Writing in The Weekly Standard, Irwin Stelzer argues that “the key to a sound energy policy is a strong military.” From “Oil’s Well That Ends Well“:

American soldiers marched off to World War II singing ‘We did it before, and we can do it again.’ That tune may become appropriate once more should any hostile group make a grab for power in Saudi Arabia. Our energy policy for the foreseeable future, says Hogan, must deploy a combination of military and diplomatic tools. I would put the emphasis on the former. In the end, our aircraft carriers are the principal instruments of our energy policy, and will remain so for many years to come. If Congress wants to support a sensible energy policy, it should give the military what it needs, and leave the fate of corn farmers to the free market.

If you’re interested in the economics underpinning our energy policies (and Stelzer takes us back all the way to Nixon), this is definitely worth checking out.

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