How Oil Fuels Conflict and War—and Who Profits

From our collaborating partner “Living on Earth,” public radio’s environmental news magazine, an interview by host Steve Curwood with Michael Klare, an emeritus professor of peace and security studies at Hampshire College. The U.S.-Israel joint war against Iran has shaken global energy markets, closed the Strait of Hormuz and restricted the flow of oil and natural gas worldwide. It’s the latest conflict over Iranian oil, but the growing emergence of fossil-free energy sources is prompting visions of ending our decades of dependence on oil, with its pollution and inevitable wars. Michael Klare is an emeritus professor of peace and security studies at Hampshire College and the defense correspondent for The Nation magazine. This interview has been edited for length and clarity. STEVE CURWOOD: For years, you’ve written about the problems of war and the environment and such. What’s new about this one? MICHAEL KLARE: Ten or 15 years ago, I would have said by now we would be weaned off oil, or we would have been on a slide downwards from oil. We were talking that by 2025 we would have reached peak oil, meaning peak world oil demand, and be in decline, and renewables would be the dominant fuel.