Is Oil the Issue?Call Number: DVD DS79.72 .S256 1991
Publication Date: 1991
Ms. Maria Velez, member of the President's Peace Commission, presents Dr. George Benz, professor of economics at St. Mary's University, and Dr. David Manuel, dean of St. Mary's School of Business. The speakers discuss the motives of the current military action in the Persian Gulf Region. They agree that power, specifically Western nations' requirement of a stable supply of petroleum, is the root cause. Two catalysts are discussed: the power vacuum in the region that resulted from the decline of the Soviet Union; and the historically strained relations between Iraq and Kuwait and OPEC. Other instances of shifts in the world order are discussed. The speakers conclude that, given the current state of technology, a secure petroleum supply remains priority for every nation, and, as long as this is the case, there will continue to be conflict over oil in the Middle East. (86 minutes)