Blood and Oil: The Dangers and Consequences of America's Growing

“Agreeing with the premise of "No Blood for Oil" placards, a college professor of international affairs here explains why he thinks the current Bush administration is a disaster on energy and foreign policy. In brief, Klare disputes the contention of the administration's 2001 National Energy Policy (NEP)--the document in the news less for its contents than for litigation against its sponsor, Vice President Richard Cheney--that the U.S. can foster increases in the global production of oil. This work is valuable for ventilating what the NEP says (which mass media rarely do), albeit for the purpose of shooting its arguments down. The NEP's thesis is that the U.S. must diversify its foreign sources of oil, importing more from the Caspian Sea, West Africa, and South America and less from the Persian Gulf. Systematically analyzing these areas, Klare dismisses the diversification strategy and promotes his solution to the foreign-oil dilemma: reducing consumption by sharply increasing fuel taxes. Although it is anti-Bush, this book will better engage readers interested in policy than those seeking polemics.”
--Gilbert Taylor, Booklist