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Blood And Oil Summary

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Documentary “Blood and Oil” Summary
The documentary "Blood and Oil", directed by Jeremy Earp, shows how foreign policy and energy policy are closely intertwined by demonstrating growing dependence of the American economy on oil, resulting in America’s military engagements in the Middle East.
First, the documentary starts to illustrate how oil has become the most important energy resource in the American economy. Since 1860, the U.S has been the leading consumer of petroleum. Despite being a mere 5% of the world’s population, the U.S oil-based economy consumes 25% of the world’s petroleum. In fact, 98% of transportation energy comes from petroleum products. The entire agricultural industry is reliant on oil. This dependence on imported oil has been expected to increase drastically over the next 25 years. Accordingly, the U.S is expected to import 70% of its oil in 2025.
Secondly, the documentary further indicates that this energy and foreign policy were the products of FDR during WWII. Michael Klare argues that the control of the world’s energy resources has been foundational to the U.S foreign policy since WWII. The President of the U.S Franklin D. Roosevelt understood that oil was a decisive factor in America’s victory in WWII. He saw the U.S’ overwhelmed consumption of domestic reserves …show more content…

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