Oil Timeline

This is a brief and fanciful timeline predicting the future of oil.

2006: The U.S. attacks Iran and secures its oil and natural gas supplies. For the next decade, Europe and Japan give their tacit approval in exchange for a share of oil.

2009: The U.S. starts angling for Venezuela’s oil, using the same pretext of national security it used against Iraq and is currently using against Iran.

2012: The U.S. invades Venezuela and secures its oil supplies.

2015: China and India demand a greater share of oil from the Middle East. The U.S. refuses their demands. War erupts in the Middle East for control of that region’s oil supply and the U.S. is driven out of the Middle East. Fearing losing out on its share of oil, Russia retakes the Central Asian countries by military force. Europe and Japan lose their Middle Eastern oil and are forced to beg for oil from Russia, for which they pay a princely sum.

2018: After retreating from most of the world and consolidating its military forces in North America and strengthening its control over Venezuela, the U.S. takes Mexico’s oil supplies by military force.

2021: Faced with ever dwindling supplies of oil and difficulty maintaining control over the oil supplies it has, the U.S. takes Canada’s oil supplies and tar sands by military force.

Throughout most of this history, Russia remains out of the picture. It retains the bulk of its production for domestic use, only sharing a small amount of its production with Europe and Japan after the U.S. is kicked out of the Middle East. Russia’s invasion of central Asia is an act of desperation to counter the threat posed by India and China. Once that happens, Europe and Japan will be the “odd man out.” They will be left to cope with minuscule amounts of oil, which will send their standard of living tumbling. On the positive side, however, the lack of oil will compel Europe and Japan to find innovative ways to live without the stuff, which may eventually be the salvation of mankind.

Ian