supplied by our “allies” in Saudi Arabia. The early summer spike in fuel costs has been forgotten in the waning days of summer as we “feel” we are getting a bargain, pumping our gasoline at a mere $3.69 per gallon this fall.
With the Wall Street Journal reporting oil futures contracts down to $107.77 per barrel of crude, gasoline prices may continue to decline as world economic growth slows and demand for petroleum products continues to decline.
But Vladimir Putin’s swagger into Georgia has an important lesson for Americans relaxing about the economic and strategic importance of energy independence: Take a hard look at what is happening in the European Union.
Bloomberg reported yesterday that European leaders, facing the fast approaching winter, find themselves strategically hog-tied in attempting to sanction Putin for military actions in Georgia, acknowledging their dependence on Russian oil and gas at a time when the European economy is teetering on the brink of a recession.
Note to America: dependence produces talk, not action. Pay close attention to the French response:
“We unambiguously condemn Russia’s disproportionate reaction, and we are conscious of our responsibility to maintain dialogue with our Russian neighbors,” French President Nicolas Sarkozy told a news conference yesterday after chairing an EU summit in Brussels.
This is the response of a dependent community to a violent act of aggression against a sovereign democratic nation for which any military assistance will be construed as a “declaration of war“.
These are American allies for whom American soldiers died, saving them from one despot to be held hostage, both economically and strategically, by another one several decades later.
How quickly the world forgets that freedom is not free.
And that wars are not only fought by the military.
Make no mistake about it: the Russian move into Georgia was not just an act of war against Georgia. It was a declaration of economic war against the West. And “fueling” the Russian aggression is the knowledge that Europe is dependent on Russian petroleum resources now more than ever.
How long will it be before the enemies of America utilize the same weapon?
Disarming the economic threat to America is a priority. Doing so requires a firm platform of energy independence and fiscal insulation from disturbances in the global economy, lest someday we become marginalized by our dependence in the same way our European allies have.
Can you imagine having this said of America?
“What, beyond rhetoric, do the [Americans] have to offer?” said George Friedman, chief executive of Stratfor, a geopolitical-risk analysis company… “How do you have a diplomatic initiative with a group…whose primary goal is to avoid a confrontation?”
Teddy Roosevelt once said, “Walk softly and carry a big stick.” Looks like the Europeans have lost theirs.
America needs leaders who are not afraid to confront and combat the real issues facing our economic and strategic interests.
America needs leaders who see America as the leader of the free world…and not free as in “no charge for this item.”
America needs leaders who know how much true freedom costs, leaders who have paid the price personally, who value America and her way of life, her legacy of independence.
Most especially, America needs leaders whose love for America is proven by actions and sacrifice, and not those who have just talked about it.
Just look at the current political tickets. Three of the four candidates on the ballot have family members sworn to “protect the Constitution from enemies within and without.”
The fourth…? We all know that talk is cheap. And in times like these, America cannot afford to go with the cheap goods.
September 4th, 2008 at 12:07 pm
Reading well from a Teleprompter is all that the “fourth” offers. There are no Teleprompters in the Oval Office. There you listen, then make decisions. The European and the Russian situation once again tells us to Drill, Drill, Drill. The Euros are getting into the wrong hands and helping to build a military that doesn’t respect boundaries. Let’s keep the $ in the US and the Euros out of Russia.