Essay about the Arab Oil Embargo in 1973 and Economic Security

Essay from the year 2010 in the subject Politics - Topic: History of Inernational Relations, The University of Georgia, course: INTL 4490, language: English, abstract: The present essay is a faux letter to the President regarding the oil embargo amidst the 1973 oil crisis. Dear Mr. President,The recent Arab oil embargo has placed significant strain on our economy and developed an energy crisis. In the past few years we have become increasingly dependent on the Middle East for our oil. As in the previous two Arab oil embargoes, in 1956 and 1967, this embargo is a response to our pro-Israeli stance. Saudi Arabia warned us in April of this year, well before the October 1973 War, that they would cut off oil production if we continued our pro-Israeli stance. In response to our continued support, the Arabs viewed an embargo as a viable weapon. In their eyes we have failed to use our influence over Israel to produce a fair settlement of the Arab-Israeli conflict under UN Security Council Resolution 242. Arab countries have wanted two things: effective assistance from western developed nations and a fair and just resolution to both the Arab-Israeli conflict and the Palestinian Problem. Without these an embargo seemed like the only viable option for them. Our energy consumption and dependence on foreign oil supplies has increased significantly due to the lack of output from our domestic supplies. Therefore both our increased dependence on the Arab nations and our support for Israel has given these nations a weapon with which to threaten our economic security.