Americans are addicted to petroleum; because of this, our withdrawal needs to be a cautious one. For illustrative purposes let's personify the U.S and the oil rich Middle East. The relationship is comparable to that of a drug addict and a drug dealer. The drug dealer only has manipulative power over the addict as long as the dealer is the sole proprietor. By developing relationships with multiple dealers, the addict has successfully diffused the power of any single dealer. This way he can easily avoid destructive relationships. Similarly, the United States can subdue its dependence on the Middle East by exploring alternative sources of energy. Buying oil from Canada, using alternative transportation fuels, and pushing for a more domestic production of goods will lead the U.S to an energy independent state (Schroeder, 2011).
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Our relationship with the oil rich Middle Eastern countries poses many problematic issues. The U.S imports around 14 million barrels a day, which puts it in the number one spot for oil importation (Cohen, 2006). Projections show that in less than 15 years the U.S will import up to 68% of its petroleum. With this projection in mind, oil imported from the Middle East could rise above 20%. We can't afford to trust the spontaneous and unbalanced Middle East with such a large portion of our fuel. In fact, we don't. This is why our government spends millions of dollars just to enforce the area with military troops. This is an additional economical cost to relying on the Middle East for oil. Turning to Canada for oil is a much safer and more local option. By relying on an adjacent country for oil we cut import costs. By negotiating with a much more diplomatic and less powerful (military) country, we reduce the amount of money we spend on troop occupations abroad. .
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Canada is currently producing 2.8 million barrels of oil a day, and this number is only growing (CAPP, 2011). It is a smart move for the U.
