The Middle East is a problem of the West’s making and, because of that, the West bears a good deal of responsibility in sorting the problem out.

Why it is our responsibility can be summed up in one word — oil. The West’s economy runs on oil. If there is no oil, the economy grinds to a halt. The West has known, for at least 100 years, that the Middle East sits on top of a large patch of oil thus making it very important piece of real estate.

This also explains why we have been fucking about with the Middle East. The US, in particular, has been stirring up trouble there for a number of years. Installing governments, reaping the whirlwind when those governments are overthrown, going to war numerous times to ensure that the right government is in charge of oil production. Supporting Saddam Hussein one moment and the next one we oppose him. Saying we want democracy in the region while propping up a medieval monarchy in Saudi Arabia. The Taliban is good give them arms. The Taliban is bad go to war with them.

The one overriding factor in our strategy, if it can be called that, is who will keep the flow of oil running. None of this is based in any real commitment to the people of the region. This incoherence, if nothing else, makes it clear to people living in the region that our commitment is to one thing and one thing only — oil.

Very little comfort can be taken by people living in the region when Americans say it is just business don’t take it personally. This may work if you are looking at an Excel spreadsheet in Washington DC; on the other hand, if you’re facing a firing squad in Baghdad, you might feel a little more alarmed. It certainly wouldn’t encourage anyone to risk his life for the USA.

Part of the reason alternate energy sources were pushed was to make the West more energy independent so we wouldn’t have to worry about the Middle East and perhaps take a stand there that might remotely be called moral and civic minded. Instead, and for reasons beyond me, alternate energy sources have become a hair shirt for eco-weenies. Why do we need alternate energy sources when we have plenty of oil. All we have to do is maintain a huge armed force to make sure we keep that oil coming through the Strait of Hormuz.

So we are back to where we started — dependent on oil which is both dangerous and expensive.

Do you get it? Neither do I.