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Energy use has changed significantly over time with the development of the urban economy, and increase of demands that GDP produces. An example of this would be the demands of consumer buying power, and demands of shipments from China and Eastern goods to the US. The cost of fuel to transport these goods has increased as the need of oil to move these ships across the ocean to fill the demand of these supplies continues. People want more “stuff,” or material goods as they acquire better jobs, better housing as a result of continued urbanization of rural areas, as jobs are increased and people see the need to have “better.” All the talk of energy consumption, and the control over these resources has more to do with who can get the most profit with the least amount of expenditure. The power of retention and manipulation of these resources lies in the muscle, and dominating economic force (Freight, 2015).
One conflict that is ever growing is the control of oil reserves in the middle east. The same oil necessary to move those shipments, is the same oil that is constantly being negotiated over, going to war over, or even stolen.
According to Klare, 2014:
Although production from the fields has dropped significantly, enough is being extracted and sold through various clandestine channels to provide the rebels (Links to an external site.) with income and operating funds. “Syria is an oil country and has resources, but in the past they were all stolen by the regime,” said (Links to an external site.) Abu Nizar, an anti-government activist. “Now they are being stolen by those who are profiting from the revolution.”
This is what is believed to be the work of ISIS, which is a regime or militia of outlaws in Iraq and Syria who are seeking to gain power, and control over the oil fields. The oil would be to used gain profits, and build larger armed forces with more weapons gaining more political control on a global scale. It all ties into the necessity for nations to fulfill the supply and demand of their people with little to no reliance on other countries if possible. This is what I believe to be true political power.
The Arctic faring in comparison to the battle over oil in the middle east is much the same. It ties directly into revealing that there is much hidden oil that lies beneath the ice, and who can gain access, power and control over these hidden resources has the power to dominate as a premium political power. An article by (King, 2014) states that …some overlapping territorial disputes and disagreements over how the edge of the continental margin is defined and mapped. For example, Russia claims that their continental margin follows the Lomonosov Ridge all the way to the North Pole. In another, both the United States and Canada claim a portion of the Beaufort Sea in an area that is thought to contain significant oil and natural gas resources.
These kinds of ongoing disputes make the continued argument that energy, power and politics are a continued balancing act on a global scale.
References:
Freight Rates and Maritime Transfer Costs (2015) retrieved from : unctad.org/en/PublicationChapters/rmt2015ch3_en.pdf
King, H.M (n.d) Oil and Natural Gas Resources of the Arctic, Retrieved from:
Klare, M. (2014)Twenty-first century energy wars: how oil and gas are fueling global conflicts. Energypost.eu retrieved from:
